Manager, Tax Accounting & Payroll

Undisclosed; Fergus Falls (MN); On-site; USD 117,000 - 161,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base wage

Employee Stock Ownership options

Retirement Savings Fund with employer

Health, disability and life insurance

Incentive plans

Training and development opportunities

Job summary

Otter Tail Power Company is seeking a strategic accounting leader to manage Tax Accounting and Payroll. You will lead a team responsible for income tax, property tax, sales and use tax, tax forecasting, and payroll operations, ensuring compliance and timely reporting.

You will collaborate across Accounting, Regulatory, Treasury, HR, Legal, Operations, and Corporate to shape tax strategy and long-range planning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or a related field.
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in corporate taxation or a related tax function.
• Prior leadership experience supervising, coaching, and developing employees.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local tax laws; current and deferred income tax accounting.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team responsible for income tax, property tax, sales and use tax, and payroll operations.
• Oversee tax accounting, reporting, compliance, and filing activities, including current and deferred taxes, tax depreciation, tax credits, and disclosures.
• Provide management oversight to the Payroll Supervisor, ensuring payroll is processed accurately and timely for union and nonunion employees.
• Oversee payroll tax filings and regulatory reporting, compliance with federal/state requirements and collective bargaining agreements.
• Collaborate with executives and partners to develop tax strategies and advise on tax implications of investments and financing activities.
• Provide tax leadership for rate cases, forecasting, budgeting, and long-range financial planning.

Skills

Tax accounting

Leadership

Payroll operations

Regulatory compliance

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting

CPA designation

Tools

Oracle

UKG Pro

PowerTax

Job description

Salary grade 15

Otter Tail Power Company is seeking a strategic and collaborative accounting leader to manage our Tax Accounting and Payroll functions. In this role, youll lead a talented team responsible for income tax, property tax, sales and use tax, tax forecasting, renewable energy incentives, payroll operations, and related regulatory and financial reporting support.

This position plays an important role in supporting financial planning, regulatory outcomes, accurate and timely payroll, and strategic business decisions while partnering across Accounting, Business Planning, Regulatory, Treasury, Human Resources, Legal, Operations, and Corporate.

This position will report to the Controller.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team responsible for income tax, property tax, sales and use tax, and payroll operations.
• Oversee tax accounting, reporting, compliance, and filing activities, including current and deferred taxes, tax depreciation, tax credits, regulatory balances, and related financial statement disclosures.
• Provide management oversight and direction to the Payroll Supervisor, ensuring payroll is processed and funded accurately and timely for union and nonunion employees and supplemental pension payroll.
• Oversee payroll tax filings and regulatory reporting, compliance with federal and state requirements and collective bargaining agreements, payroll reconciliations, internal controls, and administration of payroll and time-entry systems.
• Collaborate with executives, Corporate, and business partners to develop and implement tax strategies and advise on the tax implications of major investments, financing activities, and strategic initiatives.
• Provide tax leadership for rate cases, regulatory proceedings, tax forecasting, budgeting, and long-range financial planning in partnership with Business Planning, Regulatory, Treasury, and Accounting.
• Evaluate tax legislation, utility tax normalization requirements, and renewable energy incentives for financial, regulatory, and strategic impacts.
• Ensure compliance with GAAP, FERC requirements, SOX, internal controls, tax laws and regulations, payroll requirements, and other financial reporting obligations.
• Identify and lead process, system, reporting, and data governance improvements that enhance accuracy, efficiency, and scalability across tax and payroll.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Accounting or a related field.
• Eight or more years of progressively responsible experience in corporate taxation, tax accounting, public accounting, auditing, or a related tax function.
• Prior leadership experience with responsibility for supervising, coaching, and developing employees.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local tax laws; current and deferred income tax accounting; and corporate income, property, and sales/use tax accounting, compliance, planning, and reporting.
• Ability to research, analyze, interpret, and communicate complex tax, payroll, accounting, regulatory, and business matters and provide clear recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop talent, build collaborative relationships, lead through change, and foster an accountable and high-performing team culture.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA designation.
• Five or more years of leadership experience, including supervising, coaching, developing, and managing accounting, tax, or payroll professionals.
• Experience leading or overseeing payroll operations, payroll accounting, payroll tax compliance, payroll funding, reconciliations, wage and deduction reporting, and compliance with applicable federal and state requirements.
• Utility industry experience and knowledge of FERC accounting, utility regulatory accounting, ratemaking, or regulatory proceedings.
• Experience with multi-state taxation, deferred tax normalization, tax forecasting, financial planning, and renewable energy tax incentives, including Production Tax Credits, Investment Tax Credits, and transferable credits.
• Knowledge of union payroll, time-entry requirements, collective bargaining agreements, employee benefits, and compensation-related payroll processes.
• Experience with enterprise resource planning, payroll, time-entry, tax provision and compliance, and financial reporting systems, along with internal controls and process improvement initiatives. Experience with Oracle, UKG Pro, PowerTax, or similar systems is beneficial.

Why Join Otter Tail Power Company?

At Otter Tail Power, you'll have the opportunity to help shape the future of a regulated electric utility while working alongside dedicated professionals committed to serving our customers and communities. We offer competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, professional development opportunities, and a collaborative culture that values innovation, accountability, and teamwork.

What We Offer

We believe employment is a partnership and we expect excellence from our talented employees. To support our employees and help drive their career experience and goals.

• • Competitive wage & benefit package.
  • The expected offer for base compensation for this role is $117,000 - $161,000 annually. The actual compensation within the compensation range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.
  • Incentive plans
  • Employee Stock Ownership options
  • Retirement Savings Fund with employer match
  • Health, disability and life insurance plan options
• Our employees are provided training and development opportunities each year, including education reimbursement. This includes safety one of our values and key to our success technical, compliance and developmental training.
• Career development is critical to our long-term success. Otter Tail Power employees have opportunities to participate in various leadership development programs, gain access to an a la carte online leadership course catalog, receive mentorship from current leaders and more!
• Mental health support from the experts at SupportLinc as well as competitive vacation and sick leave to ensure employees are at their best when theyre working.

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.