Overview
Transfer Pricing Economist – Belfast
About the job
Job summary
At HMRC, we want everyone to feel welcome and valued. We aim to be a place where everyone can do their best work, regardless of their background. We offer flexible work options to help you fit work into your life, and we’re always looking for ways to make HMRC a great place to work.
HMRC is one of the UK’s biggest government departments. Almost everyone in the UK has some interaction with us. Each year, we collect over £800 billion from millions of people and businesses. This money helps pay for public services in the UK.
Large Business employs around 2,500 people to assure the compliance of HMRC’s 2,000 largest and most complex customers. The size and global reach of our customers places international tax issues at the forefront of our work to ensure they comply fully with their tax obligations.
What we offer
At HMRC, we care about our people and their work-life balance. We offer a 37-hourworking week with the option of hybrid working, allow you to work both from the office and from home. We also offer flexitime, giving you the freedom to manage your working hours to suit your lifestyle. We provide excellent holiday entitlement, giving you the time you need to relax and recharge. We care about the well-being of our employees and offer a range of support and resources to help you look after your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
We will support you as you move to HMRC and offer on-the-job training and development to help you achieve your career goals. We are a large organisation, so there are many opportunities to change roles and advance your career.
Job description
We are looking for a Transfer Pricing Economist with senior leadership experience. You will play an integral role in strengthening HMRC’s efforts to close the tax gap. Leading and supporting on some of the most adventurous, technical and high-profile Transfer Pricing enquiry cases for some of the UK’s largest multinational groups.
Your workload will be varied, consisting of enquiry work, risk assessment, real-time working, agreement of some Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs), Mutual agreement procedures (MAP) and Advance thin capitalisation agreements (ATCAs) and will involve interacting with external customers and their representatives across a range of industries.
You will work as a team with a number of key colleagues across the organisation including Customer Compliance Managers, cross-tax regime technical specialists, policy, solicitors and accountants.
You will actively assist colleagues to develop their skills and knowledge.
You will enjoy a dynamic work load, working across different sectors and industries, both financial and non-financial and a significant degree of autonomy.
Your role requires a knowledge of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Transfer Pricing Guidelines and familiarity with their application in the UK.
There will be opportunities to influence policy, implement the international strategy, develop innovative solutions and build the international community.
This is a technical leadership role with no line management responsibilities.
Travel may be required from time to time to fulfil this role, for example to attend customer meetings.
Person specification
Key Responsibilities
• Applying commercial experience and knowledge to perform Intellectual Property and royalty valuations, financial transaction structuring, value chain analysis and to analyse value drivers and key economic risks in businesses
• Applying microeconomic and financial economic concepts and tools such as data analysis and modelling, bargaining power analysis, financial econometric analysis, etc
• Developing and leading innovative microeconomics-based solutions enabling tax compliance case teams and the wider international tax community to identify and resolve tax/transfer pricing and diverted profit risks in high-profile and significant cases
• Sharing knowledge and building capability in others by running workshops and training events across the country
• Developing and mentoring junior members of a team
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to drive forward HMRC’s arguments and settle enquiry cases appropriately
• Assisting in the development of the organisation’s strategy in terms of responding to international tax risks and ensuring the national delivery of this strategy
• Playing an active role as a senior leader in LB and across HMRC, driving innovation and positively influencing at all levels.
Essential Criteria
• Significant recent experience of applying microeconomics and financial economics to multinational businesses in relation to transfer pricing gained in HMRC, Industry, Practice or in academia.
• Excellent understanding of OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines.
• Excellent communication skills – both written and verbal. Strong Stakeholder management and collaborations skills – ability to work across a range of stakeholders both internally and externally plus mentoring junior colleagues.
Qualifications
You should hold one of the following:
• Degree in Economics and specialising in microeconomics, or
• Degree in a Mathematical subject with minimum CFA level II.
The panel may consider significant relevant experience of tax at a sufficiently similar level of seniority to the role being advertised in place of the above qualification requirement and this will be considered and judged on its own merits.
Transitional Sites
If your location preference is for the following site, it’s important to note that this is not long-term site for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.
For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations (opens in a new window)
This site is:
- Benton Park View, Newcastle – moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £71,725, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £20,778 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
The above is an illustration of the salary and employer pension contribution you would receive if you were paid at the minimum of the salary pay band. If you are paid above the salary pay band minimum then the corresponding figures will be higher. Below are further benefits of the role.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
- Pension – We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
- Family friendly policies.
- Personal support.
- Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- You will be asked to provide a named-blind CV including your job history. For each job role included, please provide a brief description of the role, key responsibilities and key achievements (max 300 words per role).
Please ensure your relevant qualifications are specified on your CV.
This is a CV-only application. You will be asked to complete a short online form and attach your CV.
Your CV, in particular your job role descriptions, key responsibilities per role and your key achievements per role, will be assessed against the Essential Criteria outlined in the advert. Please ensure your CV contains full details on your previous employers but does not include your full name and contact details to ensure a blind sift can be undertaken.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Sift
If you are successful at the sift stage, you will be invited to an interview.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interview
During the panel interview, you will be asked questions with reference to your CV, to assess your experience and explore in detail what you are capable of and this is an opportunity to evidence your expertise.
You will also be required to provide a short presentation on a question provided in advance of the interview.
Interview guidance will be provided before interviews.
Interviews will take place via video link. Candidates will be required to have access to:
• A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
• Good internet connection
• Microsoft Teams
Where candidates perform well in the interview process, but don’t meet the standard at the advertised grade, we may offer you a role at a lower grade. If this applies to you and this campaign, we’ll be in touch.
If you are successful following an interview, we offer flexibility regarding start dates in order to accommodate applicants with differing notice periods and individual circumstances. We welcome applications from candidates in a range of situations.
Interviews will take place via video link.
Recruitment timeline
Sift (application review) – w/c 22/09/25
Interviews: w/c 06/10/25, 13/10/25 and 20/10/25
Interview results notification – w/c 03/11/25
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days(Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers
This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.
Terms and Conditions
Current Civil Servants (all contract types) will need to ensure that they are still employed as a Civil Servant on or beyond the start date for the post. If their contract ends (for example due to the end of Fixed Term Appointment contract or resignation) at any point during the application process for the advertised role, they will no longer be eligible and may be withdrawn.
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants – GOV.UK.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
