Sales Tax Specialist

Sales Tax Specialist Direct Hire Opportunity

Salary Range: $100K - $110K/Year

Full-time | Remote - NYC Metropolitan Area, NY 10001

Sales Tax Specialist (US)

The Sales Tax Specialist will report to the CFO and work within the Finance team to manage all aspects of U.S. state and local sales and use tax compliance. The role is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely filing across multiple jurisdictions, managing the company's nexus footprint, supporting audits and controversy, and maintaining tax automation systems. The Specialist will partner closely with all relevant stakeholders to ensure indirect tax obligations are met and risks are proactively managed.

Key Responsibilities:

Compliance & Reporting

• Prepare, review, and file multi-state sales and use tax returns (monthly, quarterly, and annual cycles) across 30+ jurisdictions.
• Calculate tax liabilities, review GL account reconciliations, and ensure timely remittance to taxing authorities.
• Maintain a compliance calendar and monitor filing deadlines, extensions, and payment due dates.
• Manage exemption certificate collection, validation, and storage preferably with experience using a certificate management system (e.g. Avalara CertCapture, EXEMPTAX, or similar).

Nexus & Taxability Analysis

• Monitor the company's economic nexus footprint across all States and applicable territories following South Dakota v. Wayfair.
• Research product and service taxability questions and document conclusions in internal tax memos.
• Evaluate the tax impact of new products, services, business lines, and acquisitions.

Audit & Controversy

• Serve as the primary point of contact for State and local sales tax audits; coordinate document requests and draft responses.
• Identify and quantify potential audit exposures; recommend and implement risk mitigation strategies.
• Manage voluntary disclosure agreements (VDAs) and amended filings where required.

Systems & Technology

• Recommend, administer and maintain tax automation software (Avalara AvaTax, Vertex O Series, or equivalent) including rate updates, product mappings, and nexus settings.
• Partner with IT and ERP teams on system upgrades, integrations, and testing for sales tax logic.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures for all compliance processes.

Cross-Functional Support

• Advise internal stakeholders (Sales, Operations, Finance) on sales tax implications of transactions and contracts.
• Support the annual tax provision process by providing accurate indirect tax accrual data.
• Assist with due diligence on mergers and acquisitions from an indirect tax perspective.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or an equivalent qualification.
• CMI (Certified Member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation) designation preferred, or active pursuit.

Knowledge & Skills:

1. 35 years of direct, hands-on U.S. sales and use tax compliance experience.
2. Working knowledge of multi-state nexus rules, including economic nexus thresholds post-Wayfair.
3. Experience with a major tax automation platform (Avalara, Vertex, Client ONESOURCE, or similar).
4. Familiarity with Streamlined Sales Tax (SST) registration and compliance.
5. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data validation).
6. Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle NetSuite, or Microsoft Dynamics desirable.
7. Exposure to marketplace facilitator rules and e-commerce or SaaS taxability a plus.
8. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with superior attention to detail.
9. Ability to manage multiple concurrent deadlines under pressure.
10. Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to explain tax concepts to non-tax stakeholders.
11. Energetic, self-motivated, and committed to continuous learning and process improvement.
12. Committed to good corporate governance, integrity, and professional discretion.