Associate Director of Tax

King & Spalding is a leading global law firm with a commitment to excellence, innovation, and the seamless delivery of legal services. We harness innovative technology and exceptional talent to meet the complex needs of our clients in a fast-paced and dynamic legal landscape. 

The Associate Director of Tax supports the Director of Tax in leading the Firm’s tax function and serves as the Director’s primary delegate for day-to-day leadership, execution, and risk management across domestic and international tax matters. The Associate Director is responsible for leading and developing the Firm’s tax team (Managers and Analysts) and operates as the primary reviewer for tax deliverables, analyses, and recommendations prior to elevation to the Director of Tax. Within assigned areas, the Associate Director ensures accurate and timely compliance, anticipates tax developments impacting the Firm and its partners, and prepares decision-ready recommendations for Director review and approval on matters of significance, including tax planning, risk exposure, controversy, process improvements, and major regulatory initiatives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Firmwide Tax Compliance Oversight (Domestic & International)

• Provide day-to-day leadership of the Firm’s tax compliance program, ensuring accurate and timely filings and payments across federal, state, local, and international jurisdictions.
• Lead the compliance process for federal and state returns in coordination with external accountants, including oversight of workpaper readiness, review of draft returns, and preparation of key issues and recommendations for Director review and approval.
• Oversee international tax items, including coordination of foreign returns, estimated non-resident foreign tax payments, and VAT compliance; serve as primary reviewer for related deliverables prior to Director escalation.
• Oversee domestic tax items, including UBT, Franchise, MTA, pass-through entity tax, and other city/state jurisdiction requirements, ensuring consistent positions, quality controls, and documentation.

Partnership Tax & Partner-Facing Responsibilities

• Oversee partnership tax responsibilities as assigned, including partner tax gross-up calculations, composite and withholding tax elections, and maintenance of related documentation and repositories.
• Review partner deliverables for accuracy and clarity before distribution, elevating sensitive or high-impact items to the Director of Tax with recommended approach.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to support partner communications and deliverables, ensuring consistency of messaging and appropriate escalation pathways.

Tax Advisory, Planning Support & Technical Analysis

• Research and analyze tax positions and develop practical recommendations regarding compliance approaches, planning opportunities, and risk posture; serve as primary reviewer for technical analyses prior to Director review.
• Monitor and interpret global tax developments and changes to federal and state tax laws; prepare impact assessments and recommended actions for the Firm and its partners for Director consideration.
• Support the Director of Tax in evaluating and implementing tax strategies by preparing option analyses, decision memos, and implementation plans for matters of significance.

Vendor & Advisor Management

• Manage and oversee external tax advisors and consultants across assigned matters, including scoping, workplan development, timeline management, quality review, and budget discipline.
• Review advisor work product for technical quality and completeness prior to elevating significant conclusions or recommendations to the Director of Tax.
• Proactively coordinate with advisors to address statutory changes and emerging compliance requirements; elevate significant engagement decisions and recommendations to the Director of Tax.

Tax Controversy / Audits

• Lead and manage domestic and international tax audits and controversy matters for assigned areas, including coordinating responses, documentation, and communications with external advisors.
• Assess exposure and risk, develop response strategies, and elevate material risk items, settlement considerations, or novel positions to the Director of Tax with recommended course of action.

Process Improvement, Governance & Controls

• Drive continuous improvement of tax processes, controls, documentation standards, and reporting; develop proposals for policy and process changes for Director approval and implementation.
• Develop and maintain policies and procedures to comply with tax laws and train accounting/finance teams as it relates to their function; ensure consistent adoption and execution across the Firm.
• Implement scalable workflows and review processes that reduce risk, improve cycle times, and enhance quality across compliance and partner deliverables.

Reporting, Budget Support & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Support firmwide tax budgeting and forecasting processes (e.g., property, UBT, franchise), including analysis of drivers, variance commentary, and recommendations for Director review.
• Partner with Finance leadership and other internal stakeholders to respond to tax-related inquiries and support firm initiatives with tax implications (e.g., contract review for tax impacts), escalating material issues to the Director as appropriate.

Major Regulatory & Strategic Initiatives

• Lead readiness planning and execution support for major tax regulatory initiatives (e.g., OECD Pillar II compliance, IRC987 branch reporting, transfer pricing requirements), including cross-functional coordination; serve as primary reviewer of implementation deliverables prior to Director review and approval.
• Oversee key specialty processes as assigned, including sales & use tax, withholding/non-resident taxes, expatriate tax calculations (e.g., foreign housing gross-ups), transfer pricing process development, property taxes, and tax credits (e.g., Georgia retraining tax credit), ensuring quality, documentation, and escalation of significant issues.

Leadership & People Management

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Tax Managers and Tax Analysts; establish clear expectations for technical quality, responsiveness, and timeliness.
• Provide first-line leadership oversight for Manager-level work, including coaching on judgment, issue identification, and stakeholder management.
• Drive performance management, talent development, and succession planning for the tax team in partnership with the Director of Tax.
• Oversee workload planning, delegation, and review structures to ensure deliverables are completed accurately, consistently, and on schedule.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and strong client-service orientation.

Primary Review & Quality Assurance

• Serve as the primary reviewer and quality gate for tax work product prior to submission to the Director of Tax, including returns, workpapers, memoranda, planning analyses, risk assessments, partner deliverables, and leadership reporting.
• Establish and enforce review standards, documentation requirements, and internal controls to ensure tax deliverables are accurate, complete, and decision-ready before escalation.
• Identify issues requiring Director involvement and escalate matters of significance (e.g., material risk exposure, sensitive partner matters, novel positions, controversy strategy decisions) with clear options and recommendations.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s in Tax and CPA required.
• Minimum 8 years of public accounting experience (or equivalent), with demonstrated progression in responsibility and leadership.
• Professional services experience strongly preferred, particularly within a partnership structure.
• Demonstrated ability to lead managers and teams; strong delegation, coaching, and accountability-setting skills.
• Strong technical tax knowledge across partnership and professional services tax considerations; ability to translate tax law changes into practical business guidance.
• Strong judgment, discretion, and diplomacy when handling sensitive partner and Firm matters; executive-ready written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to manage complex deadlines and deliver high-quality work product; strong attention to detail and process orientation.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills; advanced Excel capabilities; ability to synthesize complex information into clear recommendations.
• Strong project management mindset with ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and drive process improvement and standardization.
• Experience with international tax matters, including VAT and multi-jurisdictional compliance preferred.
• Experience operationalizing transfer pricing processes and supporting implementation of major regulatory initiatives (e.g., OECD Pillar II) preferred.

WORK MODEL / HOURS:

Hybrid work schedule. May require additional hours during peak periods (month-end, year-end, filing deadlines, audits, major initiatives) to support business needs and global operations.

The firm offers a generous total compensation package with bonuses and raises awarded in recognition of individual merit-based performance. All full-time Business Services employees may participate in King & Spalding’s comprehensive benefit program including health and wellness plan, life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts and a health savings account, a 401(k) plan, profit sharing plan, and a substantial Paid Time Off (PTO) program.

Pay Transparency Range:

Chicago: Full time annualized salary range $215,000 - $260,000

Washington, D.C.: Full time annualized salary range $227,000 - $265,000

New York City: Full time annualized salary range $230,000 - 270,000

The salary offer will be contingent upon various factors, including but not limited to relevant experience, internal equity, market data, job location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. 

Qualified candidates with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the following laws if applicable:  City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act.

King & Spalding LLP (K&S) is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees in full compliance with all state, federal, and local laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, age, disability or any other status protected by applicable law. 

We are proud of our remarkably cohesive culture, which now encompasses more than 2,500 lawyers and business professionals worldwide. We seek to attract and develop the very best talent to work with us.