Director, Tax

Deepgram•Remote, CA

7d•Remote

About The Position

Deepgram is seeking a Director, Tax to establish and manage the company's tax function. This role is crucial for preparing the company for its first external audit and eventual public market entry. As the first dedicated tax hire, you will report to the Chief Accounting Officer and collaborate closely with the CFO and the finance team. You will be responsible for setting tax positions, overseeing external advisors, and serving as the senior technical expert in dealings with auditors and tax authorities. The company emphasizes an AI-first mindset, expecting all team members to actively use and integrate AI tools into their work, adapting quickly to rapid changes in the field.

Requirements

Active CPA, JD with tax LLM, or MST.
Experience in a Big 4 or national firm tax foundation.
8+ years of progressive corporate tax experience.
Deep fluency in US federal and multi-state taxation.
Hands-on international tax experience, including transfer pricing, IP structuring, GILTI/FDII, and intercompany transactions.
Experience building international tax functions at a company that has undergone global expansion.
Hands-on technical expertise in federal positions (R&D credit, §174), multi-state SALT, indirect tax, equity compensation tax, and ASC 740.
Ability to analyze complex tax issues and develop defensible positions.
Experience preparing or rebuilding tax provisions, footnotes, and disclosures from scratch.
Experience managing external auditors and tax consultants, including scoping and directing their work.
Proficiency in scripting and automation (Python, SQL, or equivalent) for tasks like nexus monitoring, provision tie-outs, and exposure modeling.
A builder's mindset with comfort in ambiguity and a bias for action.
AI-native working style, with daily use of LLMs and a clear understanding of their capabilities and limitations in tax.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex tax concepts to non-tax stakeholders.
High integrity, high ownership, and low ego.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience preparing a company for its first external audit and S-1/IPO.
Prior experience establishing an in-house tax function at a high-growth company.
Experience with SaaS or AI-business tax matters, including capitalized software, SaaS sales tax, and international customer-base expansion.
Experience with multi-state employee mobility, RSU/ISO equity compensation tax mobility, and §83(b) coordination at scale.
Working knowledge of provision tools (OneSource, Corptax, Longview), sales tax engines (Avalara, Anrok, Vertex), and research platforms, with informed opinions on their use.

Responsibilities

Establish the tax function from the ground up, defining the operating model, tax positions, calendar, and tooling.
Manage the multi-state nexus landscape, including payroll, customer, and economic nexus for a remote workforce and customer base, and execute the registration and compliance roadmap.
Define and defend US federal tax positions, including R&D credits (§41), §174, capitalized software, equity compensation deductions, and pre-IPO restructuring.
Build the international tax foundation, including designing the transfer pricing model, intercompany agreements, IP location and migration strategies, GILTI/FDII, entity structure, and permanent establishment risk.
Develop the sales and use tax operating model, covering taxability, nexus monitoring, registrations, returns, and exemption certificates, with a strong focus on appropriate tooling.
Manage external tax advisors, including scoping, directing, and determining which tasks remain in-house.
Partner with the Director, Technical Accounting & FR on technical tax matters related to equity compensation (ASC 718 / IRC 409A), business combinations (ASC 805 / §338, PPAs), capitalized software, and complex financing instruments.
Build the company's first ASC 740 tax provision from scratch, including workpapers, footnotes, disclosures, and tie-outs, meeting the rigor required for external audits and S-1 filings.
Lay the groundwork for public company tax disclosures and SOX readiness by establishing workflows, controls, and calendars for 10-K/10-Q tax footnotes.
Utilize AI extensively for research, memo drafting, nexus analysis, transfer pricing benchmarking, peer disclosure analysis, and workflow automation, and develop custom AI tooling as needed.
Build and lead the tax team as the company scales.