Associate Director, Tax Operations

The Director (Asst. Dir), Tax Operations & State Allocation is responsible for leading the strategy, governance, and execution of multi-state taxable income sourcing and allocation for wages and equity compensation in a publicly traded company. This role serves as the enterprise-wide subject matter expert and escalation point for state tax allocation methodologies, ensuring scalable, compliant, and audit-ready processes across Payroll, Equity Administration, Finance, and HR systems. This role will be the primary contact person for executives and employees of Natera, Inc. This role will report to the Chief Accounting Officer.

This leader will drive operational excellence, oversee SOX-compliant controls, and partner cross-functionally to design and implement systems and processes that support growth, complexity, and regulatory change. The Associate Director plays a critical role in shaping tax policy interpretation, influencing system architecture, and ensuring end-to-end integrity of tax data.

Strategic Leadership: Multi-State Tax Allocation & Sourcing

• Define and evolve enterprise-wide state sourcing and allocation methodologies for:
  

  • Employee wages
    

  • Equity compensation (RSUs, ESPPs, stock options)
    

• Interpret complex and ambiguous state tax regulations and translate them into scalable operational frameworks.
  

• Establish governance over residency, mobility, reciprocity, and sourcing rules across jurisdictions.
  

• Serve as the final decision-maker and escalation point for complex tax allocation issues.

• Oversee automated calculations, data completeness and accuracy

• Ensure all SOX related controls are executed timely and accurately
  

Operational Oversight: Payroll & Equity Data Enablement

• Oversee the certification and delivery of state-level taxable wage and equity data prior to payroll execution.
  

• Ensure seamless integration and accuracy of tax data within payroll systems (e.g., Workday HRIS and Workday Payroll and Etrade).
  

• Partner with Equity Administration to guide tax treatment of grants, vesting, exercises, and mobility events.
  

• Establish SLAs, controls, and performance metrics for tax data delivery.
  

Tax Operations, Systems & Data Governance

• Own the end-to-end data lifecycle for state-allocated tax data across systems and reporting functions.
  

• Lead the design and optimization of data flows, reconciliation frameworks, and system integrations.
  

• Partner with IT and HRIS teams to embed tax logic into systems in alignment with SDLC and ITGC standards.
  

• Drive automation and scalability initiatives to support company growth and increased complexity.
  

Controls, Compliance & Audit Leadership

• Establish and oversee SOX-compliant control frameworks related to tax allocation and payroll tax processes.
  

• Lead tax sign-off processes supporting payroll releases and financial reporting.
  

• Serve as primary liaison for internal and external audits (e.g., EY), including strategy, walkthroughs, and remediation.
  

• Ensure continuous improvement of control effectiveness and audit readiness.
  

Cross-Functional Leadership & Influence

• Act as a strategic partner to Payroll, Equity Administration, HR, Finance, Legal, and external advisors.
  

• Influence cross-functional decision-making related to tax, mobility, and compensation design.
  

• Build and deliver training programs to elevate tax knowledge across the organization.
  

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team (if applicable), fostering strong technical and operational capabilities.
  

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Tax, or related field
  

• 10–15+ years of progressive experience in:
  

  • State and local taxation (SALT)
    

  • Payroll tax and/or equity compensation taxation
    

• Deep expertise in multi-state wage sourcing, employee mobility, and equity tax rules
  

• Experience in a publicly traded company, large multinational, or Big 4 environment
  

• Proven experience designing and operating SOX-compliant controls
  

• Demonstrated ability to translate complex tax regulations into scalable processes and systems
  

• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing senior stakeholders
  

Preferred

• CPA
  

• Experience with Workday Payroll and E*trade
  

• Exposure to global payroll or international mobility frameworks
  

• Prior experience managing or leading Big 4 SALT audits
  

• Strong background in data analytics, automation, and systems implementation
  

• Strategic thinker with deep technical tax expertise
  

• Strong leadership and ownership mindset
  

• Executive-level communication and stakeholder influence
  

• Ability to operate in ambiguity and make defensible, high-impact decisions
  

• Scalable process design and systems orientation
  

• Audit-ready mindset with a focus on controls and compliance