Head of Tax

Location: Sunderland - Hybrid site/work from home

Department: Finance

Function: Tax

Salary & Benefits: Highly competitive base salary and a premium benefits package offered.

Nissan was the UK’s eighth best-selling automotive brand in 2025, and the UK-designed, engineered and manufactured Qashqai and Juke were among the top five selling models. Nissan also operates the UK’s largest car factory at its Sunderland site through Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd (NMUK), which employs approximately 6,000 people and has produced over 11.5 million vehicles since opening in 1986.

Additional UK functions include an R&D facility at Cranfield and a Design Centre in Paddington, alongside UK distribution and marketing operations through Nissan Motor (GB) Limited (NMGB), headquartered in Maple Cross and employing around 170 people. Together, the UK activities generate an £8bn annual turnover.

• Oversee VAT compliance and statistical reporting for all Nissan UK operations, plus compliance for NMUK’s five EU VAT registrations, including manufacturing, vehicle distribution, aftersales parts and cross‑border movements.
• Provide specialist guidance on the full scope of VAT-related issues, including complex cross-border supply chains, the applicability of VAT accounting schemes, land and property, valuation issues and electronic services.
• Drive improvements in indirect tax compliance processes and VAT evidence management, including management of multi-jurisdictional self-billing.

• Lead preparation, review, and submission of UK corporation tax returns for NMUK, NMGB and related UK entities.
• Manage group tax accounting and reporting, including deferred tax calculations and tax disclosures for statutory reporting.
• Advise on the tax impacts of capital investments, R&D activities, energy efficiency initiatives and plant transformation programmes.
• Ensure compliance with OECD transfer pricing principles, including documentation and intercompany arrangements between UK manufacturing, design, distribution and EU/export sales channels.
• Work closely with Nissan Global HQ and the regional team on long-term tax strategies involving Advance Pricing Agreements and support MAPs for the resolution of cross-border tax disputes involving double taxation.

• Oversee PAYE, National Insurance, benefits‑in‑kind, PSA, P11D, STBV reporting, employee mobility and inbound/outbound secondee arrangements.
• Provide expert input on workforce‑related tax matters as Nissan navigates evolving manufacturing demands, reskilling initiatives and workforce planning.

• Serve as the primary contact for HMRC on all UK tax matters, maintaining an open, transparent relationship in line with Nissan’s governance commitments and conservative attitude to tax planning.
• Manage HMRC enquiries, audits, disclosures, and clearances spanning corporation tax, VAT and employment tax.
• Oversee interactions with EU tax authorities, including, where necessary, coordinating external advisors to ensure compliance with local requirements.
• Promote best‑practice tax governance, embedding strong internal controls, the SAO (Senior Accounting Officer) regime and J‑SOX tax compliance structures across all UK entities.
• Advise senior leadership on all relevant tax changes affecting UK activities.
• Monitor UK and EU tax developments, such as MDR/DAC6, Pillar 2, carbon border adjustment mechanisms and changes to EV‑related trade legislation and assess their impact on Nissan’s UK manufacturing and European distribution operations.
• Provide forward‑looking tax advice on major strategic initiatives including plant upgrades, EV investments, new product launches, supply‑chain redesign,…