Senior Lead, Tax

Pearson VUE

Senior leadership role overseeing UK and International tax matters at Pearson. Responsible for tax compliance, governance, and supporting commercial initiatives.

Posted 5/21/2026full-timeLondon • 🇬🇧 United KingdomSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead a team responsible for UK and International direct tax matters, including corporate tax compliance, reporting, forecasting, and business support activities
Oversee and manage tax audits, enquiries, and disputes across relevant jurisdictions, working in partnership with the Tax Controversy Lead where required
Ensure appropriate governance and escalation of tax risks and opportunities, maintaining a ‘no surprises’ approach to ETR, cash tax and forecasting
Identify, drive and implement value-adding tax opportunities across regions
Continuously develop and improve the tax operating model across people, processes and technology, working closely with the US tax team to ensure global alignment
Drive process simplification, standardisation, and improved governance across the tax function
Oversee the continued centralisation of local compliance activity within international markets, focusing on efficiency and scalable global processes
Champion the use of technology, including identifying and delivering data and automation opportunities aligned to broader finance transformation initiatives
Partner with finance and business stakeholders to provide practical tax support on commercial initiatives, contracting, restructuring, and operational matters
Monitor legislative developments and assess implications for the business
Contribute to broader tax projects and initiatives, including potential involvement in M&A and strategic activities

Requirements

What you’ll need

Experienced UK corporate tax professional with significant experience
Relevant degree or equivalent higher education qualification, alongside a professional qualification in accounting, tax, or law
Strong expertise in tax accounting, with a clear understanding of ETR and cash tax implications
Broad and up-to-date knowledge of international tax and UK tax legislation
Proven experience managing external advisors and leading cross-functional projects
Experience or exposure to transformation, operating model redesign, process improvement, or tax technology initiatives
Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across Finance, Treasury, Legal and business teams
Ability to build credibility and trust, gaining buy-in from senior stakeholders across the organisation
Comfortable balancing strategic priorities with operational delivery
Strong leadership capability, with experience motivating and developing high-performing teams
Excellent organisational and documentation skills
Awareness of AI, technology and data trends within tax, with understanding of available tools and their application (not requiring deep technical expertise)

Benefits

Comp & perks

Hybrid work arrangement
Supportive team environment

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

UK corporate taxtax compliancetax accountingETRcash taxinternational tax legislationprocess improvementtax technologyM&Afinancial forecasting

Soft Skills

stakeholder managementinfluencingcredibility buildingstrategic prioritizationoperational deliveryleadershipteam motivationorganizational skillsdocumentation skillstrust building

Certifications

professional qualification in accountingprofessional qualification in taxprofessional qualification in law