Head Indirect Taxation

1. Job Purpose & Summary

The Senior GST & Litigation Professional will head the indirect tax vertical for our multi-locational manufacturing operations. This leadership role is responsible for driving absolute tax compliance across multiple plants, warehouses, and depots, optimizing the manufacturing supply chain (Input Tax Credit structures), and robustly managing high-stake legal disputes and department litigations. The incumbent will act as the principal strategist for defending the corporate entity against tax demands, managing departmental audits, and formulating legal appeals up to the Appellate Tribunal and Higher Courts.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. GST Compliances, Litigation, Dispute Resolution & Representation

• GST Audits: Ensuring handling & closure of GST audits, queries etc
• Show Cause Notices (SCNs): End-to-end management of complex legal disputes. Review, analyze, and draft technically airtight replies to SCNs, summary orders, and demand notices from GST authorities (State and Central).
• Appellate Strategy: Draft appeals and submissions for representation before the First Appellate Authority, Joint Commissioners, and the GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT).
• External Counsel Coordination: Brief and collaborate with external designated Senior Advocates, tax attorneys, and Big 4 consultants for high-stake litigation and writ petitions in High Courts.
• Departmental Audits & Enquiries: Lead the corporate response during regular anti-evasion visits, DGGI investigations, and special audits under Section 65/66 of the CGST Act. Defend the company's interpretation of tax laws aggressively.
• Pre-GST Legacy Disputes: Manage ongoing legacy litigations related to Central Excise, Service Tax, and State VAT/Entry Tax to expedite closures under amnesty schemes or regular judicial channels.

B. Manufacturing Compliance & Supply Chain Optimization

• Multi-State Return Compliance: Oversee flawless filing of GST returns (GSTR-1, 3B, 9, 9C) across all registered manufacturing units, job-work locations, and depots in India.
• Input Tax Credit (ITC) Governance: Ensure maximum optimization of ITC. Implement a bulletproof reconciliation framework to match GSTR-2B/2A with purchase registers, preventing any financial blockages due to non-compliant vendors.
• Job Work & Cross-Border Supply: Monitor compliance related to manufacturing job work capital goods movement, removal of scrap, and Inter-State Stock Transfers (ISST).
• E-Invoicing & E-Way Bill Controls: Institute rigorous gate controls at plant levels for automated E-invoicing, digital signing, and matching active E-way bills with active vehicle tracking to prevent transit detentions.

C. Strategic Advisory & ERP Automation

• Policy Impact Assessment: Continually track GST Council notifications, circulars, and landmark judgements (Advance Rulings, High Courts, Supreme Court) to evaluate impacts on manufacturing pricing and margins.
• ERP & Technology Integration: Partner with internal IT and SAP teams to ensure tax engine updates, seamless system configuration changes, and automated tax reporting.

3. Candidate Profile & Qualifications

• Primary Education: Chartered Accountant (CA) and/or Bachelor of Laws (LLB / LLM). A combined qualifications profile (CA + LLB) is highly preferred for the litigation mandate.
• Experience Spectrum: 8 to 14 years of hardcore post-qualification experience in Indirect Taxation. A minimum of 4 years must be in managing corporate taxation inside a large-scale Indian manufacturing environment (e.g., Chemicals, Automobiles, Steel, FMCG, Pharma) or within a marquee Big 4 tax practice.
• Litigation Track Record: Proven, hands-on experience in drafting legal responses independently and successfully managing departmental hearings/appeals.
• ERP Expertise: Advanced proficiency in working with SAP ERP (S/4HANA) environments and specialized GST compliance software tools.

Core Competencies: Deep interpretive clarity of the CGST/IGST acts, razor-sharp drafting acumen, commanding presentation/negotiation skills when engaging with state or central commissioners.