Tax Director

Ascend Learning; Burlington (MA); On-site; USD 144,600 - 206,800; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Company-paid life insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off and parental leave

Employee assistance program

Headspace and Airvet wellness programs

Charitable matching program

Job summary

Ascend Learning seeks a seasoned Tax Director to lead our in-house tax operations across federal and multi-state compliance, tax provision, and sponsor reporting. You will partner with the VP of Tax to drive accurate provisions, internal processes, and strategic tax initiatives.

You will manage external providers, coordinate with Finance, Legal, and HR, and oversee tax technology and planning efforts across ongoing business initiatives. Hybrid work from MA/KS offices.

Qualifications

• CPA license required; MST or LLM in taxation preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive tax experience in public accounting or corporate tax.
• Deep knowledge of US federal and multi-state income tax including ASC 740.
• Experience with pass-through and corporate taxation and data from ERP systems.
• Ability to manage external providers and cross-functional partners.
• Experience with M&A, transfer pricing, and tax attributes reporting.
• Proficiency with tax research tools and Excel (Pivot, XLOOKUP).

Responsibilities

• Lead quarterly and annual income tax provision per ASC 740 and related calculations.
• Coordinate federal and multi-state filings with external advisors and internal teams.
• Research complex tax issues and identify planning opportunities to reduce effective tax rate.
• Prepare tax forecasts for FP&A and support earnings cycles.
• Manage relationships with outside tax advisors, consultants, and vendors.
• Lead tax projects, acquisitions, restructurings, and tax technology optimization.
• Oversee annual studies for R&D credit and IRC 174 capitalization.

Skills

ASC 740 tax provision

Multi-state taxation

External tax advisor mgmt

M&A taxation

Transfer pricing

ERP systems knowledge

Advanced Excel

Tax planning strategy

Tax research tools

Project management

Education

CPA license

MST or LLM in taxation

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

OneSource Tax Provision

Checkpoint

CCH

ERP familiarity

Job description

Tax Director

The Tax Director will lead Ascend's in-house tax operations across federal and multi‑state compliance, tax provision and accounting, and partnership/PE sponsor reporting. The role partners with the VP of Tax to execute a co‑source transition and establish sustainable internal processes, serves as the day‑to‑day owner of the relationship with the external tax provider, and drives accuracy of interim and annual tax provision while supporting ad‑hoc projects that advance the department's strategic priorities.

What You'll Do

• Lead the preparation of the quarterly and annual income tax provision in accordance with ASC 740, including calculation of current and deferred tax assets and liabilities, valuation allowances, and tracking of tax attributes and uncertain tax positions.
• Lead the preparation of federal and multistate corporate and partnership income tax work papers, coordinate with external tax advisors to ensure timely and accurate filings, and partner with Finance, Legal, HR, and Operations to ensure tax implications are considered in business decisions.
• Research complex federal and state income tax issues, evaluate tax planning opportunities to minimize the company's effective tax rate, and stay current on changes in tax law and regulatory guidance.
• Prepare federal, state, and effective cash tax forecasts to support FP&A budgeting, cash planning, and quarterly earnings cycles, partnering cross‑functionally to gather data and communicate tax impacts.
• Manage relationships with outside tax advisors, consultants, and software vendors; lead special tax projects and initiatives; support acquisitions, restructurings, and new business initiatives; and administer and optimize the company's tax technology stack.
• Lead annual studies for the Federal R&D Credit and capitalization under IRC 174.
• Develop and execute the organization's federal and state tax planning strategy, including entity structure, flow‑through optimization, and owner‑level tax efficiency.
• Serve as the organization's primary point of contact for federal, state, and local tax authority inquiries and audits, coordinate responses to information requests, and maintain audit‑ready documentation for all tax positions.

Where You'll Work

This position will work hybrid from our Leawood, KS or Burlington, MA office location.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• CPA license required; MST or LLM in taxation preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive tax experience, with significant exposure to corporate and partnership income taxation in a public accounting firm and/or corporate tax department.
• Previous in‑house corporate tax experience, with strong experience in pass‑through and corporate taxation preferred.
• Deep technical knowledge of U.S. federal and multi‑state income tax, including corporate and partnership taxation, apportionment, and state estimates/extensions.
• Strong working knowledge of ASC 740 tax provision, including interim period tax accounting, deferred tax assets and liabilities, uncertain tax positions, and valuation allowances.
• Working knowledge of key IRC sections, including Subchapter K (Sections 754 and 743), Section 163(j), Section 179/bonus depreciation (Section 168(k)), and Section 382 preferred.
• Experience preparing tax‑basis balance sheets and earnings and profits (E&P) calculations preferred.
• Multi‑state tax proficiency, including nexus studies and apportionment.
• Familiarity with transfer pricing fundamentals, including the arm’s‑length standard and intercompany agreement requirements preferred.
• Experience with M&A transactions, including purchase accounting preferred.
• Proficient with OneSource Tax Provision, tax research tools (e.g., Checkpoint, CCH), and advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Power Query); familiarity with ERP systems.
• Knowledge of foreign information reporting requirements (Forms 5471, 8858, 8865) and FBAR/FATCA awareness.
• Understanding of how tax data flows from ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Dynamics) into tax systems.
• Experience with umbrella partnership corporation (UP‑C) structures a plus.
• Experience leveraging AI tools within the tax function.
• Strong project management, communication, and stakeholder‑management skills, with the ability to manage external service providers.

Compensation

The current full‑time annualized hiring range for this role is $144,600.00 – $206,800.00 and does not include discretionary bonus or sales incentives, if applicable. Individual compensation will be determined by relevant experience, qualifications, current business needs, and local market factors.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Company‑paid life insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and parental leave
• Employee assistance program
• Other employee wellness programs (e.g., Headspace and Airvet)
• Charitable matching program

EEO Statement

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S.-based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.