Job Description:

Interim Bond and Excise Compliance Manager (Wines and Spirits)
South Hampshire. Immediate start. Fixed term 3 to 6 months. Competitive day rate plus accommodation. Hybrid working possible.
Open to candidates across the South and South East, including London, Kent, Essex, Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire, Dorset and Wiltshire.

An immediate interim requirement

Our client is an established, independently owned drinks supply business in South Hampshire, supplying cruise lines, airlines and international travel retail customers. Its HMRC-approved excise warehouse holds duty-suspended wines, spirits and other alcohol for the company, its wider group and a growing roster of third-party brands. The business can only trade while that approval is in place.

Following a change in the team, they need an experienced interim to take ownership of excise compliance for the bond straight away, protect a strong HMRC audit record, and keep the operation compliant and moving while a permanent appointment is made. This is a hands-on interim role for someone who can walk into a wines and spirits bond and be effective from the first day.

The assignment

You will be the compliance authority for the bond for the duration of the assignment. You will hold the relationship with HMRC, including any visits or assurance reviews, and make sure duty-suspended stock records are accurate and reconciled by owner and product, that alcohol duty is calculated correctly, and that returns, duty payments and EMCS movements are right and on time. You will make sure every cruise, airline, export and group order is released compliantly at the pace the business needs, and you will support and guide a team of two bonded warehouse assistants.

You will also look after the bond's third-party customers day to day, answering their questions on excise, exports and Incoterms clearly and commercially, and you will help prepare a clean, well-documented handover for the permanent appointment.

Essential experience

Because the interim will be responsible for the bond's HMRC compliance from the first day, the following experience is essential. Please make sure your CV shows clearly where and how you gained it.

• Experience working in an HMRC-approved excise (bonded) warehouse in the UK that holds duty-suspended wines and spirits. Experience of customs warehousing of non-excise goods, or of duty-paid alcohol only, does not meet this requirement.
• Personal responsibility for duty-suspended stock records and reconciliation, including investigating and reporting losses and discrepancies.
• Hands-on experience of EMCS movements and of excise returns and alcohol duty payments.
• Working knowledge of Excise Notice 197 and warehousekeeper obligations.
• A clear understanding of how alcohol duty is calculated on wines and spirits by strength under the rules introduced in August 2023.
• Experience of HMRC visits, audits or assurance reviews.
• Availability to start immediately or at short notice.

Desirable experience

Previous interim or contract assignments; experience of releasing goods for ships' stores, aircraft supply, export or diplomatic supply, including C426; experience of the Duty Stamps Scheme for spirits; experience of third-party bonded customers; and knowledge of Vision or a similar bonded system.

Who we would like to hear from

We would like to hear from interim and contract bond managers, and from experienced Bonded Warehouse Managers, Bond Managers, Excise or Customs Compliance Managers, Duty Managers and Bonded Stock Controllers who are available now, including those between permanent roles. That experience may have been gained with a bonded warehouse operator, a wine or spirits importer, merchant, wholesaler or producer, a travel retail, cruise, ship or airline supplier, or a logistics provider running a wine and spirits bond.

We would particularly like to hear from bond professionals in the main wines and spirits bonding areas of the South and South East, including the Thames Gateway (Thurrock, Purfleet, Tilbury, Basildon and Dartford), West London and the Heathrow corridor (Park Royal, Greenford, Feltham and Slough), Basingstoke, Gatwick and Crawley, and Reading. Accommodation is paid, so distance need not be a barrier.

What is on offer

• A competitive interim day rate, for a fixed term of 3 to 6 months, with the possibility of extension.
• Accommodation paid for candidates who live beyond reasonable daily commute travel expenses.
• Hybrid working may be possible for administrative and reporting work, once the operation is settled. A regular on-site presence is essential, because the bond, the team and HMRC visits are on site on-site days.
• A Monday to Friday working week, with no weekend working.
• The opportunity to be considered for the permanent role, if it is of interest.

Requirements for this role

Applicants must already have the right to work in the United Kingdom, as our client is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. The successful candidate will be asked to complete pre-employment checks, including references and a basic criminal record check. We welcome applications from everyone who meets these requirements.

Next steps

This assignment is being handled in confidence by Martin Veasey Talent Solutions. To apply, please send your CV with a short note on your wines and spirits bonded warehouse experience, your HMRC responsibilities, your availability and your expected day rate. Because this is an urgent requirement, we will be in touch quickly with suitable applicants.