Senior Tax Manager

Manulife • Boston, MA

14d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Tax Manager is a hybrid position (3x in office per week) and will lead the investment tax compliance, reporting, and advisory function for a diverse platform of regulated investment companies and alternative investment products. This role safeguards the accuracy and timeliness of federal, state, excise, and applicable foreign tax deliverables while translating complex tax matters into practical business guidance. The Manager develops talent, strengthens controls, and partners with Portfolio Managers, Legal, Product, Treasury, Financial Reporting, Investment Operations, Compliance, custodian banks, and external vendors. The position combines deep regulated investment company tax expertise with hands-on leadership across mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, collective investment trusts, alternative funds, UCITS, real estate investment trusts, and partnership structures.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Taxation, or a related field; advanced degree and/or CPA a plus.
• Minimum of 7 years of regulated investment company tax experience, including experience with complex tax adjustments, forms, elections, and risk considerations (previous Big Four experience preferred)
• Minimum of 3 years of people-management or supervisory experience, with a record of coaching and developing tax professionals.
• Strong business and accounting knowledge, with the ability to interpret financial statements, custodian reports, and complex spreadsheets and apply that information to fund tax reporting.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word; experience designing scalable workbooks, controls, or automated processes is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex tax topics to technical and nontechnical audiences and build credibility across functions.
• Sound judgment, strong ownership, attention to detail, and the ability to prioritize competing deadlines in a dynamic environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with exchange-traded funds, collective investment trusts, alternative funds, UCITS, real estate investment trusts, and partnership structures strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own second-level review and final sign-off for federal, state, excise, and other applicable jurisdictional tax returns for mutual funds and assigned investment products, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely filing.
• Review tax checklists and supporting schedules prepared for annual financial statement audits and assess financial statements for appropriate tax disclosures.
• Oversee book-to-tax analyses that affect distributions and tax calculations, including wash sale deferrals, straddles, foreign tax credits, passive foreign investment companies, and other complex adjustments for fiscal and excise periods.
• Review shareholder tax reporting, including qualified dividend income, dividends-received deductions, tax-exempt interest, and long-term capital gain reporting.
• Monitor fund distributions for compliance with applicable IRS and SEC requirements, including tax worksheets, estimated excise schedules, equalization calculations, distribution projections, per-share calculations, and Section 19 calculations and notices.
• Review fund merger and ownership-change analyses, including capital loss carryovers, built-in gains, and Sections 381 through 384 limitations; maintain uncertain tax position documentation and support defensible conclusions.
• Apply tax expertise across mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), collective investment trusts (CITs), alternative funds, UCITS, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and partnership structures.
• Interact regularly with Portfolio Managers, Legal, Product, Treasury, Financial Reporting, Investment Operations, Compliance, Marketing, Transfer Agency, custodian banks, and external vendors to identify and resolve tax matters.
• Provide clear, decision-useful guidance on complex fund tax reporting and compliance issues, product initiatives, transactions, and operational changes.
• Assess the impact of tax law and regulatory developments on investment products and implement appropriate updates to procedures, controls, and stakeholder communications.
• Lead, coach, and develop Tax Supervisors, Tax Seniors, and Tax Analysts; plan and allocate work, monitor progress, and support training and career development.
• Champion cross-functional projects and coordinate internal and external deadlines to ensure high-quality, timely delivery.
• Develop, document, maintain, and enhance policies, procedures, and internal controls that mitigate tax and operational risk.
• Identify and implement opportunities for automation, scalable processes, stronger data quality, and more efficient workflows.
• Provide informed recommendations on staffing, hiring, compensation, performance management, and development needs, consistent with organizational practices.
• Exercises independent judgment on complex funds and technical issues and provides final sign-off on workpapers and analyses within assigned authority.
• Serves as a tax subject-matter leader who identifies issues, recommends solutions, and implements controls to mitigate risk.
• Influences product, transaction, operational, and reporting decisions through timely, practical, and well-supported tax guidance.

Benefits

• health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance coverage, adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits, and employee/family assistance plans.
• various retirement savings plans (including pension/401(k) savings plans and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions)
• financial education and counseling resources.
• up to 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 150 hours of vacation, and 40 hours of sick time (or more where required by law) each year
• full range of statutory leaves of absence.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior