Senior Tax Director

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients, and communities.

Working at WPP means being part of a global network of more than 115,000 accomplished people in 110 countries. WPP has headquarters in New York, London and Singapore and a corporate presence in major markets worldwide.

We create transformative ideas and outcomes for our clients through an integrated offer of communications, experience, commerce, and technology.

WPP and our award-winning agencies work with most of the world's biggest companies and organisations – from Ford, Unilever and P&G to Google, HSBC, and the UN. Our clients include 61 of the FTSE 100, 307 of the Fortune Global 500, all 30 of the Dow Jones 30 and 62 of the NASDAQ 100. WPP are the leader in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and 20th in the FTSE 100 rankings for Women on Boards.

WPP AUNZ:

WPP AUNZ is a creative transformation company.  For our clients we are here to grow their business so that it can thrive in this new economy. For our people, we are here to grow talent and foster creativity.  We offer services in four highly skilled areas - communications, experience, commerce and technology. Each of these skills is critical in building strong companies for a constantly changing future.  Our culture is one of excellence. We foster and celebrate leadership wherever we find it. We encourage our people to be open, optimistic and to reach for extraordinary. We may not always get there, but we will never give up trying.

YOUR ROLE IN A NUTSHELL:

As an important member of the in-house tax team, you will be assisting the Head of Tax in the delivery of a full range of tax compliance and consulting services to the various businesses, and back-office functions of the group covering the income tax, GST and employment taxes of the various jurisdictions in which the group conducts business operations (but principally Australia and New Zealand). This Position will provide an excellent opportunity for career development to an individual who demonstrates drive and initiative towards personal and professional growth (i.e. a ‘hands on’ individual looking to go to the next level).

REPORTING OF THE ROLE:

This role reports directly to the Head of Tax – AUNZ.

KEY RESPONSIBLITIES INCLUDE:

• ensure the in-house Tax team meets on a timely basis the WPP AUNZ Group’s tax compliance obligations in both Australia and New Zealand
• take ownership of the implications for the WPP AUNZ Group of the recently introduced Pillar II and anti-hybrid mis-match tax laws
• review and sign off on the periodic tax provision computations prepared with the assistance of the CCH Tax Integrator cloud platform
• assist with the preparation of year-end tax notes and commentary
• review and sign off on the monthly single Australian GST computations and returns and six monthly Payment Times Reports
• assist with tax audits, reviews and investigations by an Australian or New Zealand revenue authority (including Top 1000 CAR by the ATO)
• provide technical support to the Head of Tax – AUNZ and liaising with the WPP London and New York tax teams
• aid and advice to the Finance function in preparing tax forecasts and budgets and accounting for various costs, events and transactions
• providing tax technical advice (covering Australian and New Zealand income tax, GST and employment taxes) and support to the various business units within the WPP AUNZ Group
• provide tax technical advice to various internal back office functions (e.g. corporate finance, M&A and legal) in respect of group simplification initiatives and M&A transactions
• liaise with external advisors in relation to a wide range of Tax compliance and consulting matters
• periodic updating of the WPP AUNZ Group’s effective tax rate calculation
• liaising directly with the ATO and other government agencies
• oversee the efficient and effective maintenance of various in-house tax registers and tax files
• manage and finalise (as and when required) on the preparation and lodgement of various forms and applications to the ATO and other government agencies (e.g. Statements of Tax Record; Certificates of Residence; changes within the tax consolidated group in both Australia and New Zealand)
• seeking out continuous process improvement opportunities by developing or implementing best practices including the full / semi-automation of the internal GST BAS preparation process and FBT return preparation process
• designing, implementing and maintaining when necessary effective internal tax controls that meet revenue authority and SOX requirements and expectations
• building relationships with key people in the WPP AUNZ Group’s various businesses and back-office departments
• mentoring more junior members of the internal Tax team

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• minimum of 15-20 years' demonstrated experience as a taxation professional within the Big 4 and/or Commerce environment (dealing with a broad range of income tax, GST and employment tax consulting and compliance matters)
• qualified CPA / Chartered Accountant
• tertiary taxation degree / diploma will be highly regarded
• well-developed interpersonal and communication skills
• deep understanding and working knowledge of tax effect accounting principles and concepts
• displayed experience with CCH’s Tax Integrator software package
• able to manage competing priorities and solving problems
• a well-developed and mature client service ethos
• self-starter with a strong desire to learn (and keeping abreast of tax developments as they occur)
• organised and efficient consistently attaining a high degree of accuracy
• aptitude for the ‘big picture’ and an eye for the detail
• proficient spreadsheet and slide presentation skills

WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, military/veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability. We believe in creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion and strives to recruit a diverse slate of candidates to help us achieve that goal.

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