Senior VAT Tax Manager

Location

Bradford/Leeds

About the Role

Our Blume VAT team is based in Bradford/Leeds, UK. We work alongside Tax colleagues predominantly located in London, Denver and Amsterdam.

The VAT Senior Manager plays a central role in day-to-day leadership, technical quality and development of the VAT service, reporting into the Blume Tax Director. The role combines ownership of complex compliance delivery with practical support for business projects and change, ensuring VAT compliance while maintaining a clear compliance-led service boundary.

The role holder will oversee high-quality and timely VAT reporting across UK and European entities, support the Director with customer and stakeholder relationships, lead escalations and help translate business projects and change into compliant operational processes. This includes VAT group, registration and entity changes, compliance impact assessment, and implementation support for Liberty Global-led projects.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior VAT guidance and lead high-quality VAT compliance delivery across the business and relevant client services.
• Provide visible senior support and continuity across the VAT service, reporting into the Blume Tax Director.
• Lead the day-to-day delivery of VAT compliance services, including preparation, review and timely filing of returns and related submissions.
• Oversee the quality of VAT compliance outputs, ensuring returns are prepared in line with agreed processes, controls and deadlines.
• Support the Blume Tax Director in maintaining a robust VAT compliance framework, including clear ownership, review points, escalation routes and evidence of controls.
• Monitor compliance delivery risks, including data quality, process gaps and deadline pressures, and ensure these are escalated with practical mitigation actions.
• Help embed consistent VAT compliance standards across jurisdictions, working with local teams and external specialists where required.
• Own or oversee complex VAT compliance matters, providing senior technical guidance, review and assurance.
• Coordinate workloads, priorities and delivery standards across the VAT team, working through the existing management structure.
• Act as a senior escalation point for customers, Finance teams, P2P teams and Systems teams on VAT compliance and related operational matters.
• Lead the onboarding of new customers, entities and jurisdictions, including process design, controls, governance and readiness assessment.
• Support business projects and change by translating VAT requirements into practical, compliance, operational and implementation actions.
• Monitor and assess the impact of changes in VAT legislation and case law on the business, providing guidance to senior stakeholders on compliance implications and required operational actions.
• Manage business relationships and act as a trusted senior contact on VAT-related matters, ensuring clear communication of compliance requirements, risks and responsibilities.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness and control of VAT operations.
• Take the lead on project management for matters such as VAT audits, HMRC enquiries and disclosures, M&A activity, due diligence and VAT grouping within agreed service scope.
• Lead indirect tax workstreams in ERP and tax engine implementations, including design, configuration and testing.
• Ensure newly acquired businesses are integrated into the Group’s VAT compliance and control environment.
• Manage and develop junior team members, providing technical training, coaching and performance feedback to build their VAT compliance and guidance capability.
• Design, implement and continuously enhance VAT governance frameworks, controls and documentation, aligned with SAO and relevant regulatory expectations.