Director Of Strategy and Tax Administration

About the job

Job summary

STAR sits at the centre of HMRC's future transformation, helping to shape a modern, trusted and digital-first tax system. Established in January 2026, STAR's remit is broad and influential. We shape HMRC's strategic direction, develop enterprise strategies, reform and modernise the tax administration framework, provide specialist technical advice on tax administration, strengthen public trust in the tax system, and help HMRC respond to emerging technologies and future trends. We also lead innovation activity across the department, working with colleagues and external partners to ensure HMRC remains at the forefront of tax administration internationally.

The directorate comprises six Deputy Director-led teams spanning strategy development, tax administration reform, technical policy and litigation, trust and assurance, innovation, and future-facing capability. Together, these teams support Ministers, senior HMRC leaders and operational colleagues to make informed decisions that improve the performance of the tax system and deliver better outcomes for customers.

Collaboration is central to our success. STAR works across HMRC Strategy and Policy, with operational groups, legal colleagues, digital and transformation teams, and a wide range of external stakeholders. This is a role with significant influence across the department, offering the opportunity to shape major strategic decisions, lead reform programmes of national importance, and help define what the future of tax administration looks like.

We are looking for an exceptional leader who can combine strategic thinking with practical delivery, build strong relationships across organisational boundaries, and inspire high-performing teams through change. Above all, we are seeking someone who shares our commitment to creating a modern tax system that is trusted by customers, supports economic growth, and enables HMRC to meet the challenges of the future.

Job description

• Developing and maintaining the Department's understanding of the health of the tax administration system and the strategic challenges and opportunities it faces.
• Creating an environment that drives innovation across the department providing a test bed for new ideas.
• Defining and embedding HMRC's overarching strategy and its key enabling strategies including Transformation Roadmap published in July 2025.
• Leading work to ensure HMRC is a trusted tax and customs administration.
• Owning the Tax Administration Framework Review process to ensure it is enabling HMRC's strategy and helping to modernise the tax system;
• Owning key cross-cutting tax administration processes and policies such as penalties and interest. • Directly supporting colleagues across the Department with specialist advice on tax litigation, including leading litigation on the tax administration framework.

The Director is also be a key member of the CS&TD senior leadership team and HMRC's senior leaders' group and will be expected to make a corporate leadership contribution. The Director will need to provide clear direction and empowerment to the directorate to improve its ability to work flexibly across the department to drive forward priority work.

Person specification

• Work in an uncertain landscape to combine creativity with a strong evidence base to set direction and achieve sound organisational outcomes.
• Experience of working with and influencing senior colleagues, including Executive and Board level members. Experience working with Ministers would also be useful.
• Build effective internal and external partnerships across organisational boundaries in a complex and large organisation to deliver through and with others to achieve challenging or new outcomes.
• Excellent leadership skills including the ability to nurture and build capability within and across teams, and to provide structure and direction where there may be little existing precedent.
• Knowledge of the UK's tax system though a formal tax qualification is not needed.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £105,000, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £30,418 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

For benefits please see attached Candidate Pack

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence
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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

For Selection Process details please see attached Candidate Pack

All Criminal Record Checks applications are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

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).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Robert Gavin
• Email : scs.resourcing@hmrc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk

Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/

Attachments
SCS2 - Director STAR Candidate Pack 1 Opens in new window (pdf, 1035kB)