Sr. Tax Analyst

West Marine•Fort Lauderdale, FL

About The Position

Under the supervision of the Senior Tax Manager, the Senior Tax Analyst will be responsible for the filing of monthly sales & use tax returns prepared by an outside service provider. West Marine operates and maintains compliance for 202 stores in 36 states and Puerto Rico as well as an international e-commerce website. Sales tax returns are filed for state, county and city jurisdictions. These filings are of varying numbers per state, county and municipality. Other responsibilities include month end close reporting, journal entries as well as defense and management of sales tax audits.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting.
3-5 years of experience in tax or accounting required.
Should have experience in multi-state sales and use tax compliance and a working knowledge of sales and use tax laws.
Experience with business license compliance.
Excellent working knowledge of sales tax compliance, reporting and remittance processes for a multi-state corporation.
Ability to remain organized, pay strict attention to detail, and meet critical deadlines within a high volume, fast-paced environment.
Proven self-starter with the ability to quickly pivot to meet business needs.
Demonstrated openness to change and flexibility.
Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint).

Nice To Haves

Experience with AS400 (JDA)
Experience with Hyperion
Vertex Returns/Vertex O series experience
Familiarity with Zoom & Teams
Bilingual in both English and Spanish.
Experience with Avalara business license management software.
Experience with Anybill payment processing services.
Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication with the ability to interface effectively with individuals at various levels, both internal and external.

Responsibilities

Gather data from the billing and accounting records, required to prepare and file various sales tax and waste tax returns.
Research and stay up-to-date with current tax rates and indirect tax regulations.
Respond to requests for customer’s sales and use tax exemption certificates.
Responsible for maintaining operational license and permit compliance for West Marine’s retail stores, distribution centers, and corporate office locations.
Compliance filings include but are not limited to general business licenses, various product licenses, hazardous waste permits, alarm permits, boat registrations, and other required filings.
Fully manage and investigate license and registration inquiries, requirements, processes, policies and procedures to identify business needs and recommend effective resolutions that ensure compliance with applicable local and state codes and statutes.
Manage compliance notices; process payments for compliance related filings; maintain records of payments and coordinate with government agencies to resolve compliance and payment issues.
Monitor and reconcile the filing of tax returns to ensure proper payment of taxes
Assist with external tax audits
Work with outside service provider to maintain a log of various tax notices and ensure issues are resolved
Ensure that use tax is accrued when necessary
Reconcile tax accounts in General Ledger as required
Conduct periodic reviews of applicable systems and procedures to ensure proper function and compliance with legal requirements
Perform tax research and tax compliance/systems support.