Director - Tax Research

Job Description:

JOB SUMMARY:

This position is responsible for building and leading a tax research “human-in-the-loop” (HIL) team for our data and insights/AI product lines. The role will have a deep grasp of current indirect tax issues and environments that impact multinational corporations, tax risk management principles, and the nuances of product and service taxation. The role will require strong leadership skills in working with cross functional teams to drive results and coordinate large customer-facing projects. The role must have a deep grasp of the use of technology by tax teams to drive automation and efficiencies.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Act as Subject Matter Expert (SME), sustaining the Vertex Brand in the marketplace of Vertex as an Indirect Tax leader.
• Contribute expert perspective to the development of business strategies related to indirect tax.
• Leverage tax expertise to influence product direction and content roadmaps for data and insights / AI product lines.
• Collaborate closely with key stakeholders like Product Management, Engineering, Sales, Professional Services, and Customer Support to improve working relationships, operational efficiency & customer satisfaction.
• Act as a key liaison between technical teams, tax experts, and business stakeholders to ensure shared understanding of goals and risks.
• Build and manage a high-performing team of indirect tax content specialists to optimize AI-powered tax categorization solutions, including establishment of operational processes and Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) for expert human review.
• Develop HIL staffing model and continuously improve HIL workflows to ensure efficiency, consistency, and feedback loops that enhance processes.
• Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for accuracy and throughput.
• Support direct selling & marketing efforts to select and/or targeted strategic accounts as needed or based on upcoming business needs.
• Represent Vertex in tax industry forums associated with Indirect Tax.
• Represent Vertex at User Group, CAB and Exchange Meetings.

• Stay abreast of major trends in indirect tax
• Other projects as requested by management.
• Participate in other projects or duties

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Determine appropriate resourcing of staff to achieve goals and objectives.

• Build an effective team through mentoring, informal and formal education that focuses on tax, technology, and project management principles.
• Manage annual Objectives & Key Results aligned with corporate goals.
• Direct and mentor leaders on performance gaps, career development opportunities, and strategies.
• Direct and coach leaders on all human resource related processes including onboarding, performance management, succession planning, employee relations, selection, terminations, compensation and rewards.
• Accountable for collective results and recognizing others’ contributions and share credit for success.
• Own attainment of high employee satisfaction and retention; lead development of program and initiatives within group to attain high employee satisfaction.
• Ability to interact collaboratively and communicate effectively with external, internal customers, and stakeholders to address issues and ensure alignment.
• Prepare and manage budget as assigned; analyzes variances and initiates corrective actions to maximize operational performance.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Strong depth and breadth of indirect tax and technology and how they integrate into tax process management solutions.
• Familiarity with indirect tax product classification or taxability logic.
• Experience leading HIL teams, content labeling, or data annotation teams preferred.
• Strong analytical mindset and ability to interpret and improve process metrics.
• Excellent communication skills (oral, written, problem solving & presentation) to various audience executives, customers, government groups and industry analysts.
• Excellent understanding of indirect tax and business trends.

• Knowledge of Vertex products and services a plus.

• Strong leadership skills, ability to effectively manage diverse teams and the ability to influence at all levels.
• Strong relationship building and conflict management skills required.
• Ability to apply broad expertise or unique knowledge and professional concepts to develop resolutions to critical issues.
• Ability to manage multiple complex high visibility or high impact projects simultaneously.
• Ability to work without supervision. Complete latitude for decision making.
• Ability to create formal networks with key decision makers.
• Ability to listen and understand information and communicate the same.
• Must possess strong interpersonal, organizational, and facilitation skills.
• Must be results oriented and customer focused

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Business, Tax, or Finance.

• Advanced degree or other certification preferred.
• Twelve (12) plus years of experience in business related experience in a multi-jurisdictional tax environment with a diverse industry or consulting background.
• Five (5) plus years of leadership experience.
• At least 6+ years of project management experience.
• Or equivalent combination of education and/or experience

Other Qualifications

The Winning Way behaviors that all Vertex employees need in order to meet the expectations of each other, our customers, and our partners

Communicate with Clarity - Be clear, concise and actionable. Be relentlessly constructive. Seek and provide meaningful feedback.

Act with Urgency - Adopt an agile mentality - frequent iterations, improved speed, resilience. 80/20 rule – better is the enemy of done. Don’t spend hours when minutes are enough.

Work with Purpose - Exhibit a “We Can” mindset. Results outweigh effort. Everyone understands how their role contributes. Set aside personal objectives for team results.

Drive to Decision - Cut the swirl with defined deadlines and decision points. Be clear on individual accountability and decision authority. Guided by a commitment to and accountability for customer outcomes.

Own the Outcome - Defined milestones, commitments and intended results. Assess your work in context, if you’re unsure, ask. Demonstrate unwavering support for decisions.

COMMENTS:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals in this position. Other functions may be assigned, and management retains the right to add or change the duties at any time