Lead Specialist, Tax Accounting & Reporting

Guardian; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 119,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian seeks a Lead Specialist, Tax Accounting & Reporting in a hybrid NYC setting to own complex state and local tax matters, especially insurance premium tax, sales and use tax, and property tax. You will advance tax technology, data analytics, and workflow automation while guiding planning, compliance, and audits.

The role emphasizes technical depth, strategic thinking, and leadership within Guardian’s Corporate Tax team, with collaboration across finance and technology.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting is required.
• 7–10 years of state and local tax experience in corporate tax, public accounting, insurance company, or a combination.
• Hands-on experience with insurance premium tax.
• Experience with sales and use tax compliance and research.
• Working knowledge of multistate tax compliance and tax research.
• Strong understanding of accounting principles and reconciliations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to research technical tax matters and clearly document conclusions.
• Strong communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments and deadlines with limited supervision.
• Attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Compliance: Own and manage insurance premium tax and sales & use tax compliance, payments, and reconciliations; coordinate with outsourcing partner firms; support related reporting.
• Financial Close, Tax Planning and Analysis: Prepare account reconciliations and support tax-related financial reporting; identify planning opportunities and efficiencies.
• Research and Audit: Research state and local tax matters, monitor developments, respond to notices, and support audits.
• Technology: Identify automation opportunities; support AI-enabled tax tech and data validation with cross-functional teams.
• You have: Strong leadership potential and ability to handle multiple tasks with limited supervision.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Data analytics

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting

CPA / CPA candidate

Tools

Oracle ERP

Agentic AI

Job description

• Strong communication skills.

Is the opportunity to join a culture where “We Do the Right Thing,” and “We Courageously Shape Our Future Together” important to you? If so, Guardian is seeking a motivated individual to join our team as a Lead Specialist, Tax Accounting & Reporting.

This role is ideal for a tax professional to join our Corporate Tax organization with approximately 7 – 10 years of relevant experience who is ready to take on greater ownership of complex state and local tax matters while helping shape the future direction of Guardian’s tax function while continuing to develop technical depth and leadership capability. The position will have particular focus on insurance premium tax, sales and use tax, property tax, tax research, tax planning, and process improvement.

The ideal candidate will combine strong technical expertise with a strategic, forward-looking mindset, proactively identifying emerging tax risks, opportunities, and legislative developments that may impact the organization. In partnering with finance technology team, this individual will play a key role in advancing State and Local tax team’s technology roadmap using Agentic AI, automation, data analytics, and innovative workflow solutions designed to improve efficiency, scalability, and business insight.

You will

Key Responsibilities

Compliance:

• Support and take ownership of the relationship with our outsourcing partner firm on insurance premium tax compliance and handle related payments & reconciliations, accounting, and internal and external regulatory requirements.
• Support and take ownership of the relationship with our outsourcing partner firm on sales and use tax and handle related payments & reconciliations, accounting, and internal and external regulatory requirements.
• Assist (when necessary) with state income and franchise, property tax, commercial rent and other tax compliance and related reporting requirements.
• Coordinate with external tax advisors as needed on compliance related matters.

Financial Close, Tax Planning and Analysis:

• Prepare account reconciliations and support tax-related financial reporting activities.
• Provide insights and recommendations to management regarding potential tax planning opportunities, risk mitigation strategies, and operational efficiencies.

Research and Audit:

• Research state and local tax matters, including nexus, sourcing, exemptions, credits, apportionment, and filing obligations.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments affecting premium tax, sales and use tax, and other state and local tax obligations.
• Respond to state tax notices and support tax audits and information requests.

Technology:

• Identify opportunities to automate repetitive tax processes and assist in developing, testing, and governing AI-driven tax solutions integrated with enterprise systems and data sources.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to obtain and validate tax data, support AI-enabled tax technology, and process improvement initiatives

You have

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting required.
• 7 – 10 years of relevant state and local tax experience in a corporate tax department, public accounting firm, insurance company, or combination thereof.
• Hands‑on experience with insurance premium tax.
• Experience with sales and use tax compliance and research.
• Working knowledge of multistate tax compliance and tax research.
• Strong understanding of accounting principles and account reconciliations.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to research technical tax matters and clearly document conclusions.
• Strong communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments and deadlines with limited supervision.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the life insurance industry.
• CPA, CPA candidate, or other relevant professional credentials.
• Experience with tax compliance, Oracle ERP, data analytics, or tax automation platforms.
• Experience using or developing Agentic AI models, AI agents, generative AI applications, or workflow automation tools.
• Familiarity with AI governance, validation, documentation, and human‑in‑the‑loop controls.
• Experience working with large data sets and translating tax requirements into technology‑enabled solutions.

Candidate Profile

• The successful candidate will be a technically strong and motivated tax professional while demonstrating the strategic thinking and leadership potential necessary for future advancement within the organization.
• This person should be comfortable taking ownership of assigned tax areas, identifying issues independently, and bringing well‑researched recommendations to management.

Location

• Hybrid - 3 days in office located in Hudson Yards, NYC. 2 days WFH.

Salary Range:

$118,980.00 - $195,465.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well‑being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits.

Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities.

Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship.

If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [e-mail]. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment‑based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools ("AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at https://www.guardianlife.com/careers). At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues.

Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request to [e-mail], making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request via [e-mail].

Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here.

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.