Tax Counsel / Tax Specialist

We have permanent opportunities available in the Tax Counsel Office for senior tax experts. 

Do you enjoy complex tax technical interpretation work?  If you do, we would like to hear from you.

The Tax Counsel Office (Te Tari Tohutohu Tāke) Inland Revenue is responsible for providing tax technical advice, specifically about the interpretation and application of taxation laws.  We supply a range of related advice and services to both internal and external customers. 

As a senior member of our Tax Counsel team, you will:

• Interpret and decide on complex and emerging tax technical issues that have strategic significance to support the right outcomes for our customers, Inland Revenue and the government.
• Lead a range of technical projects including adjudications (disputes), binding rulings and public guidance.
• Work across Inland Revenue in a networked way to inform and enable quality decision making, ensuring any broader system-wide impacts are anticipated and managed.
• Engage well with our internal and external customers and stakeholders, committed to the provision of excellent customer service.
• Coach and mentor others to assist capability uplift and support better customer outcomes and as required, deliver tax technical learning and development required for higher level technical and interpretative skills to build individual and organisational capability.

Mōu | About you

This is an intellectually challenging role collaborating with like-minded people who are committed to producing work to a high quality for our customers.  To succeed in this role, you must be expert in carrying out tax technical research, analysis and interpretation, and opinion writing on issues which are often complex.  Excellent communication, project management, customer and stakeholder management, and time management skills are also essential in this role.  

A law degree and eligibility to hold a practising certificate is required for a Tax Counsel role (an applicant with an accounting degree and the right level of experience would also be considered but with the alternative title of Tax Specialist or Mātanga Tāke).

We are committed to diversity and inclusion and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds.  Although we are largely based in Wellington, our people also work from a variety of areas around the country so location is not an obstacle to joining our team.  We can offer you a supportive environment that recognises the need for work/life balance, flexible working and development.

Tono mai | Apply here

To apply, please supply your current Curriculum Vitae and a Cover Letter outlining the skills, knowledge and experience you can bring to the role, and apply online.

Like you, we pride ourselves on our friendly and informative communication. If you have any questions, need accessibility assistance at any point in the application process or would like to know more about what accessibility and inclusion means to us, please contact Julie.Galang@ird.govt.nz

Applications close 5pm, 31 October 2025