Director, Tax

POSITION PURPOSE:

The Tax Director is responsible for overall tax functions including managing internal teams, tax service providers, workstreams, and projects for the assigned funds and underlying assets. This role will be also responsible for internal department collaboration including accounting, investment, legal, and portfolio oversight to effectively manage the funds and minimize tax risks.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Communicate tax risks and alternatives clearly and effectively to investments, portfolio oversight, fundraising, sales, legal and accounting teams by translating complex tax concepts into practical, actionable, business-focused advice.
• Develop processes with fund administrators to ensure partner and tax allocation information for open-end funds with large numbers of partners is delivered timely and accurately to tax preparers.
• Ensure W-8 forms received from investors are adequately reviewed and claims for treaty benefits are granted.
• Ensure tax allocations associated with carried interest/promote paid by assigned funds are as tax efficient for the manager as possible.
• Advise fund accounting to ensure fund level and investment level tax structures are executed correctly and accounted for properly.
• Manage internal accounting teams, fund administrators and external tax preparers to ensure timely and accurate tax compliance, including delivery of tax returns and Schedule K-1s, quarterly federal and state corporate income taxes and withholding taxes, and satisfaction of quarterly and annual REIT qualification requirements.
• Perform tax technical research and work closely with external legal counsel and tax providers to identify tax risks to ensure tax positions are agreed upon real-time and tax reporting is streamlined.
• Work collaboratively within the tax team to ensure tax issues from funds within purview are clearly and thoughtfully communicated to other members of the tax team so implications can be properly considered.
• Work with investor relations to respond to ad hoc tax information requests from potential and existing investors.
• Apply tax technology, automation tools, and data analytics platforms to improve tax compliance, reporting accuracy, efficiency, and scalability.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: (including certification, licenses, etc.)

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance or related field.
• 8+ years’ previous tax accounting experience at a public accounting firm (Big 4 firm with strong real estate, credit, or investment management practice preferred) or asset management firm.
• Extensive partnership experience in large open end real estate equity and/or credit funds.
• Extensive experience with equity and mortgage REIT qualification issues and quarterly/annual REIT compliance and reporting requirements.
• Private equity real estate tax experience required including experience with U.S. tax issues and structures, for foreign investors (ECI, FDAP and FIRPTA) and U.S. tax exempt investors (UBTI).
• Experience with state non-resident withholding preferred.
• MBT, CFA or additional designation a plus.

ABOUT YOU:

• Self-driven and display strong initiative and eagerness to learn and grow.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication and inter-personal skills for dealing with internal and external stakeholoders.
• Strategic thinking and ability to align tax strategies with overall business objectives.
• Demonstrate strong work ethic.