Manager, Product Tax

Engage Recruitment; Toronto; On-site; CAD 167,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

CPA designation (asset)

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Engage Recruitment partners with a sophisticated financial services organization to hire an experienced tax leader who will own product and policy tax matters across the business.

You'll translate complex tax legislation into practical business solutions, collaborating with Finance, product teams, auditors, and regulators to keep products compliant while supporting priorities. You’ll influence product development, drive process improvements, and develop talent across the tax function.

Qualifications

• University degree in accounting, finance, taxation, business administration.
• Approximately 10+ years of relevant professional experience, including leadership roles.
• Significant Canadian tax experience within financial services, insurance, or related industry.
• Experience interpreting Canadian tax legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Strong knowledge of insurance and wealth products, including life insurance and segregated funds.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic tax leadership across product and policy matters.
• Own tax compliance and reporting for segregated funds and related obligations.
• Strengthen controls over product and policy tax activities and automate where possible.
• Collaborate with Finance, technology, and product teams to deliver tax-related changes.
• Lead and mentor tax team members and contribute to talent development.
• Drive enterprise-wide projects involving regulatory change and process improvements.

Skills

Leadership experience

Tax policy interpretation

Project leadership

Communication skills

Regulatory compliance

Financial services experience

Education

University degree in accounting, finance, taxation, business administration

Tools

Excel

Database software

Job description

We’re looking for an experienced tax leader to join a sophisticated financial services organization and take ownership of product and policy tax matters across the business.

This is a highly collaborative leadership role for someone who enjoys translating complex tax legislation into practical business solutions. You’ll work closely with Finance, product teams, operational leaders, auditors, and regulatory stakeholders to help ensure products and processes remain compliant while supporting business priorities.

You’ll have the opportunity to influence product development, lead meaningful process improvements, develop talent, and contribute to strategic initiatives with organization-wide impact.

What you’ll do:

Provide strategic tax leadership

• Serve as a trusted advisor on Canadian product taxation, policyholder taxation, and tax reporting obligations.
• Partner with product and business leaders throughout the product lifecycle, from initial design through implementation and ongoing administration.
• Assess proposed tax legislation and regulatory developments, translating their potential impact into clear recommendations for business stakeholders.
• Monitor domestic and international tax requirements and identify changes that may affect products, policies, systems, or reporting processes.

Own tax compliance and reporting

• Lead tax compliance and planning activities related to segregated funds, including allocations, filings, reconciliations, and associated reporting.
• Maintain a strong understanding of international reporting regimes such as FATCA and CRS and ensure relevant requirements are reflected in organizational processes.
• Review and sign off on key tax deliverables, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and adherence to established deadlines.
• Work with internal teams to resolve tax reporting issues and implement regulatory changes effectively.

Strengthen processes and controls

• Establish, document, and maintain effective controls over product and policy tax activities.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, automate, or strengthen existing processes.
• Lead the implementation of approved improvements to tax processes, controls, systems, and procedures.
• Help ensure tax requirements are accurately embedded within corporate systems and operational workflows.

Partner across the organization

• Collaborate with Finance, technology, operations, product teams, and other business functions to deliver tax-related changes.
• Provide practical guidance on complex tax questions and help stakeholders understand their responsibilities.
• Support internal and external audits by coordinating responses and ensuring information requests are addressed efficiently.
• Liaise with tax authorities and other regulatory organizations when required.
• Build relationships with industry peers to stay informed about emerging practices, regulatory developments, and evolving approaches to taxation.

Lead and develop people

• Provide direction, coaching, and mentorship to members of the tax team.
• Establish meaningful objectives and priorities, delegate work effectively, and support employee development.
• Identify capability and training needs and contribute to hiring and talent-development activities.
• Create and deliver tax education and training for colleagues across the organization.
• Contribute to team financial planning and promote responsible expense management.

Drive strategic initiatives

• Lead or contribute to Finance, tax, and enterprise-wide projects involving transformation, technology, regulatory change, or process improvement.
• Bring a tax perspective to strategic initiatives and help translate business objectives into sustainable solutions.
• Participate in professional and industry forums to exchange knowledge and remain current with developments in the field.

What you bring:

• A university degree in accounting, finance, taxation, business administration, or a related discipline.
• Significant Canadian tax experience within financial services, insurance, or a closely related industry.
• Approximately 10+ years of relevant professional experience, including several years in a tax leadership or management capacity.
• Demonstrated experience interpreting and applying Canadian tax legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Strong knowledge of insurance and wealth products, including life insurance and segregated funds.
• Practical understanding of policyholder taxation and the tax implications associated with financial products.
• Experience leading teams and developing people through coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
• Strong research, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• The ability to translate complex legislation into clear, actionable business advice.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities in a deadline-driven environment.
• Strong communication, relationship-building, and negotiation skills.
• Sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive or confidential information.
• High attention to detail and a strong commitment to accuracy.
• Advanced proficiency with common productivity, spreadsheet, database, and business software.

The following would be considered valuable assets:

• Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.
• Completion of, or active progress toward, the CPA Canada In-Depth Tax Program.
• Additional professional development in taxation, insurance, financial reporting, or regulatory compliance.

Why this opportunity stands out:

This role offers more than technical tax responsibility. You’ll have a visible opportunity to influence how products are developed, how regulatory change is managed, and how tax processes evolve across a complex financial services environment. You’ll combine technical expertise with leadership, strategic thinking, and cross-functional collaboration — while helping develop the people and processes that support a high-performing tax function.

Compensation:

The compensation for this role is $120-150k base, 10% annual bonus.