Tax Associate (Direct & Indirect Tax) — UAE

About the role We are hiring a Tax Associate in Dubai to work across UAE Corporate Tax and VAT for a portfolio of corporate and group clients. You will join a specialist tax advisory team and work directly with senior advisers on compliance, advisory and FTA matters from day one. The role suits a tax professional with two to four years of UAE or regional experience who wants to build genuine depth in both direct and indirect tax rather than specialise in one. Full-time, based in Dubai, reporting to a Tax Manager or Senior Tax Adviser. Key responsibilities: Corporate Tax (Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022)

• Prepare and review Corporate Tax computations and returns on EmaraTax, including taxable income adjustments, exempt income, interest limitation and loss relief.
• Support Corporate Tax registrations, de-registrations, Tax Group applications and Qualifying Free Zone Person assessments.
• Draft technical memoranda and position papers on specific transactions, restructurings and group arrangements.
• Assist with transfer pricing compliance: related-party and connected-person disclosures, Local File and Master File preparation, and benchmarking support. VAT (Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017)
• Prepare and review VAT returns, including input tax apportionment, reverse charge, Designated Zone and zero-rating analysis.
• Handle VAT registrations, amendments, voluntary disclosures and refund claims.
• Conduct VAT health checks and transaction reviews, and advise on VAT treatment of contracts and supply chains. Client service and FTA matters
• Conduct tax compliance procedures and testing of supporting documents.
• Act as day-to-day contact for assigned clients, managing deadlines and information requests.
• Support FTA audits, clarification requests and reconsideration applications.
• Monitor new legislation, Cabinet and Ministerial Decisions, FTA guides and public clarifications, and summarise their impact for the team and clients.
• Prepare clear, well-referenced deliverables in Word and Excel to the firm's quality standard. Requirements
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Law or a related field.
• Two to four years of tax experience in the UAE or GCC, in a professional services firm or an in-house tax function.
• Working knowledge of UAE Corporate Tax and VAT law, their Executive Regulations, and the main Cabinet and Ministerial Decisions.
• Hands-on experience with EmaraTax filings and FTA correspondence.
• Ability to read legislation and FTA guidance closely and apply it to client facts, with sound judgement on when to escalate.
• Strong written English: able to draft a clear, referenced technical memo with minimal rework.
• Solid Excel skills and comfort working with trial balances, ledgers and IFRS financial statements.
• Organised and reliable under filing deadlines, managing several clients at once. Desirable
• Professional qualification in progress or complete: ACCA, CPA, CA, CTA, ADIT or an equivalent tax qualification.
• Exposure to transfer pricing documentation or benchmarking.
• Experience with Free Zone entities, Tax Groups, or Pillar Two / Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax questions.
• Familiarity with Excise Tax or Economic Substance matters.
• Arabic language skills, particularly for reading FTA correspondence and client documents.