Director - Tax

Michaels Stores•Irving, TX

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director – Tax is a strategic leadership position responsible for end-to-end management of corporate tax compliance, including corporate income tax (CIT), Sales and Use Tax (SUT) compliance, financial reporting, and audit defense. The Director manages the relationship with KPMG, forecasts tax liabilities, and serves as the internal subject matter expert for indirect tax. The role coordinates with Tax, Accounting, Accounts Payable, Treasury, and Legal to maintain compliance and optimize cash flow. The Director oversees SUT compliance and partner management, tax budgeting and forecasting, cash tax planning, accounting close activities, professional-fee accruals, audit reserves, audit defense, consulting, and ASC 740 tax accounting and financial reporting. The role also leads domestic transfer pricing and audit management; oversees CIT compliance, estimates, extensions, indirect and franchise tax matters, and return-to-provision adjustments; and supports strategic operations through project leadership, governance, legislative monitoring, and special projects. The position includes directing performance management, mentoring team members, and advancing process improvement and technology adoption.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
CPA and/or Master’s in Taxation (MST) required.
10+ years of progressive tax experience, including significant leadership experience in a large retail or multi-jurisdictional corporate environment.
Proficiency with KPMG Mercury, DocuSign, Oracle, and Tax Exempt Portals.
Deep knowledge of Sales and Use Tax compliance, audit defense, and use tax recovery.
Strong understanding of P&L variance analysis, journal-entry management, and cash tax forecasting.
Ability to manage external vendors and cross-functional relationships with Accounts Payable, Legal, and Treasury.
Expert-level knowledge of ASC 740 and SOX compliance.
Experience coordinating IRS examinations.
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.

Responsibilities

Manage the Sales and Use Tax compliance lifecycle with KPMG, including calendars for data exchange and return-review deadlines.
Provide final sign-off on returns in KPMG Digital Gateway and review monthly SUT compliance workpapers.
Review internally filed returns, sign returns, and approve related funding requests.
Oversee daily tax notice management and delegate action items to the Supervisor - Indirect Tax and external compliance teams.
Review pending B2B exemption certificates in the Tax Exempt Portal as needed.
Prepare annual Tax and SUT P&L account budgets and update monthly forecasts for actuals and upcoming periods.
Develop weekly cash tax forecasts for FP&A and Treasury covering compliance payments for the fiscal year.
Participate in monthly close meetings, explain SUT account variances, and manage monthly journal-entry status.
Manage SUT and Business License professional-fee accruals and budget-to-actual analysis, reporting to the Vice President- Tax.
Review quarterly audit reserve workpapers and corresponding journal entries.
Lead jurisdictional SUT audits, gather information, participate in auditor calls, and sign off on closing workpapers.
Prepare deliverables for EY quarterly and year-end financial statement audits, including process walk-throughs and inquiry responses.
Oversee use tax reviews and unclaimed-property claims; work with outside consultants to identify refund opportunities and mitigate exposure.
Prepare deliverables for the ABL Spain Bank Audit and Irving Rebate submissions.
Review the reasonableness of worldwide consolidated current and deferred tax expense, ending deferred tax balances, and income tax payable proofs.
Lead the quarterly tax close, manage full-year PBT forecasts for AETR calculations, review discrete items, and provide final tax templates to Accounting for journal-entry recording.
Validate federal book-tax differences, state modifications, credits, valuation allowances, and uncertain tax positions.
Review income tax footnotes and deferred scheduling analysis and ensure compliance with SOX controls.
Approve payable, deferred, and UTB reconciliations in ARCS and review state tax receivable-payable analyses.
Compute final domestic transfer-pricing adjustments at year-end and estimate periodic amounts for upcoming fiscal years.
Coordinate the IRS exam, review state audit impact scenarios, and lead audit settlement negotiations.
Manage internal and external auditor relationships and provide data and lead explanations for management reporting.
Compile and review information for specialized international audits, including the Spain price audit.
Review and approve federal and state estimated tax payments and extension requests.
Oversee federal, state, and international CIT compliance; quarterly Form 720 filings; franchise-tax budgets; annual true-up reconciliations; and accounting for federal and state Return-to-Provision adjustments.
Review vendor contracts for appropriate tax language and serve as the primary liaison with Legal for Annual Report compliance.
Lead Tax participation in User Acceptance Testing projects, providing tax impact analysis and sign-off from kick-off through go-live.
Review annual SAM Registrations for government sales and approve New Jersey UEZ Recertifications for specific store locations.
Monitor new legislation, assess its potential business impacts, and train the team on legislative or system changes.
Lead complex initiatives such as due diligence, purchase accounting, debt restructurings, accounting method changes, and Oracle ERP implementations.
Direct performance management, mentor team members, and foster continuous process improvement and technology adoption.
Perform other duties as assigned.