Head of Indirect Tax

Starling is the UK’s first and leading digital bank on a mission to fix banking! We built a new kind of bank because we knew technology had the power to help people save, spend and manage their money in a new and transformative way. Read more about Our Story here.

We’re a fully licensed UK bank with the culture and spirit of a fast-moving, disruptive tech company. We’re a bank, but better: fairer, easier to use and designed to demystify money for everyone. We employ more than 3,000 people across our London, Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester offices.

Hybrid Working

We have a Hybrid approach to working here at Starling - our preference is that you're located within a commutable distance of our London office so that we're able to interact and collaborate in person. We're asking that you attend the office a minimum of 10 days per month.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Head of Indirect Tax (or an experienced Senior Manager ready to take the next step in their career) to join our growing tax team, reporting directly to the Group Director of Tax. As a central leader within the tax function, you will take overall responsibility for managing the group’s UK and international indirect tax affairs spanning strategic tax planning, international expansion, structuring and transactions, as well as indirect tax compliance and governance.

This is a high-visibility leadership role during an ambitious phase of scaling for the Starling Bank group. You will lead indirect tax strategy across our core UK banking operations, our global Software-as-a-Service banking platform (Engine by Starling), overseas entities and branch networks, new financial product developments, and strategic corporate transactions.

Responsibilities

The role involves a wide range of responsibilities and high-impact opportunities in a rapidly scaling fintech environment, including:

- Leading the group’s indirect tax strategy and compliance, proactively identifying opportunities and navigating statutory changes across UK and international jurisdictions.
- Supporting high-profile corporate projects including IPO planning, group reorganisations, acquisitions, international expansion, and transfer pricing.
- Championing strategic VAT planning and optimisation across the group, anticipating emerging indirect tax developments and requirements that could impact our operations.
- Establishing, monitoring, and continually refining the group's Indirect Tax Risk Management & Governance Framework, ensuring rigorous alignment with Senior Accounting Officer (SAO) requirements, anti-facilitation of tax evasion controls, and internal audit standards.
- Managing relationships with external professional advisers, ensuring high-quality, efficient, and cost-effective delivery.
- Partnering closely with Finance, Engineering, and Technology teams to optimise and automate ERP tax engines (e.g. NetSuite, Workday), auditing and configuring automated VAT determination logic, general ledger mapping, and digital invoice matching to support Making Tax Digital (MTD) and international real-time e-invoicing standards.
- Delivering clear, commercially minded indirect tax advice and structured training to Commercial, Product, and Finance teams regarding indirect tax implications and new product rollouts.
- Leading all engagements with tax authorities, overseeing routine inquiries, formal audits, and proactive dispute resolution.

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Requirements

- Substantial post-qualification experience in UK indirect tax within financial services (such as retail banking, lending, payment institutions, or fintech), featuring demonstrable experience leading complex Partial Exemption calculations.
- Comprehensive knowledge of international indirect tax frameworks, including EU B2B place-of-supply rules, reverse charge mechanics, and Fixed Establishment risk management.
- Proven ability to act as a trusted adviser to executive leadership (CFO, Head of Tax, General Counsel), translating complex indirect tax regulations into actionable commercial strategy and clear briefings.
- Professional qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CTA, or equivalent, backed by strong core accounting knowledge.
- Collaborative, self-motivated leadership approach with exceptional organisational ability, meticulous attention to detail, and a pragmatic attitude toward indirect tax risk management.
- A commercial, solution-focused mindset, alongside the ability to communicate technical indirect tax matters clearly to both tax specialists and non-tax stakeholders.

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Benefits

- 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
- An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
- Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
- 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
- Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
- Life insurance at 4x your salary
- Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
- Generous family-friendly policies
- Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
- Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work and Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships

About Us

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.

We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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