Senior Tax Manager

John Hancock; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentive programs

Comprehensive employee benefits

Job summary

John Hancock, a Manulife company, seeks a Senior Tax Manager in Boston to lead federal/state/excise tax compliance and reporting for mutual funds, ETFs, and other investment products. This hybrid role partners with Portfolio Managers, Legal, Product, Treasury, and Operations to translate complex tax matters into actionable guidance.

The ideal candidate has 7+ years in regulated fund tax, strong leadership, and advanced Excel/Word skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in accounting/finance/taxation or related field.
• CPA or advanced degree is a plus.
• Minimum 7 years of regulated investment company tax experience; Big Four background preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own second-level review and final sign-off for federal, state, excise tax returns for mutual funds and investments.
• Oversee book-to-tax analyses including wash sale deferrals, PFICs, foreign tax credits, and other adjustments.
• Review shareholder tax reporting, including DII, DRD, tax-exempt interest, and LTCG reporting.
• Monitor distributions for IRS/SEC compliance, tax worksheets, and excise schedules.
• Lead, coach, and develop tax staff and drive process automation and controls.

Skills

Tax expertise

Leadership

Communication skills

Excel proficiency

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/Taxation

CPA or advanced degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Job description

The Senior Tax Manager is a hybrid position (3x in office per week) & they will lead the investment tax compliance, reporting, and advisory function for a diverse platform of regulated investment companies and alternative investment products. This role safeguards the accuracy and timeliness of federal, state, excise, and applicable foreign tax deliverables while translating complex tax matters into practical business guidance. The Manager develops talent, strengthens controls, and partners with Portfolio Managers, Legal, Product, Treasury, Financial Reporting, Investment Operations, Compliance, custodian banks, and external vendors. The position combines deep regulated investment company tax expertise with hands-on leadership across mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, collective investment trusts, alternative funds, UCITS, real estate investment trusts, and partnership structures.

Position Responsibilities:

Tax Compliance, Reporting & Technical Oversight

• Own second-level review and final sign-off for federal, state, excise, and other applicable jurisdictional tax returns for mutual funds and assigned investment products, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely filing.
• Review tax checklists and supporting schedules prepared for annual financial statement audits and assess financial statements for appropriate tax disclosures.
• Oversee book-to-tax analyses that affect distributions and tax calculations, including wash sale deferrals, straddles, foreign tax credits, passive foreign investment companies, and other complex adjustments for fiscal and excise periods.
• Review shareholder tax reporting, including qualified dividend income, dividends-received deductions, tax-exempt interest, and long-term capital gain reporting.
• Monitor fund distributions for compliance with applicable IRS and SEC requirements, including tax worksheets, estimated excise schedules, equalization calculations, distribution projections, per-share calculations, and Section 19 calculations and notices.
• Review fund merger and ownership-change analyses, including capital loss carryovers, built-in gains, and Sections 381 through 384 limitations; maintain uncertain tax position documentation and support defensible conclusions.

Investment Product & Business Partnership

• Apply tax expertise across mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), collective investment trusts (CITs), alternative funds, UCITS, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and partnership structures.
• Interact regularly with Portfolio Managers, Legal, Product, Treasury, Financial Reporting, Investment Operations, Compliance, Marketing, Transfer Agency, custodian banks, and external vendors to identify and resolve tax matters.
• Provide clear, decision-useful guidance on complex fund tax reporting and compliance issues, product initiatives, transactions, and operational changes.
• Assess the impact of tax law and regulatory developments on investment products and implement appropriate updates to procedures, controls, and stakeholder communications.

Leadership, Controls & Transformation

• Lead, coach, and develop Tax Supervisors, Tax Seniors, and Tax Analysts; plan and allocate work, monitor progress, and support training and career development.
• Champion cross-functional projects and coordinate internal and external deadlines to ensure high-quality, timely delivery.
• Develop, document, maintain, and enhance policies, procedures, and internal controls that mitigate tax and operational risk.
• Identify and implement opportunities for automation, scalable processes, stronger data quality, and more efficient workflows.
• Provide informed recommendations on staffing, hiring, compensation, performance management, and development needs, consistent with organizational practices.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Taxation, or a related field; advanced degree and/or CPA a plus.
• Minimum of 7 years of regulated investment company tax experience, including experience with complex tax adjustments, forms, elections, and risk considerations (previous Big Four experience preferred)
• Minimum of 3 years of people-management or supervisory experience, with a record of coaching and developing tax professionals.
• Experience with exchange-traded funds, collective investment trusts, alternative funds, UCITS, real estate investment trusts, and partnership structures strongly preferred.
• Strong business and accounting knowledge, with the ability to interpret financial statements, custodian reports, and complex spreadsheets and apply that information to fund tax reporting.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word; experience designing scalable workbooks, controls, or automated processes is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex tax topics to technical and nontechnical audiences and build credibility across functions.
• Sound judgment, strong ownership, attention to detail, and the ability to prioritize competing deadlines in a dynamic environment.

Decision Authority & Impact:

• Exercises independent judgment on complex funds and technical issues and provides final sign-off on workpapers and analyses within assigned authority.
• Serves as a tax subject-matter leader who identifies issues, recommends solutions, and implements controls to mitigate risk.
• Influences product, transaction, operational, and reporting decisions through timely, practical, and well-supported tax guidance.

When you join our team:

• We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want.
• We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words.
• As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see.

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

About Manulife and John Hancock

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. To learn more about us, visit https://www.manulife.com/en/about/our-story.html.

Manulife is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Manulife/John Hancock, we embrace our diversity. We strive to attract, develop and retain a workforce that is as diverse as the customers we serve and to foster an inclusive work environment that embraces the strength of cultures and individuals. We are committed to fair recruitment, retention, advancement and compensation, and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or religious beliefs, creed, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, genetic characteristics, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or any other ground protected by applicable law.

It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. A Human Resources representative will work with applicants who request a reasonable accommodation during the application process. All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Manulife/John Hancock policies. To request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact [e-mail].

Referenced Salary Location

Boston, Massachusetts

Working Arrangement

Hybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$92,475.00 USD - $160,290.00 USD

Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance. The actual salary will vary depending on local market conditions, geography and relevant job-related factors such as knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience, and education/training. If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact [e-mail] for the salary range for your location.

Manulife/John Hancock offers eligible employees a wide array of customizable benefits, including health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance coverage, adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits, and employee/family assistance plans. We also offer eligible employees various retirement savings plans (including pension/401(k) savings plans and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in the U.S. includes up to 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 150 hours of vacation, and 40 hours of sick time (or more where required by law) each year, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence.

We use data and analytics technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and automated processing tools, to analyze and process the information you provide to us or third parties in the application process. For more information, please refer to our personal information collection statement.

Know Your Rights I Family & Medical Leave I Employee Polygraph Protection I Right to Work I E-Verify

Company: John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.)