Tax Manager

Tax Manager

Santa Clara, CA or Remote

Oklo is searching for a Tax Manager to join our team.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Tax, this role will serve as a key contributor to enabling Company compliance with tax laws and regulations, maintaining a strong control environment, enhancing tax processes, and supporting strategic initiatives. The position requires a proactive, detail-oriented professional who can operate independently, partner cross-functionally, and continuously improve the efficiency, scalability, and accuracy of the Company's tax function.

The successful candidate will play a central role in the Company's tax function, with primary responsibility for income tax accounting under ASC 740 and oversight of the end-to-end income tax compliance lifecycle. This role sits at the intersection of financial reporting and tax compliance, requiring both deep technical expertise and strong operational execution. As the owner of the Company's tax provision process, the Tax Manager will ensure the accurate and timely reporting of income taxes in the financial statements, including the calculation of current and deferred taxes, evaluation of valuation allowances, and accounting for unrecognized tax benefits. This individual will be expected to exercise sound judgment in applying ASC 740 guidance to complex transactions and evolving business activities, while maintaining consistency and audit-ready documentation. In parallel, the Tax Manager will oversee the full tax compliance process across federal, state, and applicable international jurisdictions, managing external service providers and ensuring that all filings, payments, and related obligations are completed accurately and on schedule. This includes aligning compliance outputs with provision calculations and proactively identifying risks or discrepancies.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Manage and deliver results for the quarterly and annual tax provision process, including preparation of ASC 740 calculations, supporting schedules, and coordination with external consultants.
• Perform the calculation and analysis of the following, including creation of supporting documentation and applicable research:
• Current and deferred tax provisions
• Valuation allowances and related support
• Uncertain tax positions and accounting for unrecognized tax benefits
• Effective tax rate (ETR) and variance analysis
• Financial statement tax footnote disclosures
• Manage and ensure accuracy of tax related general ledger accounts and oversee tax accounting controls and documentation.
• Identify, research, and conclude on proper tax treatment of significant or non-routine transactions in coordination with Accounting, Finance, and Legal teams.
• Support and interface with external auditors, including responding to technical inquiries and providing documentation.

Oversee the complete lifecycle of income tax compliance, including data gathering, preparation, review, and filing of U.S. federal, state, and international income tax returns prepared by third party providers, ensuring accuracy and timeliness of filings.

Review tax returns for technical accuracy, completeness, and consistency with implemented processes, documentation, and variance analysis against the tax provision.

Oversee fixed asset tax processes, including review of additions, disposals, depreciation calculations, and roll-forwards on quarterly and annual basis.

Monitor and track compliance filing deadlines across jurisdictions to ensure timely submissions.

Manage and ensure timely preparation and filing of U.S. state & local franchise and indirect tax returns, including sales and use, property, and other indirect tax filings.

Monitor and implement responses to tax legislation and regulatory developments.

Maintain and enhance internal controls over income tax processes, including SOX compliance where applicable.

Assist with tax due diligence and integration activities related to mergers and acquisitions.

Manage federal, state, and local tax audits and inquiries, serving as the primary point of contact with tax authorities and external advisors.

Build positive relationships and interface productively with tax authorities to support efficient audits and issue resolution.

Identify opportunities, evaluate, and implement tax process improvements, standardization, automation opportunities, and technology enhancements across the tax function.

Partner cross-functionally with Accounting, Treasury, Legal, Procurement, and IT to strengthen tax processes, improve data quality, and support business initiatives.

Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation of tax processes and methodologies.

Ensure integrity and reconciliation of data between financial systems and tax reporting tools.

Responsible for planning and creation of a team, including candidate evaluation and the development, coaching, and training of new hires.

Familiar with skills and qualifications of successful tax professionals that can fill roles on the team.

Invests time and energy to build relationships with team members to build strong culture and psychologically safe environment where team can thrive.

Performs constructive reviews and evaluations of team members to ensure accountability and enable professional growth.

Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance.
• CPA required; MBA or MST preferred.
• 7-10+ years of progressive experience in public accounting and/or corporate tax, including federal and state income tax for C Corporations; tax technology and transformation experience strongly preferred.
• 3+ years managing a team.
• Deep technical knowledge of ASC 740, U.S. federal and corporate tax laws.
• Experience with tax provision software (i.e., OneSource, Corptax), ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Oracle).
• Strong understanding of tax data inputs/outputs and downstream dependencies (ERP/GL, subledgers, consolidation, reporting).
• Knowledge of SOX/control environments and how to design auditable processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to simplify complex concepts for executive level leaders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently in a fast-paced environment.

Bonus Qualifications:

• Fast growth startup and public company experience.
• Experience with energy sector or tech company background is a plus.
• Experience commercializing First of a Kind (FOAK) technologies from an investor perspective.
• Experience with implementing AI in tax operations and automation.
• Willingness to relocate if required.

Competencies:

• Experienced with ASC 740
• Conducted and documented research on complex tax issues
• Strong interpersonal skills that facilitate cross-functional collaboration and teaming
• Passionate about clean energy
• An optimist at heart
• Passionate about making advanced fission and delivery of radio isotopes a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly
• Willing to think differently and do things in new ways
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative startup environment
• Excited to think creatively, critically, and reflectively about the problems they are solving while not leaning only on what has been done before
• Willing to propose novel and creative solutions to technical problems
• An excellent writer who can write in a modern active voice, so make your cover letter compelling and write it well!
• Able to communicate effectively both verbally and in written form
• Willing to travel as required likely 1 week per month

Who you are:

A startup person: You aren't driven by titles or hierarchy, and prefer efficiency to excess process. You don't need or expect to have a lot of guidance but you enjoy working in a fast-paced team. If you prefer the culture and feel of a large organization, that is great, but you likely won't enjoy working with us! There is plenty of important work and plenty of good opportunities with organizations like that.

Motivated: You are self-motivated. You bring an enthusiasm to the team, and imbue a sense of passion that goes beyond clocking in and clocking out. This isn't about a fake or arbitrary "pieces of flair" mentality or lack of work-life balance! It is about being a part of the vision and feeling a part of reaching team goals.

A team-player: Oklo genuinely is a team. We aren't about taking credit for ourselves, and we aren't about pushing blame to others. We do incredible things because we work as a team.

An excellent communicator: We need a person who is not only technically competent but also a clear and upbeat communicator.

Creative: Being creative means that when things fall outside clear scopes or processes or problems arise without clear solutions, you are able to