Tax & Compliance Senior Accountant

Driven to create unique home-grown food concepts that bring people together, the Independent Food Company is a UAE-based hospitality company with multiple concepts under its umbrella – SALT, Parker’s, Somewhere, Public, Soil, Shalwa and Kumo.

We are presently seeking to hire a highly qualified Tax & Compliance Senior Accountant, who will own day-to-day tax and statutory compliance across the group’s UAE and UK entities, and build the compliance backbone the group currently lacks. The role makes tax and regulatory compliance proactive and audit-ready — UAE VAT and Corporate Tax, UK tax for the Public entity, transfer-pricing documentation, e-invoicing readiness, and economic-substance / UBO / AML obligations — supported by external specialists for complex positions. The first months are about getting current, quantifying exposure, and putting a compliance calendar in place so nothing is missed.

SCOPE OF FUNCTION

• Indirect tax — UAE VAT: registration, periodic returns, input-tax recovery, reverse charge, aggregator / e-commerce treatment, voluntary disclosures, FTA audit support
• Corporate tax — UAE CT (Federal Decree-Law 47/2022): registration, first-period filing, deferred tax, reliefs/elections, IFRS-to-tax reconciliation
• UK tax — VAT and Corporation Tax for the Public (UK) entity, in coordination with UK advisors
• Transfer pricing — intercompany policy, Master File / Local File documentation, factory-to-outlet pricing support
• Regulatory & substance — Economic Substance (ESR), UBO registration, AML/KYC alignment; licensing / regulatory filings per GEO
• E-invoicing — readiness for UAE (and KSA / Egypt) mandates, coordinated with the digital / ERP team
• Payroll & social-insurance tax — compliance touchpoints across UAE and other jurisdictions as they arise

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the compliance calendar: Build and run a single tax & statutory calendar across all entities and jurisdictions; zero missed or late filings.
• Prepare & file UAE VAT: Accurate, on-time returns reconciled to the GL; manage reverse-charge and aggregator treatment; lead any voluntary-disclosure remediation.
• Deliver UAE Corporate Tax: Confirm registrations; prepare the first CT filing; maintain IFRS-to-tax reconciliation, deferred-tax workings, and reliefs/elections under Decree-Law 47/2022.
• Coordinate UK tax: Manage UK VAT / CT compliance for the Public entity with external advisors; keep positions consistent with the group.
• Maintain transfer-pricing documentation: Keep TP policy and Master / Local File current per OECD / UAE thresholds; document factory-to-outlet and intercompany pricing.
• Quantify & remediate exposure: Build and maintain the tax-exposure and penalty register; drive remediation with the Financial Controller and external advisors.
• Manage e-invoicing readiness: Partner with the ERP / digital team on UAE (and GCC) e-invoicing mandates; ensure system and process readiness ahead of deadlines.
• Own ESR / UBO / AML compliance: Complete and maintain ESR notifications/reports, UBO registrations, and AML/KYC alignment for vendor and entity onboarding.
• Support external audit & FTA: Provide tax schedules and reconciliations for external audit and FTA queries; respond to authority correspondence.
• Manage external advisors: Day-to-day liaison with Big-4 / specialist advisors; brief them, review deliverables, and internalise the knowledge.
• Develop the junior & document: Coach the Tax Junior (Saroj); document SOPs so tax compliance is process-driven, not person-dependent.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Qualified or part-qualified — ACCA / CA / CTA / CMA or equivalent; a recognised tax qualification or diploma preferred
• 5–8 years in tax & compliance, including hands-on UAE VAT and UAE Corporate Tax experience
• Practical exposure to FTA processes, voluntary disclosures, and tax-authority correspondence
• Familiarity with transfer pricing, ESR, UBO, and AML obligations in the UAE
• UK tax exposure (or readiness to manage UK advisors) advantageous; multi-jurisdiction experience preferred
• F&B / multi-outlet / e-commerce (aggregator) experience an advantage
• Strong ERP (NetSuite or equivalent) and Excel skills; precise, deadline-driven, and audit-minded