Tax Director France

HSBC Continental Europe (HBCE) is the Group’s primary banking entity in Europe - based in Paris, France with branches in 10 countries. Since 2019 the entity has undertaken one of the largest transformations in the Group beginning with the transfer of banking and trading activities post-Brexit and continuing with a restructuring of the business to achieve our ambition of becoming the leading international wholesale bank in Europe.

The Tax Director, France role is an important leadership position in the bank. Its purpose is to provide strategic direction and guidance to senior management with respect to tax issues that are relevant in France and internationally.

The role is also expected to lead key projects within the transformation from a tax perspective - including the disposal of Retail Banking France, currently the Group’s largest M&A transaction and the establishment of HBCE as the Group’s intermediate holding company in the European Union.

The role is to manage all tax risks (e.g. compliance, regulatory, reputational) in the country for all businesses, functions and entities under its purview, and to advise on cross-border tax matters.

The role leads and manages the Tax team in France and liaises closely with tax peers in other countries to ensure the delivery of a professional, effective and responsive tax function.

The role member will be one of the Group’s top tax professionals in Europe.

Principal Accountabilities:
Impact on the Business / Function
- Manages tax risks of all HSBC entities, businesses and functions in France in line with HSBC's strategy and risk appetite, and applicable regulatory requirements.
- To formulate and implement policies, procedures and practices, in line with Group policies, regarding tax compliance and tax risk management;
- To enable satisfactory resolution of areas of dispute, arbitrating between the conflicting requirements as necessary and providing consistency in resolution;
- To ensure the accuracy and completeness of documentation and reporting systems with local and global tax obligations
- Achieve HSBC’s strategy and initiatives through effective leadership and proactive engagement of stakeholders.
- Ability to assess risk trends, and direct appropriate action, demonstrated. Consistent and appropriate polices adopted and implemented across the business. Retention of good tax reputation following tax authority audits
- All material disputes escalated and resolved in a satisfactory manner, mitigating the reputation risk to the Group.
- Management of France tax risk in line with HSBC Group attitude to tax risk, planning effectively to minimize tax leakage at Group level.
- Best practice documentation identified and implemented

Customers / Stakeholders
- To lead the representation for the HSBC Group on French Tax matters and to influence decisions taken by external and internal stakeholders on all tax matters impacting the Business.
- To engage fully with decision makers and to provide firm direction at the earliest stage possible and to develop appropriate and consistent tax risk management solutions that support the Business needs and expectations.
- To ensure that the tax consequences of the business footprint and legal structure are fully understood by management and make appropriate recommendations to management to improve the tax position.
- Responsible for interfacing with / influencing or lobbying external bodies
- Clear and prompt strategic guidance provided to direct and functional reports and key business personnel.
- Tax risk management solutions identified and delivered, making best use of resources.
- Strong networks with key stakeholders and tax colleagues in place, enabling ability to execute at pace on key strategic projects.
- Proactively sought after for functional expertise.
- Represent HSBC, where appropriate, in external dealings.

Leadership & Teamwork
- Champion cross-functional working on tax matters both in Europe and globally.
- Build and maintain a team to manage and monitor tax risk and capable of delivering prompt and accurate advice to management.
- Actively motivate develop, manage and monitor that team.
- Seen as influential, credible and persuasive in aligning business requirements with tax critical goals.
- Inspires understanding of tax risk in the context of the wider business and regulatory environment.
- Communication of a compelling vision to direct and motivate a high performing team to support management.
- Key staff retained and developed appropriately.

Operational Effectiveness & Control
- Ensure that tax matters have been appropriately considered and addressed by management and that recommendations and implications are clearly understood and implemented by relevant Business and Functional personnel.
- Ensure that an efficient and effective tax risk management and compliance model is in place. Manage independent internal or external assurance programmes to ensure highest standards of compliance.
- Proacti