Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for E-Tax Manager

🎯 Role Definition

As our E-Tax Manager, you will be the cornerstone of our tax technology ecosystem, acting as the primary liaison between the Tax, IT, and Finance departments. You will be entrusted with the strategic oversight, implementation, and maintenance of all tax-related systems and processes. This role is perfect for a forward-thinking professional who is passionate about leveraging technology to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and compliance in a complex, global tax landscape. You will not only manage existing platforms but also identify and champion new solutions to future-proof our tax operations and support the company's growth.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Tax Technologist / Tax Technology Analyst
Indirect Tax Manager with a strong systems focus
ERP Tax Consultant (from a Big 4 or consulting firm)

Advancement To:

Director of Tax Technology
Senior Manager, Global Tax Operations
Head of Tax Transformation

Lateral Moves:

Senior Finance Systems Manager
IT Business Partner (Finance & Tax)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of indirect tax systems (e.g., Vertex, Avalara, Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE) and ensure they are properly integrated with our ERP systems (SAP, Oracle).
Manage the end-to-end tax system lifecycle, including system upgrades, configuration changes, patching, and testing to ensure minimal disruption to business operations.
Act as the primary subject matter expert for all tax technology matters, providing guidance and support to the tax department and broader business stakeholders.
Oversee the accuracy of tax determination, calculation, and reporting within all financial systems, ensuring compliance with global sales, use, VAT, and GST regulations.
Develop and execute a comprehensive tax technology roadmap that aligns with the company's strategic objectives and the evolving digital tax landscape.
Drive process improvement and automation initiatives within the tax function to increase efficiency, reduce manual effort, and minimize compliance risks.
Manage and troubleshoot complex tax system issues, performing root cause analysis and coordinating with IT and software vendors for timely resolution.
Lead user acceptance testing (UAT) for system changes, new business requirements, and integration projects, ensuring tax requirements are fully met.
Develop and maintain sophisticated data analytics and reporting capabilities to provide actionable insights into tax data, trends, and potential audit risks.
Oversee the management of tax exemption certificate data within our systems, ensuring processes for collection, validation, and renewal are robust and compliant.
Partner with IT and business process owners to ensure new business models, products, or geographic expansions are correctly configured for tax within our systems.
Manage relationships with third-party tax technology vendors, including contract negotiations, service level agreements (SLAs), and performance monitoring.
Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation for tax system configurations, processes, and internal controls to support audit and knowledge sharing.
Provide expert support for direct and indirect tax audits and controversies by extracting, reconciling, and explaining system-generated data to tax authorities.
Lead training sessions for the tax team and other departments on the proper use of tax systems and the implications of their transactions on tax determination.
Stay abreast of changes in global tax laws and regulations, assessing their impact on our systems and leading projects to implement necessary changes.
Collaborate with the M&A team to conduct due diligence on the tax systems of target companies and lead the tax technology integration for acquired entities.
Manage the reconciliation of tax-sensitive general ledger accounts, ensuring that data flowing from tax engines to the ERP is complete and accurate.
Define and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for tax system performance, data quality, and operational efficiency.
Champion data governance principles for all tax-critical data elements across enterprise systems to ensure data integrity and reliability.
Support the direct tax provision process by providing automated data feeds, reports, and system support for tax reporting tools.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for strategic tax planning initiatives.
Contribute to the organization's broader data strategy and roadmap by representing the unique needs of the Tax function.
Collaborate with business units to translate complex tax law changes and business needs into clear engineering requirements for IT.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within cross-functional project teams.
Assist internal audit with reviews of tax-related systems, controls, and processes.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Tax Engine Expertise: Deep, hands-on experience with at least one major indirect tax engine such as Vertex (O Series/Cloud), Avalara (AvaTax), or Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE.
ERP Systems Knowledge: Advanced understanding of tax configuration and integration within major ERP systems, particularly SAP (FI/CO, SD) and/or Oracle (EBS, Fusion).
Data Analytics & Visualization: Proficiency in using data analytics tools like Alteryx, Power BI, or Tableau to manipulate, analyze, and visualize large datasets for tax purposes.
Advanced Excel: Mastery of Microsoft Excel, including complex formulas, PivotTables, Power Query, and data modeling for tax analysis and reconciliation.
SQL & Database Management: Working knowledge of SQL for querying databases and performing data validation and analysis.
Project Management: Proven experience managing complex, cross-functional technology projects, with a strong understanding of project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall).
Tax Research Platforms: Familiarity with tax research software such as CCH, BNA, or Thomson Reuters Checkpoint.

Soft Skills

Analytical & Problem-Solving: Exceptional ability to dissect complex tax and system issues, perform root-cause analysis, and develop innovative, practical solutions.
Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and influence decision-making.
Stakeholder Management: Proven track record of building and maintaining strong relationships with internal partners (IT, Finance, Legal) and external vendors.
Leadership & Influence: Ability to lead projects and initiatives without direct authority, guiding teams toward a common goal.
Attention to Detail: Meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy, which is critical in a tax compliance environment.
Adaptability & Resilience: Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and can effectively manage competing priorities and ambiguity.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

Master's Degree in Taxation, Accounting, or Management Information Systems.
CPA, PMP (Project Management Professional), or CMI (Certified Member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation) certification is highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Accounting / Finance
Management Information Systems (MIS)
Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 7-10+ years of progressive experience in a tax technology, tax systems, or indirect tax role with a heavy systems focus.

Preferred:

Experience in a large, multinational corporate tax department or a Big 4 accounting firm's tax technology practice.
Demonstrated experience leading at least one full-cycle implementation of a tax engine or major ERP tax module.