Tax Director

Tax Director

The Tax Director will lead Ascend's in-house tax operations across federal and multi‑state compliance, tax provision and accounting, and partnership/PE sponsor reporting. The role partners with the VP of Tax to execute a co‑source transition and establish sustainable internal processes, serves as the day‑to‑day owner of the relationship with the external tax provider, and drives accuracy of interim and annual tax provision while supporting ad‑hoc projects that advance the department's strategic priorities.

What You'll Do

• Lead the preparation of the quarterly and annual income tax provision in accordance with ASC 740, including calculation of current and deferred tax assets and liabilities, valuation allowances, and tracking of tax attributes and uncertain tax positions.
• Lead the preparation of federal and multistate corporate and partnership income tax work papers, coordinate with external tax advisors to ensure timely and accurate filings, and partner with Finance, Legal, HR, and Operations to ensure tax implications are considered in business decisions.
• Research complex federal and state income tax issues, evaluate tax planning opportunities to minimize the company's effective tax rate, and stay current on changes in tax law and regulatory guidance.
• Prepare federal, state, and effective cash tax forecasts to support FP&A budgeting, cash planning, and quarterly earnings cycles, partnering cross‑functionally to gather data and communicate tax impacts.
• Manage relationships with outside tax advisors, consultants, and software vendors; lead special tax projects and initiatives; support acquisitions, restructurings, and new business initiatives; and administer and optimize the company's tax technology stack.
• Lead annual studies for the Federal R&D Credit and capitalization under IRC 174.
• Develop and execute the organization's federal and state tax planning strategy, including entity structure, flow‑through optimization, and owner‑level tax efficiency.
• Serve as the organization's primary point of contact for federal, state, and local tax authority inquiries and audits, coordinate responses to information requests, and maintain audit‑ready documentation for all tax positions.

Where You'll Work

This position will work hybrid from our Leawood, KS or Burlington, MA office location.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• CPA license required; MST or LLM in taxation preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive tax experience, with significant exposure to corporate and partnership income taxation in a public accounting firm and/or corporate tax department.
• Previous in‑house corporate tax experience, with strong experience in pass‑through and corporate taxation preferred.
• Deep technical knowledge of U.S. federal and multi‑state income tax, including corporate and partnership taxation, apportionment, and state estimates/extensions.
• Strong working knowledge of ASC 740 tax provision, including interim period tax accounting, deferred tax assets and liabilities, uncertain tax positions, and valuation allowances.
• Working knowledge of key IRC sections, including Subchapter K (Sections 754 and 743), Section 163(j), Section 179/bonus depreciation (Section 168(k)), and Section 382 preferred.
• Experience preparing tax‑basis balance sheets and earnings and profits (E&P) calculations preferred.
• Multi‑state tax proficiency, including nexus studies and apportionment.
• Familiarity with transfer pricing fundamentals, including the arm’s‑length standard and intercompany agreement requirements preferred.
• Experience with M&A transactions, including purchase accounting preferred.
• Proficient with OneSource Tax Provision, tax research tools (e.g., Checkpoint, CCH), and advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Power Query); familiarity with ERP systems.
• Knowledge of foreign information reporting requirements (Forms 5471, 8858, 8865) and FBAR/FATCA awareness.
• Understanding of how tax data flows from ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Dynamics) into tax systems.
• Experience with umbrella partnership corporation (UP‑C) structures a plus.
• Experience leveraging AI tools within the tax function.
• Strong project management, communication, and stakeholder‑management skills, with the ability to manage external service providers.

Compensation

The current full‑time annualized hiring range for this role is $144,600.00 – $206,800.00 and does not include discretionary bonus or sales incentives, if applicable. Individual compensation will be determined by relevant experience, qualifications, current business needs, and local market factors.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Company‑paid life insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and parental leave
• Employee assistance program
• Other employee wellness programs (e.g., Headspace and Airvet)
• Charitable matching program

EEO Statement

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S.-based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.