Senior Business Analyst - US Tax

Avaloq•Fort Lauderdale, FL

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Avaloq’s R&D Lab is building a SaaS, API-first, composable banking platform for wealth managers and private banks. The Senior Business Analyst, US Tax, will take functional ownership of US tax capabilities within Avaloq’s multi-country tax engine, translating complex US investment tax requirements into specifications, rules, examples and test cases for engineering teams. The role is based at Avaloq’s development centre in Fort Lauderdale and works closely with product management and engineering colleagues in Zurich, as well as US clients. It is client-facing and product-focused, with responsibility for US tax expertise, understanding client requirements and helping ensure the platform supports the tax, reporting and operational needs of the US wealth management market. The role includes owning the functional scope and roadmap of the US tax engine; interpreting US tax legislation, regulations and IRS guidance; specifying investment tax treatment, withholding and information reporting; and working with clients, engineers, solution architects, product teams and implementation teams. The position also includes onboarding with the existing team in Zurich, regular travel to Switzerland and occasional travel to client sites. Avaloq offers hybrid and flexible working for most employees.

Requirements

At least 8 years of hands-on experience in US investment taxation, ideally within a custodian, broker-dealer, wealth manager, tax-reporting software provider or advisory firm.
A Master’s degree in taxation, accounting, finance or law (MST, MAcc, JD or LL.M.), or a Bachelor’s degree combined with a CPA licence.
Strong knowledge of cost-basis and tax-lot accounting, covered and noncovered securities, wash sales, corporate actions and Form 1099 reporting.
Ability to interpret primary tax sources, including the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury regulations and IRS guidance, and translate them into precise business requirements.
Experience creating functional specifications and test cases for software and working directly with engineering or technology teams.
Strong analytical and communication skills, including experience working directly with client tax, operations and technology teams and explaining complex requirements clearly.

Nice To Haves

Experience with cross-border taxation and reporting, such as Forms W-8 and 1042-S, FATCA, Qualified Intermediary requirements or PFIC rules.
Knowledge of specialist investment taxation and tax-aware portfolio management, including fixed income, derivatives, tax-loss harvesting, direct indexing, trusts, estates, retirement accounts or asset location.
Previous experience in a financial technology or product environment.
Knowledge of another country's investment taxation.
Practical data and technology skills such as SQL, Python or AI tools.

Responsibilities

Own the functional scope and roadmap of the US tax engine, acting as the US tax subject matter expert for product, engineering, clients and implementation teams.
Translate US tax legislation, regulations and IRS guidance into functional specifications, decision rules, worked examples and acceptance tests.
Track changes in tax law and IRS guidance, assess their impact and keep specifications current.
Define tax treatment of investment portfolios, including cost basis and tax lots, lot relief methods, holding periods, wash sales, corporate actions, bond premium and discount, and dividend and interest classification.
Specify withholding and information reporting, including backup withholding, withholding on payments to foreign persons, and data behind Forms 1099-B, 1099-DIV, 1099-INT, 1099-OID and 1042-S.
Act as a functional contact for US clients, lead workshops across tax and broader wealth-management topics, support onboarding and translate client needs into scalable product capabilities.
Collaborate with engineers, solution architects and product teams to validate functionality, maintain specifications and respond to changes in US tax requirements.
Bring client needs into the product, distinguish general requirements from single-client requests and feed relevant needs into the roadmap.