Tax Director

Title :    Tax Director

Location : Austin, TX / Dallas, TX / Morristown, NJ / San Jose, CA (Hybrid)  

Reporting to : Chief Accounting Officer 

About Hippo:

Hippo was built on a promise: make homeownership effortless. Nearly a decade later, that mission still drives us. We use technology and data to help our customers stay ahead of problems and protect what matters most.

Today, that same tech-native approach powers our work beyond homeowners. Hippo operates as a diversified carrier platform, partnering with MGAs to deliver tailored program solutions that help them grow and deliver better customer experiences. Behind that work is a team that values ownership, curiosity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

If you're energized by building what's next, we'd love to meet you.

About The Position:

The Tax Director at Hippo is a senior leader responsible for the accuracy, timeliness, and audit-defensibility of the company's income tax provision, compliance, and reporting obligations as a publicly traded insurance carrier. This role provides strategic leadership across the enterprise, while owning core technical tax work, including U.S. GAAP and Statutory tax provisions and financial reporting, multi-state tax compliance, and insurance-specific tax matters. In this role, you’ll partner closely with the Chief Accounting Officer and work cross-functionally with Accounting, Strategic Finance, Legal, and external auditors and advisors. 

What You'll Do:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive tax strategy that is aligned with corporate initiatives, M&A activity, and capital allocation priorities

• Provide tax modeling to support enterprise forecasting and strategic planning

• Prepare the quarterly and annual global income tax provision under ASC 740 and related disclosures, including deferred tax asset and liability analysis, GILTI (NCTI) computations, ASC 718 stock-based compensation adjustments, §162(m) executive compensation adjustments, effective tax rate reconciliation, and uncertain tax position assessments 

• Prepare the quarterly and annual statutory income tax provisions and related disclosures, including SSAP 101 admissibility test 

• Prepare and maintain technical memoranda supporting the company's tax positions, including valuation allowance and uncertain tax position conclusions 

• Manage federal and multi-state income tax compliance, including return preparation, review, and filing across all operating jurisdictions 

• Oversee insurance premium tax compliance and reporting, ensuring accuracy across all licensed states and coordinating with internal accounting teams and external providers as needed 

• Lead tax controversy management, including audits, appeals, and dispute resolution

• Manage relationships with external advisors and oversee special projects, including the R&D credit study, §174 analysis, §382 analysis, and transfer pricing documentation

• Maintain a strong SOX control framework, including retaining complete and audit-ready documentation evidencing control performance, and acting as a point of contact for auditor PBC requests 

• Lead tax diligence, structuring analysis, and integration work associated with M&A activity as it arises, in coordination with outside counsel

• Maintain institutional knowledge of the company's entity structure, filing history, elections, and open tax positions to support ongoing audit defensibility 

• Identify and implement technology and process improvements, including automation and AI-assisted tools, that reduce manual effort and strengthen controls within the tax function 

• Monitor federal, state, foreign, and insurance-specific tax law changes, including NAIC and statutory accounting developments, assess their impact on the company, and lead the implementation of new laws 

Must Haves:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field; CPA required 

• 8-10 years of progressive tax leadership experience, including senior-level experience in a publicly traded, regulated insurance company in either a public accounting or corporate environment

• Deep expertise in U.S. federal and state taxation, insurance tax regimes, ASC 740 and SSAP 101, and premium tax compliance

• Demonstrated experience with technical, judgment-intensive tax positions in an audit-defensible, SEC-ready context 

• Experience operating within a SOX control environment, including PBC response and documentation standards 

• Excellent written and analytical skills, with the ability to independently own technical positions and defend them to auditors and senior finance leadership  

Nice to Haves:

• Exposure to reinsurance structures and their tax treatment is a plus 

• Prior involvement in M&A tax diligence or structuring is a plus 

• Familiarity with AI-enabled tax or accounting tools and an interest in process automation is a plus 

Benefits and Perks:

Hippo treats its team members with the same level of dedication and care as we do our customers, which is why we’re fortunate to provide all of our Hippos with:  

• Healthy Hippos Benefits - Multiple medical plans to choose from and 100% employer covered dental & vision plans for our team members and their families. We also offer a 401(k)-retirement plan, short & long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for health and dependent care, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 

• Equity - This position is eligible for equity compensation  

• Training and Career Growth - Training and internal career growth opportunities 

• Flexible Time Off - You know when and how you should recharge 

• Little Hippos Program - We offer 12 weeks of parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers 

• Hippo Habitat - Snacks and drinks available and catered lunches for onsite employees 

The San Jose, CA and Morristown, NJ base pay range for this role is $170,000 - $280,000 pending final job code. Exact compensation may vary based on several job-related factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to: skill set, experience, education/training, location, business needs and market demands.

Hippo is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a team culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion. Hippo’s applicants are considered solely based on their qualifications, without regard to an applicant’s disability or need for accommodation. Any Hippo applicant who requires reasonable accommodations during the application process should contact the Hippo’s People Team to make the need for an accommodation known.

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