Tax Director

Overview

This role leads in-house tax operations, spanning federal and multi-state compliance, tax provision and accounting, and partnership/PE sponsor reporting. Working with the VP of Tax, the Tax Director will help execute a co-source transition and establish sustainable internal processes. The position serves as the day-to-day owner of the relationship with an external tax provider, ensuring quality, timeliness, and cost discipline across retained workstreams. The role also supports interim and annual tax provision accuracy, including implementation of OneSource, and assists with ad hoc projects aligned to departmental priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead preparation of quarterly and annual income tax provision in accordance with ASC 740, including:
  • Calculation of current and deferred tax assets and liabilities
  • Valuation allowances
  • Tracking tax attributes and uncertain tax positions
• Lead preparation of federal and multi-state corporate and partnership income tax work papers; coordinate with external tax advisors to ensure timely and accurate filings
• Partner with Finance, Legal, HR, and Operations to ensure tax implications are considered in business decisions
• Research complex federal and state income tax issues; evaluate tax planning opportunities to minimize the company’s effective tax rate; stay current on tax law and regulatory guidance
• Prepare federal, state, and effective cash tax forecasts to support FP&A budgeting, cash planning, and quarterly earnings cycles
• Manage relationships with outside tax advisors, consultants, and software vendors
• Lead special tax projects and initiatives; support acquisitions, restructurings, and new business initiatives
• Administer and optimize the company’s tax technology stack
• Lead annual studies for the Federal R&D Credit and capitalization under IRC 174
• Develop and execute federal and state tax planning strategy, including:
  • Entity structure
  • Flow-through optimization
  • Owner-level tax efficiency
• Serve as the primary point of contact for federal, state, and local tax authority inquiries and audits
  • Coordinate responses to information requests
  • Maintain audit-ready documentation for all tax positions

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• 12+ years of progressive tax experience, including significant exposure to corporate and partnership income taxation in a public accounting firm and/or corporate tax department
• Previous in-house corporate tax experience; strong experience in pass-through and corporate taxation preferred
• Deep technical knowledge of U.S. federal and multi-state income tax, including corporate and partnership taxation, apportionment, and state estimates/extensions
• Strong working knowledge of ASC 740, including interim period tax accounting, deferred tax assets and liabilities, uncertain tax positions, and valuation allowances
• Working knowledge of key IRC sections, including:
  • Subchapter K (Sections 754 and 743)
  • Section 163(j)
  • Section 179/bonus depreciation (Section 168(k))
  • Section 382
• Proficient with OneSource Tax Provision, tax research tools (e.g., Checkpoint, CCH), and advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Power Query); familiarity with ERP systems
• Knowledge of foreign information reporting requirements (Forms 5471, 8858, 8865) and FBAR/FATCA awareness
• Understanding of how tax data flows from ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Dynamics) into tax systems
• Strong project management, communication, and stakeholder-management skills, including managing external service providers

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA license
• MST or LLM in taxation
• Experience preparing tax-basis balance sheets and earnings and profits (E&P) calculations
• Multi-state tax proficiency, including nexus studies and apportionment
• Familiarity with transfer pricing fundamentals, including the arm’s-length standard and intercompany agreement requirements
• Experience with M&A transactions, including purchase accounting
• Familiarity with umbrella partnership corporation (UP-C) structures
• Experience leveraging AI tools within the tax function

Compensation & Benefits

Hiring Range

• $144,600.00–$206,800.00 annually
• This range does not include discretionary bonus or sales incentives, if applicable.
• Compensation will be determined by factors including relevant experience, qualifications, current business needs, and local market factors.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Company paid Life Insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and parental leave
• Employee assistance program
• Other employee wellness programs such as Headspace and Airvet
• Charitable matching program

Location

Hybrid from either the Leawood, KS office or the Burlington, MA office (preferred). Remote within the Eastern or Central time zone will be considered.

Equal Opportunity & Work Authorization

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S.-based positions must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.