Head of Tax – DACH Vollzeit
If you've worn a pair of glasses, we've already met.
We are a global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of ophthalmic lenses, frames, and sunglasses. We offer our industry stakeholders in over 150 countries access to a global platform of high-quality vision care products (such as the Essilor brand, with Varilux, Crizal, Eyezen, Stellest and Transitions), iconic brands that consumers love (such as Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol, Oliver Peoples, Vogue Eyewear and Costa), as well as a network that offers consumers high-quality vision care and best-in-class shopping experiences (such as Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters, Salmoiraghi & Viganò and the GrandVision network), and leading e-commerce platforms.
Join our global community of over 200,000 dedicated employees.
Purpose & Mission of the Role
Step into a pivotal strategic Tax leadership position at the core of EssilorLuxottica's DACH region. As a senior leader within the Corporate & EMEA Tax organization, you will be empowered to shape the future of the Tax function, define a transformative vision for the region, and lead the DACH Tax team through a period of integration, modernization, and capability building.
Your mission spans the full tax lifecycle-planning, compliance, reporting, transfer pricing, audits-while orchestrating the integration of legacy entities, recent acquisitions, and future business expansions. You will act as the guardian of tax governance, ensuring rigor, transparency, and alignment with Group standards across a highly diverse and strategically critical perimeter (>2bn€, 50 legal entities, covering wholesale, retail, manufacturing, and industrial equipment).
Beyond compliance, you will serve as a strategic finance partner to EL DACH leadership and Corporate teams, influencing decisions across a complex, fast-moving business environment. This is a role for a leader who thrives on impact, drives change with confidence, and elevates tax governance to a new standard.
Core Responsibilities
- Lead all Tax activities in the DACH region in alignment with EssilorLuxottica values, processes, and Group Tax Governance.
- Ensure and oversee end-to-end tax compliance, including timely preparation and submission of tax returns, while implementing best practices across all entities.
- Build strong relationships with local finance managers and act as the primary liaison with Corporate Tax.
- Oversee tax provisions, compliance processes, and the performance of external tax service providers; identify issues and drive effective solutions.
- Identify, assess, and mitigate tax risks across the region.
- Support Corporate Tax on tax reporting and Transfer Pricing compliance.
- Act as the first point of contact for all tax matters for divisional and executive management.
- Coordinate and lead tax audits in collaboration with local teams and Corporate.
- Serve as the key contact for external stakeholders: tax advisors, tax authorities, and local administrations.
- Coordinate the preparation of tax packages and VAT returns for all legal entities.
- Manage tax risk related to legislative changes (especially Transfer Pricing), in close cooperation with Corporate Tax and Finance Directors.
- Support tax accounting for annual financial statements under IFRS, German HGB, Austrian UGB, and Swiss GAAP.
- Contribute to the LER project in DACH.
- Report directly to the EMEA Tax Director with a dotted line to DACH CFOs.
- Monitor tax legislation developments and ensure proactive adaptation.
- Actively participate in cross-functional projects and lead initiatives within your scope.
- Ensure compliance with new internal/external regulations and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Provide insights and ideas to continuously enhance financial processes and operational efficiency.
Impact
- Tax governance & compliance excellence
- Risk mitigation & regulatory alignment
- Strategic influence across Finance & Business leadership
Requirements
A 12 years+ decisive, high-impact Tax leader able to drive transformation across a complex, multi-entity region.
- English & German fluency mandatory
- Strategic leadership: Sets a clear Tax vision, influences senior stakeholders, challenges legacy practices, and leads transformation with authority.
- Agility & execution: Operates fast in integration, restructuring, or high-growth environments; brings structure to ambiguity; prioritizes and pivots with discipline.
- Technical mastery: Deep expertise across compliance, reporting, tax accounting, audits, and transfer pricing; builds scalable processes, strong governance, and robust risk controls.
- Stakeholder influence: Builds trust with CFOs, Corporate Tax, finance teams, advisors, and authorities; aligns diverse interests and communicates with impact.
- Analytical & business acumen: Turns data into decisions; understands retail/wholesale/manufacturing dynamics; balances technical rigor with pragmatic judgment.
- Leadership behaviors: High ownership, resilience, autonomy; challenges the status quo; drives continuous improvement; energizes teams and champions change.
