Job Title: Europe Tax Manager
Location: Budapest
Contract terms: Permanent
About us
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks company with an outstanding collection of brands, such as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and Guinness. With over 200 brands in 180 countries and a global network of entrepreneurial individuals, our teams blend a diverse range of experience, knowledge and skills. We connect customers and consumers to our iconic products and create innovative experiences that bring people together to celebrate life.
About the role
The role reports into the Europe Senior Tax Manager as part of the European Tax team.
Stakeholders: Europe Financial Controllers, Country Directors, Global Tax, Tax Authorities and other external stakeholders.
Want more jobs like this?
Get Accounting and Finance jobs in Budapest, Hungary delivered to your inbox every week.
Line manager: Europe Tax Senior Manager based in Netherlands.
Works within Global Tax alongside Subject Matter Experts.
This role is responsible for supporting the entire taxation agenda for the Rest of Europe (this covers all of Europe excluding Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) with increased responsibility for Eastern Europe as well as selected other countries in the broader Europe/MENA region.
The role requires excellent knowledge of the principles of International Tax and the practical impact of those on operating within a Global Group (Transfer Pricing, BEPS and Withholding Taxes etc).
The European Tax Team owns the tax relationship with the Finance Directors in Europe
- Active leadership of the tax agenda of the markets in scope and management and monitoring of market tax risks including taking action to detect, report, mitigate and track uncertain tax positions
- Managing Market Tax Risk Meetings with Finance Director and other key stakeholders to advise, guide and educated stakeholders on key tax issues
- Provide day-to-day tax advice to either the business or within Global Tax and partner with business on business initiatives to ensure tax strategies and policies are adhered to and opportunities to deliver tax efficiencies are identified and fully evaluated.
The European Tax Team owns the tax relationship with the tax authorities in Europe
- Manage Tax Audits and tax enquiries in line with guidelines to ensure that any Tax Audit is closed with minimal exposure
- Manage day-to-day cooperation with local Tax Authorities to ensure an excellent and cooperative relationship is retained
- Manage Legislative and Regulatory Changes to ensure that all necessary changes are implemented in a timely and correct manner and all impacted stakeholders are informed accordingly and ensure active engagement with Corporate Relations
The European Tax Team has oversight of all tax for in-scope countries in Europe
- Retain oversight of tax compliance positions and underlying processes owned by other roles within the Global Tax team
- Ownership of Tax Reporting inputs
Decision maker for::
Accountability for minimising tax risk, assesses and mitigate tax risk and ensure tax payments and calculations on a timely basis:
- Brings further structure, direction, solutions and execution to embed governance and framework to tax for the managed countries - active participation in Europe Tax team and leading region wide initiatives / implementing specific Global Tax projects
- Constantly monitors tax laws in the covered territory and implement changes in processes as necessary.
- Operates an early risk identification mechanism. Effectively and with pace mitigates tax risk in covered territories. Proactively manages local Tax Authority relationships and local tax audits
- Through effective interaction with local commercial teams and compliance tax teams proactively searches for opportunities to save cash and P/L tax, creates value through tax
- Supports the statutory accounting and group reporting process: (I) provides technical advice on accounting treatments up on request and (II) prepares the notes and the management report.
Top 3 functional capabilities for this role (Max. 3):
Managing Risks and local Fiscal Authorities
- Core understanding of tax authority systems and processes, wide experience and expertise in tax audit management.
- Builds close and strong relationships with local tax authorities ensuring relevant information is provided as required and that Diageo reaches successful outcome on any audit settlements.
- Solid work experience in industry and has strong capability to engage business stakeholders, leadership in tax matters and can influence them for proper tax outcomes
- Involved in making accurate filings and cash payments through reviewing tax calculations and is confident in signing off local tax returns to minimise the risk of tax audits.
- Actively searches for risks using internal and external data sources, monitors predictive indicators within and outside own function. Monitors and ensure mitigation plans are in place and uses judgement to intervene to ensure course correction.
- Clear strategic destination and leadership delivering optimum tax agenda for Europe (through strong Technical Taxation knowledge)
Strategic destination and leadership delivering optimum Tax agenda for Europe
- Understands local tax and accounting legislation as well as group tax structures and how they interact. Understands and promotes Diageo's tax policy including indirect taxes (in particular VAT, Customs & Excise Duties), transfer pricing, corporate tax and the importance of intercompany accounting. Applies commercial insight to assess feasibility of business transactions and solutions.
- Understands payroll taxation matter in interaction with HR department, the Employment Tax Team and works to manage compliance challenges and tax audits.
- Understands tax compliance processes and systems. Builds great relationships with outsourced tax providers, Global Tax and Centre of Excellence tax & statutory as well as underlying process teams to carry out tax compliance.
- Can effectively partner within Global Tax to find solutions that are optimal for both locally and for Group.
- Collaborate on the preparation of the annual transfer pricing documentation coordinating with the Global Tax team to ensure consistency and annual global compliance process deadlines are met.
Effective stakeholder management across internal and external stakeholders (Creating value for the business through tax)
- Lead of accurate information to the key internal and external stakeholders which is delivered on time.
- Deeply understands the business of the local companies
- Acts as a valuable member of the local business community to full extent support local commercial goals through effective tax solutions
- Proactively searches for opportunities to save cash tax and tax cost in P/L.
- Proactive participation in implementation of Global Tax Strategy Team initiatives and transfer pricing policies; embedding simpler, faster, better reporting
What you will bring
- University / College Degree in finance/business/law
- Fluency in English
- Financial and Management Accounting & Reporting processes
- Thorough knowledge of the tax legislation of at least one European country
- 5-10 years corporate tax experience in industry and/or public accounting.
- Accounting background with strong analytical skills
- Professional accountancy qualification Internal / external audit experience and/or SOX
- Risk assessment
- Experience with Shared services process activities
- Stakeholder management
- Strong compliance and reporting background.
- Ability to review financial data and interpret for tax reporting
- Ability to work independently, organize, and prioritize workload effectively all while being able to work within a strong team oriented environment
- Ability to manage time, meet deadlines and prioritize
Benefits
- Unique Family Leave opportunity
- We work without border - you will work with people from all over the world
- You will deal with world class brand portfolio
- Wide variety of thematic events, after work activities organized by employee communities
- Product Allowance to purchase company products from the staff shop
- We won the Fittest Workplace Award, of course we have a Gym
- Urban legend is true, we do have a Rooftop Bar
Flexibility
This is key to success in our business and many of our staff work flexibly in many different ways, including part-time and compressed hours. Please talk to us about what flexibility means to you and don'tl et anything stop you from applying.
Diversity statement
Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to Diageo's purpose of "celebrating life every day everywhere". This purpose is, in itself, inclusive in nature, as it values everybody irrespective of background, disability, religion, gender identity, sexuality or ethnicity.
We know that for our business to thrive and for Diageo to realize its ambition, we depend on having diverse talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the 180 countries in which we operate and to reflect our broad consumer base. We view diversity as one of the key enablers that helps our business to grow and our values, purpose and standards set the conditions for us to respect the unique contribution each person brings.