VAT Director

London (Hybrid working) We are looking for an experienced Indirect Tax professional to join our team on a part-time or full-time basis with a hybrid office/home working arrangement. This is an advisory role with primary focus on the UK and EMEA Advisory business lines – spanning brokerage, transaction services, valuation, loan servicing, ESG and property management.

London (Hybrid working) We are looking for an experienced Indirect Tax professional to join our team on a part-time or full-time basis with a hybrid office/home working arrangement. This is an advisory role with primary focus on the UK and EMEA Advisory business lines – spanning brokerage, transaction services, valuation, loan servicing, ESG and property management.

• Collaborate with business units across the UK and EMEA Advisory segment to provide strategic indirect tax advice and support.
• Work closely with finance, legal, and operations teams to ensure indirect tax strategies align with overall business objectives.
• Ensure indirect tax considerations are integrated into business initiatives and projects from the outset — including new service lines, billing structures, and intercompany arrangements.
• Act as a trusted adviser to senior management, providing clear, commercially focused, and actionable tax guidance.

• Participate in tax-related projects, including ERP and tax technology implementations, and digital reporting readiness.
• Manage cross-functional teams to ensure successful project delivery.

• Oversee relationships with external tax advisors and consultants across EMEA jurisdictions, as required.
• Challenge and quality-assure external advice, bringing independent technical judgement to bear.
• Oversee the identification, preparation, and submission of overseas VAT reclaim applications under the EU 13th Directive and equivalent non-EU regimes, ensuring deadlines are met and recovery positions are maximized.

• Handle audits and correspondence with HMRC and other tax authorities.
• Prepare and review responses to tax authority enquiries, voluntary disclosures, and audit information requests.
• Ensure timely, accurate, and well-evidenced responses to protect CBRE's position.

• Provide training and guidance to internal finance, legal, and business teams on VAT and other indirect tax matters
• Stay current on changes in UK and EU VAT legislation, CJEU case law, and HMRC policy, and ensure the wider team is informed of material developments.
• Contribute to the development of internal guidance notes, tax policies, and control frameworks.

• Demonstrated experience advising on complex or contentious UK VAT matters, with a strong technical grounding in VAT law and HMRC practice.
• Track record of influencing and advising senior non-tax stakeholders, translating technical complexity into clear and actionable guidance.
• Experience working in an in-house environment, comfortable operating within a matrixed, large-corporate structure.
• Excellent communication skills - ability to present complex indirect tax issues clearly in writing and in person.
• A pragmatic and commercial approach: able to provide practical advice that balances technical correctness with business reality.
• A proactive, 'can-do' attitude with a positive approach to problem-solving and an appetite to get involved across a broad range of matters.
• Confidence and credibility in dealing with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• ACA, ATT, CTA or equivalent professional qualification, or demonstrable equivalent experience and education.
• Minimum 10 years' post-qualification indirect tax experience in a Big 4, leading advisory firm, or in-house…