Managing Director, Tax

Fairstead ESC LLC•New York, NY

About The Position

The Managing Director, Tax is a senior role responsible for overseeing all tax functions at Fairstead. Reporting directly to the CFO, this individual will serve as Fairstead's senior-most tax authority, providing strategic direction and hands-on oversight of federal, state, and local tax matters across a complex multi-entity, multi-jurisdictional organizational structure. This individual will collaborate extensively with legal, accounting, finance, ventures and development teams to support Fairstead's operational and growth objectives.

Requirements

Minimum of 15 years of tax experience, with significant time spent in real estate, with direct experience in multi-state partnership tax compliance and planning
Prior experience as a Head of Tax, VP of Tax, Tax Director, or equivalent senior in-house tax leadership role at a real estate operating company, private equity real estate firm, or real estate development company
Deep technical expertise in partnership taxation, including Section 704(b)/704(c), carried interests, and complex multi-tier partnership structures
Proficiency in multi-state income, franchise, and property tax compliance across a large, geographically distributed portfolio
Experience managing federal and state tax audits by taxing authorities
CPA required; JD, LLM in Taxation, or MST strongly preferred
Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to translate complex tax matters for non-tax executives and ownership
Experience at a public accounting firm in a real estate tax practice is highly preferred
Experience with multi-state sales and use tax compliance and nexus analysis, including nexus studies and voluntary disclosure agreements

Responsibilities

Lead all aspects of the company's tax function, including federal, state, and local income tax compliance, planning, and reporting across 28 states
Develop and execute the company's overall tax strategy, with a focus on LIHTC, minimizing effective tax rate (at State and local levels), REITS (as they relate to some of our JV partners), and managing tax risk across a large real estate portfolio and ancillary business lines
Oversee preparation and review of federal and multi-state partnership, personal, corporate tax returns, including consolidated and combined filings
Champion the adoption of AI and automation tools within the tax function to streamline compliance workflows, improve data accuracy, and enhance efficiency in tax research, provision, and reporting processes
Direct tax structuring for property acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, 1031 exchanges, development projects, and capital markets transactions
Provide technical guidance on partnership taxation, including complex waterfall structures, promote interests, capital account maintenance, and Section 704(b) and 704(c) allocations
Advise on entity structuring and legal entity rationalization to support business operations, investment activity, and estate or succession planning for ownership
Manage state and local tax compliance obligations, including income, franchise, transfer, and property tax filings across all operating jurisdictions
Lead and manage relationships with external tax advisors, accounting firms, and specialized tax counsel
Monitor federal and state legislative and regulatory developments and assess their impact on the company's tax position and business strategy
Serve as a key advisor to the CFO, CEO, and executive leadership team on all tax matters, including strategic transactions and capital structure decisions
Manage federal and state income tax audits, and examinations
Establish and maintain internal controls, policies, and procedures related to the tax function
Coordinate investor tax reporting, including K-1 preparation and distribution for fund and joint venture investors