Senior Tax Manager / Associate Director (Advisory)

About us

Big decisions deserve clear thinking.

At Sopher + Co, we've spent more than 50 years helping entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals navigate complex financial and commercial challenges. From tax planning and private office services to business advisory and technology, we bring everything together to make life simpler and help our clients focus on what matters most.

We don't just solve problems. We build relationships, offer clarity, and give our clients the confidence to move forward. And it's our people who make that possible.

We started in Elstree in 1975, working closely with clients in the media, entertainment and music industries. Today, we support a diverse and prestigious client base across more than 20 sectors, with a continued strong and long-standing presence in entertainment and media. While we've grown, our approach hasn't changed. We keep things straightforward and focus on advice that is practical, personal, and easy to act on.

If something's complex, we simplify it. That's where we add value.

The role

We're looking for a talented and technically strong Private Client Tax Senior Manager or Associate Director to join our Private Client Tax team in our Borehamwood/Mayfair office, with the level of the appointment depending on experience.

This is a senior, intellectually demanding role with real influence. Our Private Client Tax team advises some of the world's most sophisticated individuals and families - from UK-resident entrepreneurs and entertainers to internationally mobile UHNWI clients with complex, multi-jurisdictional affairs. We are known for the quality of our thinking, the depth of our relationships and our ability to provide genuinely joined-up advice across tax, structuring and succession.

Other responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Advisory Work

Lead and contribute to complex private client tax advisory assignments, from initial scoping and research through to the delivery of clear, practical written advice. The work is varied and intellectually demanding, and will include:

• Exit planning and transaction advice - advising on the personal tax implications of a sale of a business or company, including pre-sale restructuring, consideration of earn-outs and reinvestment planning post-completion.
• Residence and domicile planning - advising individuals moving to or leaving the UK, including FIG regime planning, use of the temporary repatriation facility (TRF), and advice for non-long-term residents on structuring their affairs under the new regime introduced from April 2025.
• IHT and succession planning - comprehensive IHT reviews, lifetime gifting strategies, business property relief planning, estate restructuring and the use of trusts and other structures to achieve tax-efficient wealth transfer.
• Family investment companies and offshore structures - advising on the establishment, review and restructuring of FICs, offshore trusts and other private wealth holding vehicles for UK and internationally based clients.
• Tax-efficient investment planning - advising on SEIS and EIS investments as part of a broader personal tax planning strategy, particularly in the context of post-transaction reinvestment.
• Entrepreneur and owner-manager planning - joined-up personal and corporate tax advice for business owners, working closely with our Business Tax team to ensure advice is fully coordinated.
• Artistes, actors and media personalities - advising on personal service company structures, image rights and the specific tax planning needs of individuals in the entertainment and media industries.

Across all of these areas you will draft high-quality written advice, tax planning reports and technical memoranda suitable for UHNWI clients and their wider professional advisers.

Portfolio Management

• Manage a focused portfolio of UHNWI and HNWI individuals with complex ongoing tax affairs, maintaining a high standard of service and deep client relationships.
• Oversee the preparation and review of tax returns and computations for portfolio clients, ensuring accuracy and identifying planning opportunities.
• Act as a trusted point of contact for clients, their family offices, lawyers and other professional advisers.

Collaboration & Development

• Assist Partners and Directors on complex advisory projects and larger client engagements, taking meaningful responsibility for research, drafting and delivery.
• Collaborate cross-departmentally - particularly with the Business Tax, Trust and US Tax teams - to ensure clients receive coordinated, multi-disciplinary advice.
• Support, review the work of, and provide guidance to junior members of the Private Client Tax team.
• Contribute to the development of the team's technical knowledge base and internal know-how.

What you'll bring

You're technically strong and confident without relying on jargon. You build trust by making complex matters easy to understand.

You're organised, proactive, and take ownership of your work. You're comfortable managing your own workload and deadlines, and know how to prioritise effectively.

You communicate clearly and professionally, both in writing and verbally, and are confident dealing directly with clients - including UHNWI and HNWI individuals who require the highest levels of professionalism and discretion.

You enjoy working in a collaborative team where knowledge is shared openly and people support one another. We welcome applications from candidates with a range of backgrounds, including Big 4, mid-tier, boutique and in-house.

You'll also bring:

• CTA qualification is preferred; ACA-qualified individuals with strong and demonstrable private client tax experience will also be considered.
• Significant experience in private client tax, gained within a professional services firm or specialist practice.
• Strong technical grounding across UK income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax as they apply to individuals, trusts and estates.
• Experience advising on UK residence, domicile and the taxation of non-domiciliaries, including working knowledge of the new foreign income and gains (FIG) regime and long-term residence rules that took effect from April 2025.
• The ability to produce detailed, well-reasoned tax planning reports and advice letters, communicating complex analysis clearly to clients and their wider advisers.
• Comfort working in a multi-adviser environment alongside solicitors, private bankers and other professionals, holding your own in technically demanding discussions.
• The gravitas and confidence to work directly with UHNWI and HNWI clients, with the professionalism and discretion such relationships demand.

The following would set you apart:

• Experience advising on trust and estate planning and/or familiarity with UK trust tax compliance, including the IHT periodic and exit charge regime.
• Familiarity with offshore trust structures, family investment companies or other private wealth holding vehicles.
• Experience advising on pre-sale, transaction-related and post-transaction personal tax planning, including reinvestment structuring.
• Experience advising international families, internationally mobile individuals or clients with cross-border structures.
• Experience working with artistes, entertainers or media professionals.
• An interest in business development, with an existing network of professional contacts and a desire to grow with the firm - including identifying opportunities to expand relationships and win new work alongside the Partners and Directors.

What you'll get in return

We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, designed to support your health, wellbeing, financial security and career development.

Our benefits include (some available from day one, others after probation or length of service):

• Private Medical Insurance
• Life assurance (Death in Service)
• Group Income Protection (GIP)
• Employee Assistance Programme and 24/7 Digital GP access
• YuLife wellbeing platform
• Reward Gateway (employee discounts and cashback)
• Generous holiday entitlement, with the option to buy and sell leave
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Fully funded training packages with a generous exam reward structure
• Recognition and long-service milestones
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Discounted wills and LPAs
• Social committee and regular social events
• Fresh fruit in the office

Just as important is the environment. We're a friendly, supportive team where people enjoy working together and take pride in what they do.

You'll have the opportunity to work with a well-known client base across a wide range of industries, gaining exposure that is genuinely unique and difficult to find elsewhere in a firm of our size.

Our commitment

Sopher + Co strongly believe in staff development and continuously encourage internal progression, supporting you to grow your career within the firm.

We are committed to equality of opportunity in employment and expect all employees to act in accordance with this principle, recognising its importance to the success of our business.