Global Director Finance (Head of Tax)

The Gowan Co.•Yuma, AZ

About The Position

The Head of Tax is a senior finance leadership role responsible for leading global tax strategy, compliance, planning, reporting, and tax risk management across a complex, multi-entity, multinational organization. This role requires strong technical tax expertise, sound judgment, ownership, and the ability to influence Finance, Legal, Treasury, Accounting, Operations, Business Development, and local teams. The successful candidate will act as a trusted advisor to the CFO and senior leadership, manage external advisors, build scalable tax processes, and bring practical solutions to complex or ambiguous situations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Tax, Law, or a related field required.
Minimum of 10 years of progressive tax experience, including leadership responsibility in a multinational, multi-entity environment.
Strong experience in corporate tax, international tax, indirect tax, transfer pricing, tax accounting, tax compliance, and tax planning.
Experience managing tax matters across multiple jurisdictions, including North America and Europe; LATAM and APAC experience preferred.
Proven experience managing external advisors, tax audits, tax technology projects, and cross-functional tax initiatives.
Experience supporting M&A, legal entity restructuring, intercompany financing, IP ownership analysis, and transfer pricing strategy.
Strong technical knowledge of corporate tax, international tax, indirect tax, transfer pricing, withholding tax, tax accounting, and tax compliance standards.
Ability to translate complex tax concepts into clear business implications and practical recommendations.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to challenge constructively without creating unnecessary friction.
Demonstrated ability to build trust and collaborate with senior leaders, peers, local finance teams, legal teams, business leaders, and external advisors.
Strong project management skills, with the ability to define priorities, assign ownership, manage timelines, and drive execution.
Comfort operating in ambiguity, incomplete documentation, legacy structures, and evolving business environments.
Strong judgment and ability to balance technical precision with business practicality.
Proficiency with tax software, ERP systems, and related platforms, such as OneSource, BNA, JD Edwards, Coupa, or similar systems.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Taxation, Accounting, Finance, Law, or equivalent advanced qualification preferred.
CPA, CMA, JD, LLM, Chartered Accountant, or equivalent professional certification strongly preferred.
Prior experience in a complex private company, manufacturing, agriculture, chemicals, distribution, or global supply chain environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

Oversee the preparation, review, and filing of corporate income tax, indirect tax, payroll tax, withholding tax, property tax, VAT/GST, Intrastat, sales and use tax, and other tax obligations across relevant jurisdictions, including North America, Europe, LATAM, and APAC.
Ensure compliance with local, federal, state, and international tax laws and regulations, while maintaining a proactive approach to regulatory changes and emerging tax risks.
Maintain accurate global tax calendars and ensure timely filing, payment, documentation, and internal communication of tax obligations.
Lead accounting for income taxes, including federal, state, international, and consolidation provisions, working closely with Accounting, Controllership, and external auditors.
Oversee local statutory tax reporting requirements and ensure alignment between local filings, corporate reporting, and group tax positions.
Manage VAT refunds and other indirect tax recovery processes, including resolving documentation gaps and improving compliance discipline with local finance teams.
Ensure transfer pricing compliance, maintain appropriate documentation, coordinate advisor support, and ensure intercompany arrangements are aligned with business reality.
Manage tax audits and inquiries, including defending filing positions, coordinating internal responses, and managing communication with tax authorities.
Develop and implement a global tax strategy aligned with the company’s business model, operating structure, cash flow priorities, and long-term growth objectives.
Identify, assess, and mitigate tax risks across jurisdictions, entities, transactions, and operating models.
Lead tax planning initiatives, including entity restructuring, intercompany financing, transfer pricing, IP ownership, repatriation planning, tax attributes, R&D credits, employment tax credits, and other relevant incentives.
Partner with Legal, Treasury, Accounting, and Business Development to evaluate the tax implications of acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, financing arrangements, intercompany transactions, and commercial initiatives.
Lead tax due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic transactions, ensuring that risks, exposures, and opportunities are clearly identified and communicated.
Translate complex tax matters into clear business implications for senior leadership and the Board.
Lead the tax function with a strong ownership mindset, setting clear priorities, establishing accountability, and ensuring the function operates with discipline and credibility.
Build effective working relationships with Controllership, FP&A, Treasury, Legal, Operations, Business Development, IT, external advisors, and local finance teams.
Operate as a peer leader across the Finance organization, proactively aligning with stakeholders before escalating issues to the CFO.
Bring structure to unclear or incomplete situations by defining the issue, identifying stakeholders, clarifying ownership, proposing options, and driving decisions to closure.
Challenge the organization constructively and professionally, balancing technical rigor with practical business judgment.
Lead, mentor, and develop tax team members, building a high-performing function with clear expectations, strong execution discipline, and continuous improvement mindset.
Manage external tax advisors effectively, ensuring they deliver practical, business-oriented recommendations aligned with company priorities.
Lead the development of scalable global tax operations, including standardized processes, clear roles and responsibilities, improved documentation, and better knowledge management.
Drive critical tax projects, including legal entity restructuring, entity liquidation, mergers, transformations, transfer pricing documentation, indirect tax compliance improvement, and tax technology implementation.
Oversee tax technology initiatives, including OneSource or equivalent platforms, ensuring effective project planning, timeline management, testing, implementation, and adoption.
Partner with IT, Accounting, and local finance teams to improve tax data quality, automate recurring processes, and reduce manual work and dependency on institutional knowledge.
Establish a practical tax knowledge base covering key entities, tax attributes, intercompany arrangements, IP ownership, permanent establishment considerations, transfer pricing positions, and recurring compliance obligations.