The Director of State Income Tax Compliance is a leadership position within the firm’s SALT practice. This role is responsible for the technical quality, efficiency, and profitability of state income tax compliance engagements; for developing and mentoring compliance staff; and for serving as a senior technical resource and trusted advisor to clients on multistate tax matters. The Director works closely with SALT practice leadership and with our Tax team on client relationships, engagement economics, and practice growth.
Responsibilities:
- Lead and oversee delivery of multistate corporate and pass-through state income/franchise tax compliance engagements, including complex apportionment, unitary and combined filings, and separate-company returns.
- Perform final technical review of state income tax returns, workpapers, and related deliverables prepared by staff, seniors, and managers.
- Identify and oversee state income tax planning opportunities for assigned clients, including nexus studies, voluntary disclosure agreements, apportionment methodology and restructuring.
- Monitor state legislative, regulatory, and case-law developments; translate changes into practical guidance for clients and the team.
- Manage engagement scoping, budgets, staffing, realization, and billing to meet profitability targets.
- Collaborate with the firm’s National Tax Office (NTO) to establish and enforce quality control, documentation, and risk management standards across the state income tax compliance practice.
- Recruit, train, mentor, and evaluate compliance staff, seniors, and managers; support career development and performance management.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned clients on state income tax compliance matters, building and maintaining long-term client relationships.
- Identify cross-selling and business development opportunities; participate in proposals, pitches, and thought leadership (webinars, articles, speaking engagements).
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required; Master's in Taxation (MST) or JD/LLM preferred.
- Active CPA license in good standing required.
- 10+ years of progressive state and local tax experience, with significant focus on state income/franchise tax compliance; public accounting experience strongly preferred.
- Prior experience at the Senior Manager or Director level, including direct oversight of complex multistate compliance engagements.
- Deep technical knowledge of state income/franchise tax law, apportionment and allocation rules, nexus standards, and unitary/combined reporting concepts.
- Demonstrated experience managing, developing, and mentoring tax professionals at multiple levels.
- Track record of business development, client relationship management, and practice growth.
- Strong research, analytical, written, and verbal communication skills.
- Proficiency with tax compliance and research software (e.g., CCH, GoSystem, RIA Checkpoint, Bloomberg Tax/BNA).
- Technical leadership and sound professional judgment
- People leadership and talent development
- Client service orientation and relationship management
- Engagement and project management
- Business development and practice growth mindset
- Clear, precise communication with clients and internal teams
Skills Required
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license
- 12 or more years of progressive State and Local Tax experience in public accounting, consulting, or professional services
- Deep technical expertise in multistate income tax compliance
- Experience with state apportionment
- Experience conducting nexus studies
- Experience with state tax planning
- Knowledge of ASC 740 state tax considerations
- Experience handling state tax controversy matters
- Experience managing large client relationships and complex engagements
- Proven success leading high-performing teams in a professional services environment
- Strong business development track record with measurable revenue generation
- Exceptional communication, leadership, and relationship management skills
- Experience managing practice financial performance, including revenue, realization, leverage, and profitability
- Master of Science in Taxation (MST), Juris Doctor (JD), or advanced tax degree
Aprio Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Aprio and has not been reviewed or approved by Aprio.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is generally positioned as competitive and fairly paid across many roles, with clearer benchmarking helped by public job-posted ranges and compensation aggregators.
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Healthcare Strength — Health, dental, and vision coverage is positioned as comprehensive and available from day one for full-time hires, which is stronger than the more typical waiting-period approach.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings include a 401(k) with profit sharing and access to FSA/Dependent Care accounts, which can improve total rewards when firm performance supports contributions.
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What We Do
Aprio is a premier CPA and business advisory firm that advises clients and associates on how to achieve what’s next. Aprio’s associates work as integrated teams across advisory, assurance, tax, outsourcing, staffing and private client services, bringing the best thinking and personal commitment to each client. Across practices, Aprio brings together proven expertise, deep understanding and strategic foresight for industries including Manufacturing and Distribution; Non-Profit and Education; Professional Services; Real Estate and Construction; Retail, Franchise and Hospitality; and Technology and Blockchain. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Aprio has grown to over 1,000+ team members. To serve clients wherever life or business may take them, Aprio’s teams speak more than 30 languages and work with clients in over 50 countries.








