Location: Birmingham

Contract: Full-time (37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday)  

Salary: Competitive starting salary with increases at key milestones to qualification. 

Reports to: Employment Tax Director

If you are looking for a career where you can work closely with people while developing specialist and strategic knowledge, our Employment Tax Graduate Scheme could be the answer. Our graduate scheme is an opportunity to earn while you learn as you train to become a tax professional for a world-leading accounting and advisory brand. No prior experience or relevant degree required!

Taxes are a fundamental part of business and navigating them correctly is crucial for our clients to achieve financial success. On our Employment Tax Graduate Scheme, you will develop the knowledge and experience needed to help businesses navigate the UK's increasingly complex tax system. You will gain experience in all areas of employment tax, from understanding evolving tax laws and regulations to providing strategic advice on minimising tax liabilities and optimising financial decisions.

Your natural people skills and analytical thinking abilities will prove as important to your success in employment tax as the technical expertise you gain on the job and in the classroom.

To kickstart your career in tax, apply to join our Employment Tax Graduate Scheme today.

Job description

This role will give you the opportunity to make a tangible impact on our clients' financial success. This graduate scheme provides continuous learning opportunities as tax laws evolve, allowing you to stay at the forefront of the profession. You can expect to work in a collaborative environment, engage with diverse clients, and contribute to ethical and sustainable financial practices in a rapidly changing economic landscape.

As a member of our Employment Tax Department, you will join us on an ATT/CTA training pathway where you’ll have the chance to gain a deep understanding of a variety of businesses across different sectors – from nationals through to start-ups. You’ll be equipped with valuable technical skills, broad commercial understanding, and in-depth knowledge of different industry sectors to help you achieve a Chartered Tax Advisor qualification. Throughout the scheme you will be fully supported so you can reach your full potential.

Throughout our graduate scheme, you will receive the specialist support you need to reach your full potential in tax. With an ambitious and supportive team behind you, you will become a key player in delivering and developing our tax services as the service line grows alongside our wider practice.

Click here to learn more about our Employment Tax services.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with tax team members on a range of client projects, assisting in tax research, planning, and compliance activities
• Reviewing client processes and provision of employees’ pay, expenses and benefits to ensure compliance with HMRC regulations
• Preparing and submitting PAYE Settlement Agreement calculations to HMRC
• Considering whether the employment status of consultants engaged on a self employed basis is correct
• Implementing salary sacrifice arrangements
• Advising on compliance of National Minimum Wage legislation
• Assisting clients deal with a variety of HMRC Inspections
• Engage in client meetings to gather necessary information, explain tax concepts, and address enquiries professionally
• Stay updated on changes in tax laws and regulations and apply this knowledge to ensure clients' compliance and optimise their tax position
• Contribute to the development of client presentations, reports, and proposals related to tax planning and consulting services
• Take own initiative and be proactive to help the team
• A want to understand the intricacies of tax rules/legislation to provide exceptional tax advice to clients
  

Training and development:

On our Employment Tax Graduate Scheme, you will benefit from exposure to a wide range of work with businesses of all sizes, many of them local to our offices.

Our partners take a direct interest in the development and progression of our graduates. We aim to equip every graduate with the skills they need to become a future leader – our Managing Partner started out at PKF Smith Cooper as a graduate himself, so who knows what you could achieve through our graduate scheme!

As an ICAEW, ATT and CTA Approved Training Employer, we are recognised for our high-quality training and development.

Your skills and qualities: 

• Any degree at 2:1 or above, with a strong academic record at A Level and GCSE. 
• A genuine interest in pursuing a career in Tax. 
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking abilities. 
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal. 
• Attention to detail and a commitment to delivering high-quality work. 
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team and adapt to changing priorities. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office is beneficial. 
• Although a driving licence and car isn’t a requirement, it will be highly beneficial as you will need to travel to our different client sites. 
• No prior experience required. 

Why PKF Smith Cooper? 

PKF Smith Cooper is the 12th largest accounting firm by UK fee income (Accountancy Age Top 50+50) and a member of global network PKF International. Through PKF, we operate in unison with member firms in 150 countries to share ideas, expertise and specialist resources for the benefit of our team and clients. 

Our team of award-winning accountants and business advisors plan to double the size of our company within the next 5 years. As a fast-growing firm and accredited ICAEW and ACCA Approved Training Employer, we are passionate about developing ‘homegrown talent’ and can help you achieve your potential through our comprehensive training, development and progression programme. 

We aim to equip every graduate with the skills to become a future leader – our very own managing partner started at PKF Smith Cooper as a graduate, so who knows what you could achieve through our graduate scheme! 

Why Birmingham?

The 2^nd largest city in the UK, Birmingham offers a diverse culture and entertainment scene with plenty to see and do, from a shopping trip to the Bullring or a show at Birmingham Hippodrome. Birmingham has been the heart of innovation in the UK since the Industrial Revolution, and is full of growing industries, great career opportunities and well-connected transport links across the country

What's in it for you? 

Our benefits package has been shaped by our values and our people. Here are some of the perks you can expect as part of Team PKF Smith Cooper: 

• A working environment that empowers you to perform at your best through our flexible working policy (subject to manager discretion) and dress for your diary scheme. 
• Time to do what matters to you – 25 days annual leave plus statutory bank holidays, the chance to purchase additional annual leave and your birthday off, on us.  
• Prize draws 4 times a year to reward those who embrace our company values – win a spa day, AirPods or even a trip to Paris! 
• A busy social calendar of team events, office activities and committees. From our monthly book club and Mental Health Committee to our legendary summer parties, there are lots of opportunities to get to know people away from your desk. 
• Life doesn’t stop at the end of the working day and neither do our benefits. We offer life assurance, healthcare cashback and discounts on gym memberships and popular retailers including Tesco, River Island and Booking.com. 
• Free personal finance and mortgage advice from our financial planning experts. 
• Travel the world with PKF One Week More, which allows you to extend your holiday with a week of working abroad, and secondment opportunities in PKF offices worldwide. 

How to apply 

Apply now if you believe you have what we are looking for! Even if you do not tick 100% of the boxes, we encourage you to apply. 

If you have any questions, please contact a member of the HR team by emailing recruitment@pkfsmithcooper.com or calling 01332 332021.  

Work in recruitment? We only accept CVs from our partnered agencies and any unsolicited CVs will be ignored. If you would like to partner with us in the future, get in touch with our HR team via the contact details above.