Senior Tax Manager

Manulife Insurance Malaysia; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife/John Hancock in Boston seeks a Senior Tax Manager to lead investment tax compliance, reporting, and advisory for mutual funds, ETFs, CITs, and alternative funds. The role ensures accurate, timely federal, state, excise, and foreign tax deliverables while guiding complex tax matters into practical business guidance.

The position combines hands-on leadership with talent development and partnerships across Portfolio Managers, Legal, Product, Treasury, Financial Reporting, and Compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Taxation, or related field. CPA a plus.
• Minimum of 7 years of regulated investment company tax experience.
• Minimum of 3 years of people-management or supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• 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, PFICs, and other complex adjustments.
• Review shareholder tax reporting, including QDI, DRD, tax-exempt interest, and LTCG reporting.
• Monitor fund distributions for IRS and SEC compliance, including tax worksheets and per-share calculations.
• Lead, coach, and develop Tax Supervisors, Senior, and Analysts; drive cross-functional projects and control enhancements.

Skills

Excel

Tax knowledge

Leadership

Communication skills

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

CPA preferred

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Excel

Word

Tax software

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

• 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

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.

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.)

We're Manulife. And we’re on a mission to make decisions easier and lives better. Better is what drives us. It’s what inspires us to find new ways to support customers and colleagues in living longer and healthier lives. It’s the reason we’re dedicated to investing in digital innovation and accelerating a sustainable and economically inclusive future. Joining us means you’ll be empowered to learn and grow your career. We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well‑being and inclusion are more than just words. And as part of our global team, you’ll help shape the future you want to see – and discover that better can take you anywhere you want to go. We’re proud of our accomplishments and recognitions. Recent awards include: 2024 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award Winner Manulife Named one of Forbes World’s Best Employers 2023 Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2023 We’ve been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers (2024) Manulife included in Bloomberg’s 2023 Gender‑Equality Index

Learn more at https://www.manulife.com/.