Staff Analyst - Tax

IonQ•College Park, MD

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Staff Tax Analyst will play a key role in the company’s global tax accounting and U.S. tax compliance processes, while also helping modernize the tax function through technology, automation, and data-driven insights. This role supports the global income tax provision, U.S. federal and state compliance, and indirect tax filings, and contributes to the development and deployment of machine-learning and AI-enabled tools that improve accuracy, efficiency, and scalability. The ideal candidate is technically strong, detail-oriented, and excited about leveraging technology to transform tax operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA or progress toward CPA preferred.
3+ years of relevant tax experience, ideally including ASC 740 and U.S. corporate tax.
Strong Excel skills; familiarity with ERP systems and tax software.
Excellent analytical skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
Strong communication skills and a collaborative, solution-oriented mindset.

Nice To Haves

Experience with indirect tax compliance and multi-state filings is a plus.
Interest or experience in tax technology, automation, or data analytics (e.g., Alteryx, Power BI, Python, AI-enabled tools).

Responsibilities

Prepare quarterly and annual global income tax provision workpapers in accordance with ASC 740.
Assist with effective tax rate calculations, deferred tax rollforwards, valuation allowance analyses, and uncertain tax position documentation.
Maintain and reconcile tax accounts, ensuring audit-ready support and strong internal controls.
Collaborate with regional teams and external advisors to gather, validate, and analyze provision inputs.
Support automation of provision processes, including data ingestion, reconciliation, and reporting workflows.
Prepare federal and state income tax returns, extensions, and estimated tax payments.
Conduct tax research and support modeling related to U.S. tax law changes and planning initiatives.
Maintain compliance calendars, documentation, and audit support files.
Assist with data preparation and analytics for tax planning, forecasting, and legislative impact assessments.
Prepare and file U.S. indirect tax returns, including sales & use tax, property tax, and other state/local filings.
Perform nexus reviews, taxability analyses, and registration updates.
Reconcile indirect tax accounts and ensure accurate reporting within ERP and billing systems.
Support indirect tax audits and respond to notices and information requests.
Partner with the Tax Director and Finance Systems teams to identify opportunities for automation across provision, compliance, and indirect tax workflows.
Assist in implementing AI-driven tools, including: Machine-learning models for anomaly detection in tax data. Automated data extraction and classification tools for tax documents. AI-assisted reconciliation and variance analysis.
Help design and maintain dashboards, data pipelines, and analytics tools that improve visibility into tax metrics.
Support testing, validation, and documentation of new tax-tech solutions and system enhancements.
Contribute to process mapping and continuous improvement initiatives to streamline tax operations.
Work closely with Accounting, FP&A, Legal, and Operations to ensure accurate tax reporting and compliance.
Support monthly and quarterly close processes, including journal entries and reconciliations.
Participate in system upgrades, ERP enhancements, and data governance initiatives.