Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Business Tax Manager

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🎯 Role Definition

The Business Tax Manager is a senior finance professional responsible for overseeing a company’s tax planning, compliance and advisory activities. This individual leads tax strategy development, ensures regulatory compliance across business units, advises senior leadership on tax implications of transactions, and manages a team of tax professionals. The role demands deep technical tax expertise, strong leadership skills, commercial awareness and the ability to translate complex tax issues into business‑ready insights.

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📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

• Senior Tax Consultant / Senior Tax Accountant
• Tax Manager (Corporate or Public Accounting)
• Corporate Tax Specialist / Tax Advisory Manager

Advancement To:

• Director of Tax / Head of Tax
• Vice President of Tax & Treasury
• Chief Financial Officer (with a tax specialism)

Lateral Moves:

• Transfer Pricing Manager
• Tax Operations Director
• Corporate Finance Manager (Tax Focus)

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Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

1. Develop, implement and monitor the global and local tax strategy for the organisation, aligning with business goals, risk appetite and regulatory changes.
2. Lead all aspects of tax compliance for the enterprise including corporate income tax, indirect taxes (VAT/GST/sales tax), payroll tax, property tax and other jurisdictional filings.
3. Provide proactive tax planning and advisory services to senior management and business units, including M&A, restructuring, international expansions and asset disposals, to optimise tax efficiency.
4. Manage preparation, review and filing of tax returns, informational returns, tax election forms, deferred tax analyses and other required documentation for compliance and audit readiness.
5. Oversee tax provision calculations, uncertain tax positions (e.g., ASC 740/FIN 48), effective tax rate reconciliations and ensure alignment with financial reporting (GAAP/IFRS) requirements.
6. Conduct in‑depth tax research and analysis on legislative changes, judicial decisions, regulatory developments and their potential business impact, and communicate findings to stakeholders.
7. Lead and oversee tax audits, controversy resolutions, tax authority enquiries and appeals, acting as primary interface with tax authorities and external advisors.
8. Monitor, evaluate and manage tax risks by establishing and maintaining internal controls, audit trails, documentation standards and tax‑risk frameworks across the organisation.
9. Collaborate with finance, legal, treasury, business operations and external advisors to integrate tax planning into business decisions and transactions worldwide.
10. Prepare and present tax reporting, dashboards and metrics to senior leadership, board of directors and audit committees, offering insights on tax trends, exposures and savings opportunities.
11. Lead, mentor and develop a team of tax professionals including tax accountants, analysts and staff, managing performance, staffing, training and workload delegation.
12. Drive process improvement and automation initiatives for tax operations, leveraging tax‑technology solutions, data analytics and system enhancements to increase efficiency and accuracy.
13. Partner with business development and commercial teams to evaluate tax implications of new products, services or business models, ensuring tax optimisation and compliance are embedded from the outset.
14. Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of tax software, databases, regulatory tools and ensure the tax department uses best‑in‑class systems and methodologies.
15. Manage budget, resources and expense planning for the tax department, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, cost‑effectiveness and ROI of tax initiatives.
16. Oversee the review and sign‑off of tax disclosures, financial statement footnotes and coordinate with external auditors on tax‑related matters.
17. Identify and evaluate opportunities for tax savings, credits, incentives, reliefs and funding arrangements, collaborating with business units to capitalise on favourable tax regimes.
18. Assess and structure cross‑border tax arrangements, transfer pricing issues, foreign tax credits and international tax compliance obligations where applicable.
19. Ensure that business changes such as reorganisations, entity formations, joint ventures, divestitures and acquisitions appropriately address tax optimization and regulatory compliance.
20. Drive stakeholder communication and education by developing and delivering tax training to business functions, raising awareness of tax rules, exposures and best practices.

Secondary Functions

• Support ad‑hoc strategic tax data requests and exploratory tax analytics to identify hidden tax opportunities or emerging risk.
• Contribute to the tax department’s strategic roadmap by recommending process enhancements, tax technology adoption and global standardisation of tax workflows.
• Collaborate with business units to translate operational or commercial changes into tax‑engineering requirements, aligning internal teams with tax strategy.
• Participate in cross‑functional planning sessions, steering committees and review boards to ensure tax implications are embedded into enterprise initiatives.

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Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

• Deep understanding of corporate income tax, indirect tax, payroll tax, property tax, state/local tax and international tax regimes.
• Proficiency in tax provision accounting (ASC 740/FIN 48), deferred tax roll‑forwards, effective tax rate reconciliations and GAAP/IFRS tax disclosures.
• Strong tax research and technical writing capability including drafting memos, tax position papers and documenting risk assessments.
• Experience with tax software, databases and tools (e.g., OneSource, TaxPrep, CCH, ERP tax modules) and data analytics platforms.
• Ability to interpret and apply complex tax legislation, regulations, rulings and treaty provisions to business transactions.
• Skilled in tax audit defence, controversy management, responding to tax authorities’ queries, and negotiating settlements.
• Competence in designing, implementing and monitoring tax controls, internal audit processes and workflow automation.
• Excellent financial analysis and modelling skills to forecast tax liabilities, tax scenarios, credit utilisation and cost‑benefit of tax strategies.
• Strong project management skills including planning, budgeting, cross‑functional coordination and delivering initiatives on schedule.
• Experience managing, training and developing a team of tax professionals, delegating tasks and driving performance improvements.

Soft Skills

• Exceptional communication skills (written and verbal), capable of translating tax complexity into clear, business‑oriented guidance for senior leadership and business partners.
• Strategic thinking and commercial acumen: understands how tax fits into broader business strategy and can influence business decisions accordingly.
• High level of integrity and ethics: handles confidential information responsibly, ensures compliance and enforces tax governance.
• Leadership and team‑building skills: able to motivate, coach and mentor team members and foster collaboration across functions.
• Analytical mindset with strong attention to detail: spots risk, inconsistencies and opportunities, and consistently ensures accuracy under tight deadlines.
• Resilience and adaptability: able to navigate a changing regulatory environment, shifting priorities and high‑pressure tax cycles.
• Influencing and stakeholder management: builds trust and credibility with business units, external advisors, senior management and tax authorities.
• Problem‑solving orientation: identifies root causes, evaluates options, leads implementation of effective solutions and follows through.
• Time‑management and prioritisation: manages multiple tax projects, deadlines and stakeholder demands while maintaining quality.
• Learning‑orientation and curiosity: continuously updates knowledge of tax legislation, emerging trends, tax technology and best practices.

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Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Taxation or a related field.
Preferred Education:
Bachelor’s degree plus professional certification (CPA, Chartered Tax Advisor / CTA) or Master’s in Taxation or Accounting.
Relevant Fields of Study:

• Taxation
• Accounting
• Finance
• Business Administration
• International Business

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:
5‑10 years of progressive tax experience in corporate tax or public accounting including tax compliance, planning and advisory.
Preferred:
Demonstrated experience leading tax teams, managing complex multinational tax matters, providing strategic advisory and interfacing with senior management.