Deputy Director Excise & Environmental Taxes

Job summary

There are six Deputy Director-led teams within BTILA (Business Tax & International Legal Advisers). Our work spans a broad range of business tax and international matters, including corporation tax, VAT, environmental taxes and excise, customs, business rates advice to the Valuation Office Agency, and international trade. Our lawyers advise on legislation, support HMRC’s operational delivery, provide policy advice to HMRC and HM Treasury, and work closely with ministers and legal colleagues across government.

The main areas covered by the Environmental Taxes work include, Fuel duty, Aggregates Levy, Air Passenger Duty, Climate Change Levy, Landfill Tax, Plastic Packaging Tax and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. The areas covered by the Excise work, include, Alcohol duty, Gambling duties, Tobacco duties, and the new Vaping Products duty. This is a new team bringing excise and environmental together and there is an opportunity to shape the vision and direction of the team.

The work attracts stakeholder interest and plays an important role in supporting HMRC’s wider strategic objectives. The team regularly provides advice to Ministers, HMRC’s Commissioners and senior governance boards, requiring clear, practical and legally robust analysis.

You will work closely with policy and operational areas across HMRC, HM Treasury and other government departments, as well as colleagues across Legal Group and the wider Government Legal Profession. You will join BTILA leadership team alongside me and the other Deputy Directors. You will be a part of the wider team leading the advisory function (this is BTILA and the directorate advising on cross cutting and personal tax areas) as well as being a member of the Legal Enterprise Leadership Group.

Working across our five regional centres, we take a strategic approach to leadership, resourcing, risk management, capability building and professional development, while maintaining a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion and employee wellbeing.

Job description

• Leading the provision of timely, high quality, risk-based advice on public law, excise and environmental taxes to key stakeholders in HMRC and HM Treasury, facilitating creative and practical solutions that meet client priorities.
• Delivering effective primary, secondary and tertiary legislation required to make changes to the excise duty and environmental taxes regimes.
• Forming and managing highly effective working relationships with key stakeholders in HMRC and externally.
• Leading a team of 12 lawyers.
• Overseeing the allocation of work and resources to ensure effective delivery within available funding, meeting changing client needs through accurate management and reporting.
• Providing inspiring, confident and empowering leadership that is inclusive, supporting staff to improve their skills and performance, and offering support to career development.
• Contributing to the development and sharing of legal knowledge and capability and best practice across the team, Legal Group and HMRC, and wider government.
• Contributing to the effective management and development of the directorate and advisory function as well as the wider leadership of Legal Group and enterprise leadership in HMRC.
• Promoting the use of digital tools, including the use of AI, and a new advisory case management system.

Person specification

• Excellent legal professional skills with knowledge and experience in delivering legal services, and the ability to command the confidence of senior officials and Ministers.
• Capability to lead and manage a team of lawyers: setting direction; managing performance, finance and risks; and embracing innovation to improve service delivery and value for money.
• Strong people leadership skills: promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace, alongside developing capability and professionalism.
• Demonstrable ability to work collaboratively and influence other senior leaders across HMRC Legal Group, HMRC, the Government Legal Profession and external stakeholders.
• Ability and enthusiasm to deliver the business of the legal group and to act as an enterprise leader.

Desirable criteria:

• An understanding of and some experience of the work of Government, including primary and secondary legislation.
• Experience and knowledge of tax and the tax system.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £86,000, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £24,914 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).For full benefits please see attached Candidate Pack

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

For the full application process please see attached Candidate Pack

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the