Director - Tax

Support Center - Irving

The Director – Tax is a strategic leadership position responsible for the end-to-end management of all corporate tax compliance, including Corporate income tax (CIT), Sales and Use Tax (SUT) compliance, financial reporting, and audit defense. This role oversees the relationship with external compliance partners (KPMG), manages high-level financial forecasting for tax liabilities, and serves as the internal subject matter expert for all indirect tax matters. The Director ensures seamless coordination between Tax, Accounting, AP, Treasury, and Legal to maintain compliance and optimize cash flow.

Major Activities

SUT Compliance & Partner Management

• External Coordination: Manage the SUT compliance lifecycle with KPMG, including the preparation of annual calendars for data exchange and return review deadlines.
• Review & Sign-off: Provide final sign-off for returns in the KPMG Digital Gateway and review monthly SUT compliance workpapers.
• Internal Filings: Conduct final reviews of internally filed returns, including signing returns and approving related funding requests.
• Notice Management: Oversee daily notice management, delegating action items to the Supervisor - Indirect Tax and external compliance teams.
• Exemption Certificates: Provide high-level review of pending B2B exemption certificates in the Tax Exempt Portal as needed.

Financial Planning & Tax Accounting

• Budgeting & Forecasting: Prepare annual budgets for Tax and  SUT P&L accounts; update monthly forecasts for actuals and upcoming period revisions.
• Cash Management: Develop weekly cash tax forecasts for FP&A and Treasury to outline compliance payments for the fiscal year.
• Accounting Close: Participate in monthly close meetings, providing variance explanations for SUT accounts and managing monthly journal entry status.
• Professional Fees: Manage accruals and budget-to-actual analysis for SUT and Business License professional fees, reporting directly to the Vice President- Tax.
• Audit Reserves: Review quarterly audit reserve workpapers and corresponding journal entries.

Audits, Defense & Consulting

• Audit Defense: Lead jurisdictional SUT audits, including information gathering, participating in auditor calls, and signing off on closing workpapers.
• Financial Audits: Prepare deliverables for EY’s quarterly and year-end financial statement audits, including process walk-throughs and inquiry responses.
• Recovery & Reviews: Oversee use tax reviews and unclaimed property claims; collaborate with outside consultants to identify refund opportunities and mitigate exposure.
• Specialized Audits: Prepare deliverables for the ABL Spain Bank Audit and Irving Rebate submissions.

Tax Accounting & Financial Reporting (ASC 740)

• Provision Oversight: Review and confirm the reasonableness of the worldwide consolidated current and deferred tax expense, ending deferred tax balances, and income tax payable proofs.
• Quarterly Reporting: Lead the quarterly tax close; manage full-year PBT forecasts for AETR calculations, review discrete items (UTB interest, rate changes), and provide final tax templates to Accounting for journal entry recording.
• Technical Review: Validate all federal book-tax differences, state modifications, credits, valuation allowances, and uncertain tax positions (UTPs).
• Disclosures & Controls: Review income tax footnotes and deferred scheduling analysis while ensuring strict compliance with SOX controls.
• Reconciliations: Approve all payable, deferred, and UTB reconciliations within ARCS and review state tax receivable-payable analyses.

Domestic Transfer Pricing & Audit Management

• Transfer Pricing: Compute final domestic transfer pricing adjustments at year-end and estimate periodic amounts for upcoming fiscal years.
• Audit Leadership: Coordinate the IRS exam, review state audit impact scenarios, and lead audit settlement negotiations.
• External Management: Manage relationships with internal and external auditors, providing data and lead explanations for management reporting.
• International Correspondence: Compile and review information for certain specialized international audits, such as the Spain price audit.

CIT Compliance & Tactical Oversight

• CIT Estimates & Extensions: Review and approve all federal and state estimated tax payments and extension requests.
• CIT federal, state and international tax compliance oversight
• Indirect & Franchise Tax: Oversee the quarterly Form 720 (Federal Excise Tax) filings, franchise tax budgets, and annual true-up reconciliations.
• RTP Management: Oversee the accounting for federal and state Return-to-Provision (RTP) adjustments.

Strategic Operations & Leadership

• Business Support: Review vendor contracts for appropriate tax language and act as the primary liaison with Legal for Annual Report compliance.
• Project Leadership: Serve as the Tax lead for User Acceptance Testing (UAT) projects, providing tax impact analysis and sign-off from kick-off to go-live.
• Governance: Review annual SAM Registrations for government sales and approve New Jersey UEZ Recertifications for specific store locations.
• Legislative Oversight: Monitor new legislation to assess potential impacts on the business and provide training to the team on legislative or system changes.
• Special Projects: Lead high-complexity initiatives including Due Diligence, Purchase Accounting, Debt Restructurings, Accounting Method Changes, and ERP (Oracle) implementations.
• Team Development: Direct performance management activities, mentor team members, and foster a culture of continuous process improvement and technology adoption.

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA and/or Master’s in Taxation (MST) required.
• Experience: 10+ years of progressive tax experience, with significant time in a leadership role within a large retail or multi-jurisdictional corporate environment.
• Systems: Proficiency with KPMG Mercury, Docusign, Oracle, and Tax Exempt Portals.
• SUT Expertise: Deep knowledge of Sales and Use Tax compliance, audit defense, and use tax recovery.
• Accounting: Strong understanding of P&L variance analysis, journal entry management, and cash tax forecasting.
• Leadership: Proven ability to manage external vendors and cross-functional internal relationships (AP, Legal, Treasury).
• Technical Mastery:
• Expert-level knowledge of ASC 740 and SOX compliance.
• Proven experience in IRS Exam coordination.
• Proficiency in ARCS, Oracle, and specialized tax provision/calendar software.

Applicants in the U.S. must satisfy federal, state, and local legal requirements of the job.

At The Michaels Companies Inc., our purpose is to fuel the joy of creativity and celebration. As the leading destination for creating and celebrating in North America, we operate over 1,300 stores in 49 states and Canada and online at Michaels.com and Michaels.ca. The Michaels Companies, Inc. also owns Artistree, a manufacturer of custom and specialty framing merchandise. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Irving, Texas, Michaels is the best place for all things creative. For more information, please visit www.michaels.com.

Michaels offers a range of benefits to support team members and their families. Depending on position and eligibility, team members may have access to a 401(k) with employer match, an Employee Assistance Program, medical, dental, and vision coverage, telemedicine services, flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits, tuition assistance, adoption assistance, and various voluntary insurance options. All team members enjoy everyday perks such as employee discounts and access to partner discount programs. For a summary of benefits, visit the Michaels Benefits at a Glance page. For additional information regarding benefits, visit MIKBenefits.com

Michaels is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are here for all Team Members and all customers to create, innovate and be better together.

Michaels is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with this commitment, Michaels will assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. Accordingly, if a reasonable accommodation is required to fully participate in the job application or interview process, to perform the essential functions of the job, and/or to receive all other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact Customer Care at 1-800-642-4235 (1800-MICHAEL).

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