Senior Taxation Advisor - Customs

Job Title: Senior Taxation Advisor - Customs

Department: Finance

Location: Port Talbot

Salary: Competitive - Plus benefits to include car (or allowance), leading pension scheme, Private Health Insurance (Family Cover) plus annual bonus 

Closing Date: Tuesday 28th July 2026

 

We believe that our strength is not just in our steel but the diversity of our workforce. Our people make the difference.

Both Tata Steel UK and its Finance function are undergoing an exciting period of change with a multi-billion investment in a new Electric Arc Furnace at Port Talbot to enable Tata Steel UK’s transition to being a low-CO2 steel producer. 

Tata Steel is recruiting a Senior Tax Advisor for Customs to join a dynamic in-house tax team. This is a unique and exciting newly created position, supporting a multinational business and Tax team with customs and related taxes such as CBAM. 

 

The role

 

The Senior Customs Advisor is responsible for leading and overseeing all customs compliance and trade regulatory activities across the organisation. 

This role ensures adherence to international trade laws, optimises duty costs, mitigates risk, and provides strategic guidance on customs-related matters. The role requires significant advisory contribution for IT projects, acting as the subject matter expert and key advisor to the senior leadership team. The goal of this position is to contribute to the success of a high-profile customs transformation, working on multiple projects to achieve this. 

The role entails collaboration with an experienced delivery team, to establish and optimise customs procedures whilst ensuring customs compliance. Review practises and provide guidance to the organisation for customs compliance, for origin, commodity codes, valuation and other customs specific regulations such as CBAM and quota management. 

As a Senior Taxation Advisor you will also:

• Manage and support customs projects in alignment with regulations and best practises. Regulatory management of US,EU, and other global DDP imports and projects. 
• Oversee day-to-day customs operations, responsible for compliance and adherence to HMRC authorisations for duty relief including imports, exports, and special procedures (e.g. authorised end use, simplified declarations, export licensing)
• Ensure accurate tariff classification, customs valuation, and origin determination.
• Drive continuous improvement in customs processes, systems, and automation
• Optimisation of business processes by identifying customs opportunities (e.g., Free Trade Agreements, bonded warehouses, quota management).
• Conduct internal investigations and customs audits to ensure adherence to regulations.
• Identify potential risks and manage environmental regulations such as CBAM, Plastic Tax for both the UK and the EU.
• Submitting CBAM returns in both UK and EU. Maintain up-to-date regulatory knowledge and implement necessary changes. Responsible for annual reporting of duties. 
• Build strong relationships with HMRC, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and internal stakeholders acting as the escalation point for complex customs queries and disputes
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of customs professionals 
• Set objectives, manage performance, and support career development 
• Foster a culture of compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement

 

What you’ll need

 

To be successful in this role you should be a qualified tax accountant with considerable relevant experience, possessing a strong track record in financial project management. 

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Exceptional communication skills with senior personnel both internally and externally, including at Board level. You should have a proven ability to work across diverse cultures, with well-developed negotiating, influencing, networking, and presentation skills.
• Significant experience in business forecasting related to taxation, capable of complex top-level financial analysis and identifying fundamental issues in complex situations.
• A broad understanding of the wider implications of problems and issues, able to think beyond your specialist area and assess the impact of emerging developments.
• Well-developed planning, organisation, and project management skills, adept at managing deadlines, priorities, and resources.
• Good leadership and delegation skills, with a proven ability to lead within your area and across the business.
• Experience with customs systems (e.g. CDS, SAP GTS, or equivalent)
• Strong knowledge of UK customs regulations, international trade agreements, and customs procedures with extensive experience of customs software progr