What's it really like to be a Senior Consultant in Transfer Pricing at BDO? Is it all number-crunching and tax law jargon, or is there more to it? In this article, we spill the tea and give you the inside scoop on what it takes to be a transfer pricing expert at BDO. Hint: it involves more than just a calculator and a sharp suit.
Let's start from the beginning, what is Transfer Pricing?
Charlotte: "Transfer Pricing (TP) is a relatively young concept within Tax. Our team makes sure that companies within the same group comply with all the rules and methods about internal price transactions.
As a part of the Transfer Pricing team at BDO, you get the opportunity to help clients in various sectors and work closely together with your colleagues on different projects.
What kind of skills would come in handy for a job as TP Consultant?
Gaëlle: "I initially worked in Audit at BDO for 4-5 years and then made the switch to Transfer Pricing where I noticed my fiscal and tax knowledge from earlier in my career was very helpful. Apart from this, you should also have economical reasoning to see the bigger picture. Transfer Pricing is not all black and white, so thinking outside the box combined with being able to give clients efficient and hands-on advice is really a must.
Yasmina: "When looking for new Transfer Pricing colleagues, I look for people who are rigorous, who know how to get things done in a pragmatic and proactive way and without overthinking too much. You have to have a certain level of independence and be able to learn quickly. Besides this, Tax Consultants can also easily make the switch to Transfer Pricing.
What are the growth opportunities in Transfer Pricing?
Charlotte: "Within our team, and I think at BDO in general, growth is something really individual. You might want to specialise in particular tax topics or improve your tax knowledge in a more general function. You get to decide where you want to go, and together we can create a path.
Some people have a lot of ambition to keep growing in responsibility and level, while others want to keep learning and developing in a certain field of expertise. What it all comes down to: it’s not up or out with us.
What are the need-to-knows about a job in Transfer Pricing?
Gaëlle: Transfer Pricing never gets boring! Apart from the variation in clients and sectors, there's the constantly evolving environment, regulations and guidelines. There's always something to learn, there's always a next challenge but you'll always get the help of a great team.
Charlotte: When it comes to our clients, the stakes can be high as we're often dealing with very large figures. We have to do a lot of checks to make sure all transactions and pricing are done correctly. On the other hand, there's always a lot of room for extra, cross-business opportunities with clients. And as I said earlier, as Transfer Pricing is a relatively young part of Tax, there are a lot of developments which make this an even more interesting business.
Ready to take your transfer pricing skills to the next level?
Send in your application today and let's start your new adventure together!