Tax Analyst - Principal I

Job Description:

This position is responsible for providing technical, tax and legal expertise for Vertex’s internal and external software applications and products including the design, implementation and maintenance of internal tools and other processes to enhance the productivity of the tax research team and other related Vertex entities in order to meet particular customer or industry specific needs. Research and interpret tax and case law, statutes, regulations, and legislation and determine how it impacts Vertex products regarding the addition of new content or the maintenance of existing content.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Interact and communicate effectively with external, internal customers and stakeholders.
• Monitor and analyze legislative/regulatory activities utilizing research tools from third party providers, and other sources of tax content and communicate/coordinate accordingly to ensure our content is in regulatory compliance
• Gather, prioritize and respond to internal and external customers’ defect and enhancement requests on tools.
• Analyze, review, test and respond to stories and customer requests for data related architecture issues.
• Determine how expected tax results or rules impact Vertex products regarding the addition of new content or the maintenance of existing content.
• Stage complex tax content, (eg. category, QC, etc.) within Vertex products in a logical manner that is consistent with system architecture and platforms.
• Test complex tax content and functionality within Vertex products and internal databases.
• Provide expertise and support for testing and implementing systems and/or process changes to support increased efficiencies or conformance with tax rules.
• Perform quality assurance tasks following documented processes.
• Contribute to the development of requirements and needs of the Tax Research organization as it relates to tax content, solutions, functionality
• Analyze and identify the requirements and needs of the Tax Research organization as it relates to tax content, solutions, functionality
• Assist in creating and maintaining documentation of the processes for technology connections to research activities and tax data content.
• Assist in evaluating the content of documents and programming code for new features or change requests.
• Assist in providing training, troubleshooting and other support for newly implemented and enhanced applications.
• Assist in developing requirements for new tax functionality.
• Assist in the design, implementation and maintenance of tools
• Represent Vertex as a subject matter expert at product demonstrations, presentation, seminars, panels and webcasts if needed
• Understand complex tax and case law and provide recommendations to tax and nontax personnel.
• Identify future risks regarding content and contribute to the deployment of the mitigation plan for such risks.
• Support a dynamic environment at Vertex, using agile methodologies, collaborating with other departments, contributing time, effort, and ideas.
• Enhance job knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; participating in professional societies; developing and/or maintaining proficiency in the latest personal productivity tools is a plus, (ex. Alteryx, PowerBI, etc.)
• Lead or participate in other operational and strategic projects or duties as assigned.
• Occasional travel may be required.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• N/A 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Research and analytical skills required
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task projects with individuals from various areas of the company.
• Developing expertise in multiple tax fields/industry.
• Developing capability of effectively managing teams.
• Ability to apply professional concepts, experience and company objectives to perform an in-depth analysis of situations or data to resolve complex issues in creative ways.
• Ability to work without supervision. Latitude for independent decision making.
• Must be results oriented, customer focused and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to interpret tax laws and regulations and determine how they apply to Vertex products.
• Strong communication skills (oral, written, presentation and facilitation).
• Ability to listen and understand information and communicate the same.
• Capability to influence and create awareness skills.
• Ability to utilize time management and effectively communicating competing priorities.
• Knowledge and understanding of content development and testing processes.
• Sufficient knowledge of business hardware and software to complete work.
• Understanding of both the business processes and technical knowledge of the system processing and related business practices
• Ability to collaborate on the design and development of internal applications and/or database systems.
• Current knowledge of tax law and policies and how they could apply to our software.
• Recognize others’ contributions and share credit for success.
• Ability to interact collaboratively and communicate effectively with external, internal customers, and stakeholders to address issues and ensure alignment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications is required.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING:

• Master or Bachelor degree in Accounting, Taxation, Finance, data science, or similar degree required

• Obtained or actively pursuing one or more of the following: Juris Doctorate (J.D.), master’s in taxation, MBA, CMI or CPA certification (active or inactive) preferred.

• Eight (8) plus years multi-jurisdictional environment with emphasis in Indirect Tax
• Five (5) plus years of experience in tax and/or technology.

• Experience with software testing processes and tools.

• Demonstrated ability to lead projects

• Strong experience with research tools 

• Or equivalent combination of education and/or experience

• Experience with Vertex or other tax engines a plus.

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.