Job Description Summary
The Germany Tax Leader is part of the European Regional Tax Team and is responsible for end-to-end tax leadership and oversight for Germany, one of the company’s most significant and complex European jurisdictions.
The role provides leadership across tax governance, compliance oversight, risk management, controversy, and business partnering. It is responsible for setting direction, ensuring appropriate review and sign-off over key tax filings and deliverables, and driving strong execution across internal teams, external advisors, and cross-functional stakeholders.
The Germany Tax Leader is expected to operate as a senior tax leader within the European organisation, bringing strong judgment, credibility, and the ability to influence across a complex global matrix. While Germany will remain the role’s primary area of responsibility, the individual may also provide tax leadership, oversight, or support across other European jurisdictions and regional initiatives, depending on business priorities and evolving organisational needs.
Job Description
Roles and Responsibilities
- Lead end-to-end tax oversight for Germany across direct tax, indirect tax, transfer pricing, withholding tax, and other relevant tax matters.
- Set the direction and priorities for the German tax agenda, ensuring clear ownership, disciplined execution, and timely escalation of material matters.
- Lead, develop, and motivate tax professionals responsible for German and broader European tax matters.
- Build team capability, clarify roles and accountabilities, and foster a culture of strong performance, collaboration, and professional development.
- Provide governance, review, and sign-off over key tax filings, calculations, positions, and deliverables.
- Identify, assess, document, manage, and appropriately escalate material tax risks and exposures.
- Lead tax audits, disputes, and controversy matters, including strategy development, stakeholder alignment, and engagement with tax authorities and external advisors.
- Serve as the primary tax partner for senior Finance, Treasury, Legal, and business stakeholders on German tax matters.
- Partner with business teams on commercial transactions, operational matters, supply-chain activity, restructurings, and other strategic initiatives.
- Oversee external advisor engagements, including scope, quality, delivery, effectiveness, and spend management.
- Support cash-tax forecasting, payment readiness, tax-accounting processes, and related governance.
- Maintain clear and timely transparency over key tax matters, risks, deliverables, and deadlines.
- Drive strong operating discipline, process standardization, and continuous improvement across German and regional tax activities.
- Coordinate effectively with specialist tax teams, including transfer pricing, indirect tax, international tax, tax accounting, and controversy.
- Provide tax leadership, oversight, or support for other European jurisdictions and regional initiatives, as required.
- Contribute to the development and execution of the broader European tax strategy and operating model.
Required Qualifications
- University degree in tax, accounting, law, business administration or a comparable field, ideally combined with qualification as a Steuerberater or equivalent experience
- Significant tax leadership experience within a multinational or similarly complex organization.
- Strong German tax technical knowledge and experience across direct tax, indirect tax, and cross-border matters.
- Proven people-leadership experience, with a demonstrated ability to motivate teams, develop talent, build capability, and drive performance through others.
- Demonstrated ability to set direction, manage competing priorities, and deliver through a complex matrixed organization.
- Experience reviewing and overseeing tax filings and deliverables prepared by internal teams and external providers.
- Proven capability leading significant tax audits, disputes, and controversy matters.
- Strong judgment and the ability to identify, assess, manage, and appropriately escalate material tax issues.
- Strong stakeholder-management, influencing, and communication skills, including experience engaging with senior leadership.
- Ability to operate independently, make decisions in complex or ambiguous situations, and maintain a no-surprises approach.
- Ability and willingness to lead or support tax matters across a broader European portfolio, including jurisdictions outside Germany.
- Fluency in English and German.
Desired Characteristics
- Experience holding primary tax responsibility for Germany within a large multinational organization.
- Experience leading tax matters across multiple significant European jurisdictions.
- Strong familiarity with transfer pricing, international tax, and complex cross-border arrangements.
- Experience supporting major commercial transactions, supply-chain activity, restructurings, or business transformations.
- Experience building or reshaping teams, operating models, and governance processes.
- Demonstrated track record of driving process improvement, standardization, and stronger tax controls.
- Experience influencing senior stakeholders across Finance, Legal, Treasury, and business leadership.
Additional Information
Relocation Assistance Provided: No
#LI-Remote - This is a remote position
