Head of Tax

The Head of Tax owns a group's tax position — not just its returns. That means the effective tax rate and how it is explained, the structure that produces it, the governance framework that keeps it defensible, and the relationship with IRAS and the regional authorities.

In Singapore the role is disproportionately regional. Groups place the seat here because Singapore is the headquarters, so the mandate typically spans Southeast Asia and often North Asia: multiple filing regimes, treaty positions, incentive commitments to EDB or IRAS, transfer pricing policy, and now Pillar Two top-up exposure and reporting.

The seniority is as much organisational as technical. The Head of Tax advises the CFO on structure and transactions, reports tax risk to the audit committee, sets the tax governance framework, and decides when a position is worth defending and when it is not. Teams are usually small, so influence and prioritisation matter more than headcount.

Where this sits: the leadership rung of the Tax pathway, reached from Senior Tax Manager or Transfer Pricing Manager. Peer seats in the wider finance function are Financial Controller and Head of Finance.

• Own group tax strategy, including structure, effective tax rate management and the tax input into transactions.
• Set and maintain the tax governance and risk framework, and report tax risk to the audit committee.
• Oversee regional compliance across all jurisdictions, whether delivered in-house or by advisors.
• Own transfer pricing policy, documentation programmes and intercompany arrangements.
• Lead Pillar Two readiness: data, computations, top-up exposure and disclosure.
• Manage relationships with IRAS and regional authorities, including rulings, incentives and controversy.
• Sign off the group tax provision, deferred tax and tax disclosures for statutory reporting.
• Build and manage the in-house team and the advisor panel, including scope and fee control.

• Twelve to eighteen years of tax experience, typically combining practice training with in-house leadership.
• CA (Singapore), ACCA or CPA Australia complete; SCTP Accredited Tax Advisor expected.
• Regional mandate experience across multiple Asian jurisdictions.
• Demonstrated ownership of a group effective tax rate and its explanation to executives and auditors.
• Transfer pricing depth, now a standard requirement rather than a differentiator.
• Evidence of authority-facing work: rulings, incentive negotiations or resolved audits.

• Open with the effective tax rate. Where it was, where it went, and what you did that moved it.
• Bring a governance artefact. The framework you built, and how it changed decision-making rather than documentation.
• Show Pillar Two progress. Data readiness and exposure modelling, not a summary of the rules.
• Describe the advisor model. What you kept in-house, what you outsourced, and the fee outcome.
• Ask where tax sits. Reporting to the CFO with audit committee access is a materially different role from reporting into the controller.