Deputy Head of Insolvency

Various Locations: Bristol, Croydon, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Newcastle, Belfast, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Stratford, Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds

Deputy Head of HMRC's Insolvency Profession is a key delivery role in HMRC's insolvency function. The profession comprises over 650 insolvency professionals based across the UK.

We're a multi-disciplinary insolvency function with specialisms in counter-fraud, tax, civil recovery, customer service and debt management. We span many different parts of HMRC, providing high-quality insolvency ability to a wide range of internal customers, and also work closely with insolvency practitioners outside the department to deliver the best insolvency outcomes.

Our responsibilities are to develop HMRC insolvency capability, and to ensure risk is managed.

IGP's key roles include:

• Developing the capability of HMRC insolvency professionals, embracing and developing innovative mechanisms for delivery.

• Delivery of HMRC's new bespoke in house examination for insolvency professionals.

• Influencing and driving insolvency policy, including changes in legislation.

• Single authoritative hub for departmental insolvency guidance.

• Governance responsibility for certain decisions including

-every exercise of HMRC's powers to appoint an external insolvency practitioner;

-managing requests for legal advice or litigation;

-managing risk in robust insolvency procedures such as provisional liquidation;

-improving the service HMRC receives from insolvency practitioners, including through managing reports of poor conduct to regulators.

• Technical specialist on insolvency law matters for the whole department.

• Develop and maintain the framework that supports professional growth, clarifying skills required, career paths, and building with other professions.

IGP also builds a strong, supportive community of informed insolvency professionals, for example through the communications channels it facilitates.

This role offers a rare opportunity to make a lasting impact in a function that's vital to HMRC and the UK economy. Backed by a skilled team of insolvency experts, you'll shape the direction and capability of the UK's largest creditor in insolvency proceedings. Your leadership will help reduce billions in tax debt write-offs, tackle abuse of corporate structures to evade tax, and enhance the experience for insolvency practitioners engaging with HMRC.

As the Deputy Head of Insolvency Profession you will play a pivotal leadership role in shaping the future of HMRC's insolvency capability. Reporting to the Head of Profession, you will have direct or indirect line management of the entire team and be responsible for driving delivery against an ambitious business plan. You'll foster a culture of innovation, professionalism, and customer focus, enabling your team to deliver meaningful impact across HMRC's entire enterprise.

More specifically you will:

• Provide strategic oversight of all team activity, ensuring alignment with HMRC's insolvency strategy.

• Lead and inspire a team of five Grade 7 technical leads and managers and eight Senior Officers, supporting their development and performance.

• Drive planning and strategy, using learning metrics to identify efficiencies and continuously improve the team's products and services.

• Support the onboarding of around 100 new insolvency professionals as part of an increased investment in compliance and debt management officers.

• Translate HMRC and Legal Group strategies into meaningful action through collaboration across Legal Group and the wider department.

• Deputise for the Head of Profession, building influential internal and external relationships to promote and grow HMRC's insolvency profession.

You'll be joining a team of 15 insolvency experts, based across HMRC's key regional centres. You may be located separately from your IGP colleagues or line manager. While a sound understanding of UK insolvency is important, you won't be the deep technical expert because that expertise already exists within your team.

Your role is to lead, organise, and make best use of those specialists, applying your strengths as outlined in the person specification to ensure the profession operates effectively and continues to grow.

Person specification

• Proven ability to lead or manage staff, delivering results through influence and collaboration, including with those outside your direct line management.
• Experience in planning and implementing strategies to build professional capability, ensuring teams have the skills, tools, and support needed to succeed.
• Ability to translate strategy into practical, actionable plans, working effectively across complex organisations or departments.
• Skilled at navigating multiple priorities in a high-pressure environment, maintaining focus on outcomes and continuous improvement.

Essential Criteria

The vacancy is for an insolvency profession specialist post. You must demonstrate an expert knowledge of insolvency regimes, including creditor powers and how HMRC can work effectively with insolvency practitioners. In your personal statement you should reference any qualification you have gained which you consider relevant.