Visitor Levy & Registration Lead

Job summary

We’re responsible for Land Transaction Tax and Landfill Disposals Tax. Our work raises revenue to support public services, like the NHS and schools, in communities across Wales. But that’s not all, we're also involved with and support future tax design for Wales.

Join a place with purpose

You’ll join a team of 100+ talented people from across 14 different professions. Our culture is best described as innovative, collaborative and kind. By working together, we’ll deliver a fair tax system for Wales.

Our people

You’ll be working with people from a wide range of backgrounds and experience. From Operations, Policy, Digital and Data, HR, Communications to Finance – there’s a place for you in our friendly team.

You’ll be our greatest asset

You’ll be joining an inclusive organisation and be part of a team where you can thrive, be rewarded and heard.

We’re recognised as one of the top organisations for people engagement in the Civil Service People Survey. Inclusion and fairness are one of our strongest areas, as well as pay and benefits – our People Survey results say it all!

We’re also recognised for being innovative and a digital, ‘cloud-based’ organisation that supports hybrid and flexible working enabling a great work-life balance.

More about working for us, our roles and our Corporate Plan 2025 - 2028 .

Job description

The WRA will be responsible for establishing a register of all Visitor Accommodation Providers in Wales, as well as the collection and management of the Visitor Levy. This role is an exciting opportunity to operationally lead on two new major areas. Registration goes live in October 2026 and will be a high-volume, customer facing service supporting thousands of providers who will be interacting with WRA for the first time.

Delivering the Registration Service

This role will lead the operational delivery of the Visitor Accommodation Registration service, ensuring it is ready for go‑live and can operate at scale. This will include working closely with service owners, digital and data teams to support high‑volume transactions, customer onboarding, guidance, compliance and ongoing service improvement.

Preparing for the Visitor Levy (“VL”)

The role will also contribute to the development and future operation of the Visitor Levy, providing operational input into policy and system design and supporting readiness for go‑live. Over time, this will include building capability and expertise within the team as the tax matures.

This is a technical leadership role at the centre of the WRA’s operational delivery team. Working to the Head of Operational Delivery you will be part of operational senior team and hold a critical role in the delivery of the VL and Registration for customer facing activities as well as internal processes. The successful candidate will be enthusiastic and passionate about customer service in a tax and service administration setting, providing direction and support to customers and stakeholders.

The role provides an opportunity to become an expert in VL and Registration and work across WRA and with other agencies and partners providing technical expertise and detailed analysis in preparation for go live and beyond, ensuring we deliver in a way that is supportive and fair. You’ll also hold a key role in the compliance, mitigation and enforcement work needed to ensure the integrity of the register and visitor levy are upheld.

To be successful in this role you will be proactive and innovative in your approach to tax administration as well as enjoy turning legislation into operational delivery. You will have excellent communication skills and be a skilled presenter focusing on customer engagement, establishing and maintaining relationships with external stakeholders.

“Being the Visitor Levy Tax lead and Registration lead is an exciting opportunity, one which allows you to develop new skills and become an expert in these fields. You will shape the vision and strategy. You will be empowered to innovate and create a Visitor Levy and Registration operational regime that is fair and easy to use”.

Nina Engelhardt Head of Operational Delivery

Person specification

Delivering a high volume customer service

• Lead the operational delivery of the Visitor Accommodation Registration service, supporting large volumes of customers with varying levels of experience of tax and government services.
• Work with service owners, digital and data teams to ensure the service is user centred, resilient, and capable of operating at scale.
• Oversee customer guidance, communications, training and support models appropriate for a predominantly nontaxpaying customer base.

Working with Others

• Work with internal teams to resolve operational issues early, influence policy and legislative changes, and design and implement a compliance strategy that mitigates risk.
• Create and maintain a reporting strategy for VL and Registration, use data for continuous improvement, and provide regular updates to governance groups.
• Work with legal and policy on contentious issues, act as lead client for tribunal cases, and build strong external partnerships with the tourism sector and Local Authorities to support effective operational delivery.

Decision making

• Make key decisions to ensure the tax, register, processes, and systems are designed and implemented effectively, working with service owners to shape the delivery strategy.
• Take responsibility for important operational decisions from pre‑go‑live through to full implementation.
• Make decisions on tax assessments and inaccuracy penalty cases, ensuring fairness and compliance.

Managerial and leadership responsibilities

• Recruit and induct staff, take on full line‑management responsibilities, and embed them effectively into the WRA.
• Maintain a wide stakeholder network to promote the tax and collaborate across multi‑disciplinary teams to deliver operational aspects.
• Lead with an innovative mindset and apply agile methodology to support effective delivery.

Candidate Information Session

If this seems like a role you’d be interested in, join us for our virtual Candidate Information Sessions. You’ll meet the Line Manager, get an overview of the role as well a feeling for what it’s like to work at the WRA. We’ll also talk through our benefits and provide helpful tips for your application with us. Please register for one of the sessions below:

26 March 2026 – 13.00-13.30pm - Register here: Business Wales Events Finder - Candidate Information Session - Visitor Levy & Registration Lead

26 March 2026 – 16.00-16.30pm - Register here: Business Wales Events Finder - Candidate Information Session - Visitor Levy & Registration Lead

Languages

We’ve undertaken an objective assessment of the Welsh language skills needed to undertake the duties of this role. For this role:

Welsh language skillsWelsh skills are not essential. This means that you do not need Welsh language skills to undertake this role and these skills won’t be assessed during the recruitment process. However, we actively encourage all staff to learn or improve their Welsh language skills and offer a range of opportunities to suit everyone.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,098, Welsh Revenue Authority contributes £17,700 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

What we offer

• 31 days annual leave + Bank holidays, and 2 Privilege days
• Flexible and hybrid working
• Generous employer pension schemes with a contribution of up to 28.97%
• Tusker car scheme
• Vivup Cycle2Work and advances of salary for season Travel Tickets
• Lifestyle Benefits offering discounts on shopping, restaurants and entertainment
• Wellbeing hour each week
• Access to subsidised sports groups
• Generous family-friendly leave policies
• Free Welsh language courses and time off to learn
• Access to a range of staff diversity networks
• Free counselling and support service via our Vivup Employee Assistance Programme and Your Care Health platform
• A thriving culture that’s described as innovative, collaborative and kind.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

We’ll always be clear about how we assess your application, at each stage of the process. This will usually include:

• Assessment of your Application Form and CV against the relevant Success Criteria
• A panel interview (if you’re successful at the initial sift stage). Interviews will take place in person.

And

• If any additional assessments are needed for this role, such as a test or presentation at interview, we’ll let you know in advance.
• Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted using the lead behaviour, Managing a Quality Service.

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Leader so we’ll ask you if you need any adjustments at each stage of the recruitment process. So that we can support you in a way that works for you, we’ll offer a pre-interview accessibility chat to anyone that declares a disability or needs any adjustments. This will take place with someone who is independent of the recruitment process and you won’t be placed at any disadvantage as a result of needing adjustments.

A reserve list may be held for this role for applicants that have scored above the appointable threshold at interview. This means that if a similar vacancy becomes available in the next 12 months we may contact you to offer you the role.

We recommend you review the job description (or candidate pack) under the 'attachments' section before completing your application.

Success criteria

Behaviours

Criteria

Assessed in personal statement and CV

Assessed during interview or assessment

Making Effective Decisions

Encourage both innovative suggestions and challenge from others, to inform decision making. Analyse and accurately interpret data from various sources to support decisions.

No

Yes

Communicating and Influencing

Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust.

Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand.

Yes

No

Managing a Quality Service

Ensure adherence to legal, regulatory and security requirements in service delivery. Proactively manage risks and identify solutions.

Yes

Yes

Working Together

Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on shared objectives. Challenge assumptions while being willing to compromise if beneficial to progress.

Yes

Yes

Strengths

Criteria

Assessed in personal statement and CV

Assessed during interview or assessment

Influencer

You influence others, you articulate the rationale to gain their agreement.

No

Yes

Team Leader

You are confident to lead a team and can effectively manage a team dynamics to drive forward a shared goal. You take into consideration everyone’s individual needs and create a genuine team spirit

No

Yes

Problem Solver

You take a positive approach to tackling problems and find ways to identify suitable solutions.

No

Yes

Experience

Criteria

Assessed in personal statement and CV

Assessed during interview or assessment

Experience of leading or managing a high-volume operational service, registration system or transactional customer service. Experience of working in, or alongside, regulated, compliance-based or revenue raising environments.

Yes

Yes

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : WRA Recruitment Team
• Email : Recruitment@wra.gov.wales
• Telephone : 03000254000

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment@wra.gov.wales

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. See the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles where this is set out.
If you feel your application has not been treated in line with the recruitment principles, and you wish to complain, you should contact the Head of HR.
Email: hr@wra.gov.wales
If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Job description - Visitor Levy & Registration Lead (FINAL) Opens in new window (pdf, 331kB)Disgrifiad swydd - Arweinydd Ardoll Ymwelwyr a Chofrestru-cy_gb -(FINAL) Opens in new window (pdf, 303kB)