Vice President of Tax

Vice President, TaxThe Vice President, Tax leads and sets strategy for the tax function across Everstory Partners, with full accountability for tax planning, compliance, reporting, and audit defense across all federal, state, and local jurisdictions. This role serves as the company's senior tax executive, advising the SVP, Accounting, CFO, and executive leadership on the tax implications of acquisitions, financing, and trust structuring, and building the team, processes, and controls needed to scale the function alongside company growth. The VP, Tax owns the specialized tax requirements of the death care industry, including cemetery and funeral trust taxation, tax-exempt operations, and multi-entity structures, and represents Everstory's tax position to auditors, lenders, tax authorities, and the board.Essential Duties and Responsibilities:Lead and oversee all federal and state corporate income tax compliance, including the preparation, review, and filing of income tax returns, extensions, and estimated tax payments across multiple entities and jurisdictions.Develop and execute the company's overall corporate tax strategy and tax planning initiatives, identifying opportunities to optimize the effective tax rate, reduce tax liabilities, improve cash tax efficiency, and support long-term business objectives.Lead the quarterly and annual income tax provision and ASC 740 process, including current and deferred tax calculations, uncertain tax positions, supporting documentation, financial statement disclosures, and coordination with external auditors.Strategic M&A tax leadership for acquisitions, divestitures, and asset transfers, including tax due diligence, transaction structuring, purchase agreement review, entity structuring, and analysis of tax implications related to perpetual care and preneed trust funds.Build, lead, and develop a high-performing corporate tax team, establishing department goals, developing talent and succession plans, and creating a culture of accountability, collaboration, and solution-oriented thinking.Lead federal, state, and local tax audits and controversy matters, serving as the senior point of contact with tax authorities and directing audit strategy, responses, negotiations, and resolution of significant tax assessments.Provide leadership and strategic oversight across additional accounting and finance functional areas as business needs evolve, partnering with senior leadership to support broader organizational priorities.Partner closely with Accounting and Finance leadership to integrate tax accounting, tax reporting, internal controls, and compliance requirements into the company's financial close and reporting processes.Oversee compliance with tax-exempt status requirements applicable to cemetery and funeral operations, including policies, documentation standards, regulatory requirements, and tax risk management.Provide executive oversight of sales and use tax, escheat, real estate tax, and personal property tax compliance across multiple states and jurisdictions, ensuring accurate and timely filings, exemption requests, and appropriate management of tax risks.Develop and continuously improve tax processes, internal controls, systems, and technology to increase the accuracy, efficiency, and scalability of tax reporting and compliance across a growing multi-entity organization.Monitor changes in federal, state, and local tax laws and regulations, including developments affecting corporate taxation, the death care industry, and trust taxation, and advise executive leadership on potential business impact and recommended actions.Advise and present to executive leadership, the Audit Committee, and Board of Directors on significant tax matters, tax risks, compliance developments, and strategic tax planning initiatives.Manage relationships with external tax advisors, outside counsel, auditors, lenders, and other third-party tax service providers, including engagement scope, performance, invoices, budgets, and overall tax department spending.Requirements:Bachelor's degree in accounting or taxation required; master's in taxation (MST) or JD/LLM in taxation preferred.CPA designation preferred.10+ years of progressive experience in tax compliance, planning, and leadership, including significant experience managing a tax function and leading a tax team, with direct reports at the manager level or above.Prior experience in the death care industry is a plus but not required; candidates with strong backgrounds in trust taxation, fund/investment company tax accounting, or fiduciary tax administration (e.g., trust companies, asset managers, or RIC/fund complexes) are encouraged to apply and will be considered highly transferable.Demonstrated experience with multi-entity structures, tax-exempt operations, and M&A tax due diligence and structuring in a private equity-backed or acquisitive environment.Strong technical grounding in trust or fund taxation (e.g., grantor/non-grantor trust rules, fiduciary income taxation, investment income character and sourcing); ability to apply this foundation to perpetual care trust fund taxation and cemetery/funeral home-specific regulations, with training provided on industry-specific requirements.Proficient in tax research and compliance tools (e.g., OneSource, BNA, CCH).Advanced Excel skills required (pivot tables, lookups, data modeling).Exceptional attention to detail, analytical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.Demonstrated executive presence and the ability to communicate complex tax matters clearly to the CFO, leadership, audit committee, and board.Demonstrated hands-on approach and success in working with cross-functional departments, particularly Accounting & Finance, Legal, and IT.Valid driver's license required; some travel may be required.Core Competencies:Compassion - Genuinely cares about people; is concerned about their work and non-work problems; is available and ready to help; is sympathetic to the plight of others not as fortunate; demonstrates real empathy with the joys and pains of others.Customer Focus - Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.Ethics and Values - Adheres to appropriate (for the setting) and effective set of core values and beliefs during both good and bad times; acts in line with those values; rewards the right values and disapproves of others; practices what he/she preaches.Role Competencies:Functional/Technical Skills - Possesses the professional and technical knowledge, expertise, and skills required to perform the role at a high level and effectively address complex business challenges.Strategic Agility - Anticipates future trends and implications, sees the bigger picture, and develops strategies that position the organization for long-term success.Business Acumen - Understands how businesses operate, including financial, operational, and market drivers, and uses that knowledge to make sound decisions that support organizational goals.Building Effective Teams - Creates strong, high-performing teams by attracting, developing, and motivating talent while fostering collaboration and accountability.Presentation Skills - Effectively communicates information and ideas to individuals and groups in a clear, engaging, and impactful manner, tailoring messages to the audience as needed.Work Environment:On-Site at Support Center, M-F required.Our Investment in You:Everstory Partners is proud to provide our employees with a quality work environment and opportunity for both personal and professional growth. As part of our ongoing commitment, we offer a competitive benefits package for our Full-Time Employees including:Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D and STD InsuranceTuition ReimbursementCareer Advancement and TrainingFuneral and Cemetery BenefitsEmployee Referral Bonus401k with Company MatchEverstory Partners is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to employing a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law.The pay range for this role is based on a wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions regardless of race, gender, age, religion, or any other protected characteristic. They include skill set, experience and training, licensure and certification, and other business and organizational needs. This range estimate has been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. Compensation decisions are dependent on