VAT Assistant Manager

A leading Big 8 accountancy and advisory firm is looking for a VAT Assistant Manager to join its expanding tax team. The firm works with ambitious, fast‑growing, and entrepreneurial businesses across the UK and internationally, helping them navigate a constantly evolving VAT landscape.Broaden Your Horizons

You’ll join a friendly, diverse, and collaborative tax team that supports clients across multiple sectors. VAT is an area that changes rapidly, meaning new challenges and new opportunities to grow arise constantly. Whether helping clients understand complex VAT rules, supporting compliance cycles, or delivering advisory work alongside senior colleagues, you will work on a wide variety of engagements. Clients range from start‑ups and private companies to international groups, giving you exposure to different industries and business models.

You'll develop your technical skills, broad commercial understanding, and confidence working with senior client stakeholders. You will play an important role in delivering high‑quality VAT services by supporting senior team members and managing day‑to‑day client work.

• Support the management of a varied VAT portfolio, ensuring deadlines are met and high standards of client service are maintained
• Take responsibility for VAT compliance for your allocated clients, preparing and reviewing returns and communicating proactively to keep clients informed
• Assist in delivering advisory work, researching technical issues, drafting reports, and supporting Managers and Senior Managers on more complex projects
• Keep up to date with VAT developments and areas of HMRC focus to help identify risks and opportunities
• Build strong working relationships with clients, responding promptly to queries and contributing to long‑term relationship development
• Engage directly with HMRC on routine matters
• Contribute to internal improvement initiatives, suggesting ways to enhance processes and client delivery
• Support and guide junior team members as required

• Experience in UK VAT compliance, with exposure to a range of client sizes and sectors
• Curiosity around VAT advisory work and the ambition to expand your technical knowledge
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage your own workload
• Clear and confident communication skills, both written and verbal
• Degree‑educated and ideally working towards or holding a professional qualification such as CTA or ACA (or equivalent)

You’ll be encouraged to be yourself and recognised for your contribution. Agile working is embedded, giving you the flexibility to work in ways that support you, your team, and your clients. You’ll also benefit from structured development pathways, mentoring, and learning resources that help you shape your career.

You will work closely with colleagues across different service lines in a supportive, people‑centred environment. State‑of‑the‑art collaboration spaces, multidisciplinary events, and access to experienced specialists ensure you’re continually learning and expanding your network.

• Private medical
• Buy more holiday scheme
• Health and Wellness plan
• Hybrid working

For more information on this role, please contact Ben Jones at Rutherford Cross:

Our client is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status or pregnancy and maternity.