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SalaryR&D Tax - IT/Software Engineering Advisor
Location:
UK wide.
Overview:
This is a client facing role within EY’s Global Grants, Credits & Incentives Team, specifically serving clients in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) sector. The role provides an exciting opportunity to work as part of a dynamic, successful and growing team, supporting clients from FTSE100 companies through to mid-market businesses in claiming R&D Tax Credits and other financial incentives which have been introduced by the Government to encourage UK companies to invest in innovation.
Key to helping our clients to claim is working with them to retrospectively identify which of the tech development activities they have undertaken meet the specific definition of R&D for tax relief purposes. You will use your IT technical background to liaise with client’s IT technical teams in the technical language they understand, and provide advice and guidance to help them determine which of the activities they have undertaken qualify.
This exciting role will give you visibility on the latest developments in technology through interaction with the commercial businesses – including global household names, Unicorns and disruptive tech start-ups – that are shaping the future. Although you will need to rely on your IT technical knowledge to advise, and to keep your technical knowledge up to date, the role does not involve tech development in itself, and so will suit someone looking to transition from a development to an advisory role.
Candidate Profile:
- Software development experience, either at graduate-level or ideally within industry
- Desire to understand the latest, cutting edge technologies used by a variety of different businesses
- Strong technical writing skills with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and lay audiences
- Strong communication skills and confidence in speaking, as the role requires holding one-to-one meetings with our client’s technical staff, from developer-level to Chief Technology Officer
- Highly motivated self-starter, with a proven track record in taking initiatives, whilst also having a collaborative and team building attitude
- Previous experience in working in a client-facing role is preferable, but not required as exposure will be provided
- Should know at least two of the following technologies: Javascript, node.js, SQL, .NET, C#, Java, iOS, Python, Docker/ Kubernetes, Kafka, Solr/Elasticsearch, Eclipse, Visual Studio, Git, Angular, React, GraphQL, PyTorch/TensorFlow, MongoDB, Jupyter Notebooks, SciPy, machine learning
Team:
EY’s Global Grants, Credits & Incentives Team is a successful team incorporating IT specialists (along with other engineering disciplines and tax and finance professionals) who work across a variety of high profile clients from FTSE 100 multinationals to fast-growing tech start-ups. The team is growing from strength-to-strength in this exciting field as the government seeks to encourage UK companies to invest in innovation, and therefore make the UK a leading country for Research and Development.
Our team helps clients identify projects that go beyond routine software development and enter the remit of being a technological advancement; as these projects could potentially be eligible under the UK government’s Research and Development tax relief scheme. Building on the team’s current success, the team are now providing clients with complementary, full innovation lifecycle services, such as patent box and grants.
The Opportunity:
This offers an exciting opportunity for motivated individuals with a background in IT and/or Software Engineering to join EY’s fast growing and highly successful Global Grants, Credits & Incentives Team. The team are looking for experienced and enthusiastic IT professionals to be part of a growing and dynamic national practice. This role would suit someone coming from an IT consulting firm or with a strong programming background that is looking to move away from software development and widen their skill set with broader client exposure.
Responsibilities:
Your main responsibility will be to work closely with our client’s senior programmers and technical architects from across a range of industry sectors within the technical disciplines. Leveraging from your technical knowledge and industry experience, you will be responsible for analysing technical aspects of their projects (technology stack, as-is/to-be designs, coding design patterns, and development challenges), and assisting them in determining whether those projects are eligible for R&D tax relief (although previous R&D tax knowledge is not necessary). Your main responsibilities will include:
- Meeting clients’ senior technical staff to develop an understanding of the technical characteristics of their projects
- Facilitate application of HMRC and BEIS guidelines to identify those projects which may be eligible for R&D tax relief (previous knowledge of the R&D tax regime is not required)
- Writing technical project reports describing the technological objectives, advancements and uncertainties of client projects, to support the R&D tax claim
- Responsible for high-quality delivery of advice and solutions to major FTSE clients, ensuring management of risk and reputation
- Supporting the business in winning new clients by leveraging industry sector expertise through the preparation and delivery of proposals.
- Producing project budgets and timetables that are efficient and cost effective.
- Leading or working as an effective member of a project team, exhibiting strong communication skills and be able to co-operatively work and create synergies with other team members of different skill sets.
- Continuously developing own knowledge and skills to keep your technical knowledge up to date
