Head of Tax - India

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The Head of Tax (India) is a strategic leadership role responsible for the bank's entire tax footprint in India. This position ensures full compliance with local and international regulations while optimizing the bank's tax position in alignment with global group policies.  

Key Responsibilities 

1. Tax Strategy, Business Advisory & Planning

• Develop and lead the India tax strategy aligned with the bank’s global financial objectives.
• Advise senior management and business units on the tax implications of new products, cross-border transactions, and strategic initiatives.
• Manage the Group’s effective tax rate through efficient planning and identifying opportunities for savings. 

2. Compliance, Reporting and Tax litigation strategy 

• Oversee all Direct and Indirect Tax activities, including Corporate Income Tax (CIT), Customer Tax Reporting, GST, and Withholding Tax (TDS).
• Ensure timely and accurate filing of all statutory returns, including Transfer Pricing (TP) certificates (Form 3CEB) and TP study reports.Managing local and group reporting for Corporate tax provisioning, deferred taxation for accounting purposes, and reporting for global/regional stakeholders, as well as, local statutory reporting for corporate tax.
• Overseeing Tax litigation at various levels and optimizing the results for tax litigation at various levels for the Bank.  Oversight over litigation and tax risk of the group entities from time to time from a perspective of a Senior Tax subject matter expert in India.
• Providing inputs as a local subject matter expert in India in respect of various tax matters of overseas entities having operations and filing tax returns in India.

3. Risk Management & Tax representation

• Implement and monitor the Tax Risk Management Framework to identify and mitigate potential exposures.
• Represent the bank before Indian tax authorities (Income Tax/GST) for assessments, appeals, and litigation at various levels.
• Lead the "Second Line of Defence" for tax matters, ensuring robust internal controls and audit readiness.  

4. Global & Regulatory Stakeholder Management

• Manage relationships with external tax advisors, statutory auditors, and global tax teams.
• Monitor changes in Indian and international tax laws (e.g., BEPS, Pillar Two) and proactively assess their impact on the bank's operations.
• Act as a primary liaison with various internal / external stakeholders on tax-related matters.  

5.  Leadership and interpersonal skills  

• Is responsible for driving high-performance cultures while ensuring strict adherence to global tax and regulatory standards.
• Proactively mentor, coach, and provide training to nurture team growth and prepare members for complex responsibilities to support stakeholders in and outside India.
• Champion organizational values to foster a collaborative environment and actively manage engagement.
• Work and partner with internal / external stakeholders for smooth business functioning.  
• Should have Exceptional ability to motivate diverse teams and communicate persuasively with stakeholders at all levels.

Requirements

• Qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) is almost always mandatory; additional qualifications like LLB are welcome.
• Extensive years of post-qualification experience in taxation, with extensive years in a senior leadership role within the banking or financial services industry.
• Deep knowledge of Indian Tax Laws, International Taxation, Transfer Pricing, and GST.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication skills, interpersonal and team management skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to translate complex tax technicalities into business language for non-financial leaders.

Opening up a world of opportunity

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Issued by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.