Director of License & Tax Administration — Equity Leader

Seattle Office of City Finance; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 124,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Seattle's Office of City Finance seeks an equity‑driven leader to head the License & Tax Administration Division. You will set the strategic vision and oversee policy, compliance, audits, and modernization of tax systems.

This executive, full‑time role offers a hybrid schedule with a salary range of $90–$105 per hour after pay equity analysis, and requires a bachelor's degree plus 5–10 years in tax or public administration leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, accounting, finance, economics, or related field.
• 5–10 years relevant experience with Washington tax experience preferred.
• 5–10 years supervisory or leadership experience.
• CPA, master’s degree, or JD preferred.
• Broad knowledge of Washington Municipal B&O tax.
• Strong practitioner relationships statewide.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for City License & Tax Administration, including policy setting, execution, and performance monitoring.
• Develop and execute taxpayer outreach and education strategies; represent LTA in high-visibility internal and external forums.
• Lead taxpayer compliance strategies and operations (discovery, audit, delinquency management) and ensure effective, timely tax enforcement.
• Oversee taxpayer and licensee account management; improve filing processes, forms, instructions, training, and materials.
• Serve as business owner for tax administration systems; guide the modernization and migration to an integrated tax system.
• Partner with the City Attorney’s Office on tax rulemaking and litigation; oversee legal support tied to policy and audit findings.
• Collaborate with the Association of Washington Cities to help manage implementation/administration of the Municipal Model B&O tax ordinance across Washington municipal jurisdictions.
• Manage strategic planning, budgeting, staffing, and operations for the division; cultivate a culture of fairness, equity, integrity, and continuous improvement.
• Engage with legislative staff on tax policy issues during regular sessions and coordinate with the City Finance Director’s office as needed.

Skills

Relationship building

Equity-aligned leadership

Legislative communication

Analysis and problem-solving

Independent enforcement oversight

Education

Bachelor’s degree

CPA / MBA / JD preferred

Job description

The City of Seattle's Office of City Finance seeks an equity‑driven leader to head the License & Tax Administration Division. You will set the strategic vision and oversee policy, compliance, audits, and modernization of tax systems.

This executive, full‑time role offers a hybrid schedule with a salary range of $90–$105 per hour after pay equity analysis, and requires a bachelor's degree plus 5–10 years in tax or public administration leadership.