Head of Tax Germany

About WPP

WPP is a global leader in marketing communications, providing a comprehensive suite of services ranging from advanced media intelligence and data solutions to creative endeavors and enterprise solutions. With a presence in over 100 markets worldwide, WPP partners with many of the world's premier brands, combining global reach with local expertise. The company emphasizes a culture centered on creativity, inclusion, and continuous professional development to foster talent growth and transformational business outcomes.

Role Objective

The Head of Tax Germany serves as the principal tax authority within the company's German operations. This role involves establishing and leading a centralized tax organization for WPP Germany, encompassing collaboration with global tax functions, taxation advisory, audits, compliance, M&A activities, and steering key transformation projects, including the Finance Target Operating Model and global financial transformation initiatives. The position aims to enhance consistency, transparency, and coordination across the German tax landscape and drive a centralized, efficient, and business-aligned tax management framework.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the German Tax Target Operating Model, clearly defining decision rights, roles, and processes across global tax, local finance, agency-level CFOs and finance directors, GBS, legal, and external advisors. Establish and nurture a top-tier tax function aligned with organizational needs.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex tax matters, risk management, audits, M&A transactions, and transformation initiatives.
• Lead and develop the German tax team, focusing on organizational design, role clarity, competency growth, and succession strategies.
• Manage tax transformation efforts within Germany, integrating the tax operating model within overall finance operating models and maintaining a taxonomy roadmap to support global goals.
• Support restructurings and corporate structure optimization, including simplifications, merger projects, stakeholder engagement, and implementation.
• Identify process improvements aimed at reducing duplication, optimizing use of external consultants, and enhancing quality, governance, and risk management within Germany and potentially the DACH region.
• Oversee tax compliance and reporting obligations including corporate income tax, trade tax, withholding tax, indirect taxes, transfer pricing, and other German holding and operating company tax duties.
• Coordinate annual tax return processes with local finance teams, GBS, and external advisors, ensuring accurate preparation and maintenance of calculations, provisions, payments, assessments, documentation, and audit evidence.
• Lead tax audits in Germany, liaising with global tax, finance, legal, and external consultants for ongoing and historic inquiries.
• Manage tax risk assessment, documentation, escalation, and action tracking, supporting audit matters professionally.
• Maintain the tax control framework and assure the effectiveness of tax-related controls integrated within processes, systems, and financial operations.
• Advise local management, agency CFOs/finance directors, and executive teams on tax issues affecting strategic and operational decisions within Germany.
• Support M&A activities, reorganizations, integrations, and post-merger restructurings from a tax perspective.
• Collaborate with global tax teams and external partners on transfer pricing, intercompany agreements, cross-border topics, allocations, and evaluations of business transactions.
• Build and maintain close, trust-based relationships with global tax, local management, agency CFOs/FDs, GBS, legal, finance transformation teams, consultants, tax authorities, and relevant governance bodies.
• Act as the central liaison between the global tax function and German operations ensuring local requirements, operational contexts, and transformation priorities are appropriately integrated.
• Communicate complex tax matters in an accessible and practical manner to leadership without tax expertise across various agency and matrix structures.

Candidate Profile and Qualifications

• Extensive senior-level expertise in German tax law within complex international corporations, with deep knowledge in corporate tax, trade tax, and tax compliance.
• Experience leading tax transformations, operating model design, centralization efforts, and managing multi-entity structures, including simplifications, restructurings, and cross-border transactions.
• Proven track record in managing tax audits, risk governance, and collaboration with German tax authorities and establishing control systems.
• Strong collaborative experience working with global tax teams, local finance, GBS, external advisors, and senior stakeholders.
• Sound understanding of transfer pricing, withholding tax, indirect taxes, and tax reporting responsibilities.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities to build, develop, and guide teams effectively through transformational change.
• Ability to translate complex tax topics into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Fluent in German and English with excellent communication skills.

Preferred Additional Qualifications

• Professional qualification as a tax advisor, lawyer, or in finance, or comparable tax expertise; experience with Big Four firms, consultancy, or senior in-house roles is advantageous.
• Industry experience in media, advertising, creative industries, technology, professional services, or similar sectors.
• Familiarity with ERP systems, financial transformation, process harmonization, co-sourcing models, and supervising external advisors.
• Experience enhancing tax control systems, policies, processes, and reporting under HGB and IFRS standards.
• Knowledge of tax issues in the DACH or European contexts, GBS models, matrix organizations, and systems such as Business Central, Dynamics 365, Lucanet, Impero, or DATEV.

Who You Are

You embrace openness, inclusivity, and collaboration, valuing diverse perspectives and encouraging innovation. You remain optimistic about leveraging creativity, technology, and talent to build better futures for colleagues, clients, and communities.