Sales and Use Tax Accountant

Genesee & Wyoming Inc.•Jacksonville, FL

About The Position

The Sales and Use Tax Accountant owns the Company’s multi-state sales and use tax compliance, including accurate determination, accrual, reporting, and remittance across applicable jurisdictions. Most of the Company’s sales and use tax exposure arises from purchases, particularly self-assessed use tax on materials, equipment, and services. The position is part of the Procure to Pay organization and works within the purchasing and accounts payable transaction stream. The role determines taxability at the point of purchase, supports the Company’s position during state audits, and ensures the Company claims applicable exemptions. It also manages tax filings, tax determination processes and systems, exemption documentation, audit and recovery work, and related process improvements. The position coordinates with internal stakeholders and external tax advisors and supports acquisition and disposition due diligence involving sales and use tax.

Requirements

Working knowledge of multi-state sales and use tax law, including nexus, taxability determination, exemption administration, and use tax self-assessment.
Experience preparing and filing multi-state sales and use tax returns in a high-transaction-volume environment.
Hands-on experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance.
Experience managing or supporting state sales and use tax audits, including building schedules and defending technical positions.
Strong analytical skills and ability to work with large purchasing and accounts payable data sets; advanced Microsoft Excel required.
Ability to research state and local tax matters independently and communicate conclusions to non-tax audiences in plain English.
Familiarity with AI-assisted tax research and taxability classification tools, and judgment to verify machine-generated conclusions against primary source authority before relying on them in a filing position.
Ability to apply analytics and automation to large purchase populations to identify probable misclassification and recovery opportunities.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to documentation and audit readiness.
Ability to work independently, manage a recurring filing calendar, and meet statutory deadlines.
Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.
Three to seven years of sales and use tax or broader sales and use tax experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience with a tax determination engine such as Vertex or Avalara, including its integration with an ERP.
Railroad, transportation, utility, or heavy industrial experience.
Experience in a mixture of public accounting and industry.
CPA, CMI (Certified Member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation), or progress toward either credential.

Responsibilities

Prepare, review, and file monthly, quarterly, and annual sales and use tax returns across applicable state and local jurisdictions, and manage the remittance calendar to ensure timely payment.
Own the use tax self-assessment process by reviewing purchasing and accounts payable activity, determining taxability, identifying under- and over-accrued tax, and posting required accruals.
Advise Procurement and Accounts Payable teams on the correct tax treatment of purchases during requisition and invoice processing.
Administer and maintain the tax determination process and its interaction with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, including tax codes, rate updates, product and service taxability mapping, and jurisdiction configuration.
Apply and document railroad-specific sales and use tax exemptions, including exemptions for rolling stock and equipment used in interstate commerce, track materials, and roadbed construction materials.
Manage the exemption and resale certificate program, including issuing vendor exemption certificates, collecting and validating customer certificates, renewals, and supporting documentation.
Perform periodic reverse audits and recovery reviews of use tax accruals and vendor-charged tax to identify and recover overpayments, internally and with external providers.
Manage state and local sales and use tax audits end to end, including responding to information requests, preparing schedules and reconciliations, developing technical positions, and negotiating assessments with the Vice President, Procure to Pay and external tax advisors.
Monitor nexus and registration obligations as operations and the property footprint change, and complete new state registrations as required.
Reconcile sales and use tax general ledger accounts monthly and prepare supporting schedules for close and audit.
Research and monitor changes in state and local sales and use tax law, rates, and railroad exemption rules; assess their impact and communicate changes to affected stakeholders.
Coordinate with external tax advisors at PwC and the Manager, Treasury on the broader co-sourced tax calendar.
Identify and implement process and system improvements to increase determination accuracy and reduce manual review, partnering with the Manager, Transformation.
Support due diligence and integration activity related to acquisitions and dispositions with respect to sales and use tax exposure.
Assist with other tax filings as needed.
Assist with other projects and perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, and telehealth coverage.
Life insurance.
Optional accident, critical illness, hospital, identity theft, and life insurance coverages.
Flexible Spending and Health Savings account plans.
Employee Assistance Program.
401(k) Retirement Plan.
On-the-job training.
Paid time off.
Tuition reimbursement.
Competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package.