Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for International Tax Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The International Tax Manager leads the design and execution of end-to-end global tax strategies and compliance for multi-jurisdictional operations. This role combines technical international tax expertise (transfer pricing, tax treaties, permanent establishment, withholding, VAT/GST and tax accounting) with strong project leadership to manage audits, M&A diligence, tax provisioning and global tax policy implementation. The role partners closely with Treasury, Accounting (ASC 740/IFRS tax provision), Legal, FP&A and external advisors to optimize the effective tax rate and mitigate tax risk across jurisdictions.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior International Tax Analyst or Senior Tax Accountant (in-house)
Transfer Pricing Senior or Tax Consultant from Big 4 advisory practice
International Tax Specialist or Expatriate Tax Senior

Advancement To:

Senior Manager, International Tax
Director of Global Tax / Head of International Tax
VP Tax / Chief Tax Officer

Lateral Moves:

Transfer Pricing Manager
M&A Tax Manager
Indirect Tax (VAT/GST) Manager
Global Mobility / Expatriate Tax Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead and execute global corporate income tax compliance for multiple jurisdictions, coordinating local filings, review of local returns, and management of in-country tax advisors to ensure timely, accurate submission and minimize penalties.
Own the international tax provision process (ASC 740 and IAS 12), coordinating quarterly/annual tax provision calculations, intercompany eliminations, deferred tax reconciling items and disclosure support for financial reporting.
Develop, implement and defend transfer pricing policies and documentation (Master File, Local File and local requirements) to support intercompany pricing, manage risk and comply with OECD BEPS Action Plan and local transfer pricing regimes.
Lead cross-border tax planning initiatives to optimize group structure, cash repatriation, withholding tax exposure, and tax-efficient supply chain design while ensuring compliance with anti-avoidance rules and treaty benefits.
Conduct comprehensive permanent establishment (PE) analyses for new projects, sales channels and business models (digital/remote workers) and remediate exposures through restructuring or local registrations where appropriate.
Manage tax aspects of M&A transactions including tax due diligence, tax structuring recommendations, deal negotiation support, post-acquisition integration planning and purchase price allocation tax inputs.
Prepare and maintain country-by-country reporting (CbCR) and other global tax transparency filings; coordinate Tier 1 tax authority submissions and responses.
Lead and manage tax controversy and audit defense engagements with tax authorities, including preparation of positions, coordinating external counsel, negotiation of settlements and managing statute of limitations timelines.
Oversee global indirect tax compliance and strategy (VAT/GST, customs duties), including review of filings, implementation of VAT recovery strategies and support for trade and customs classification.
Advise Treasury on cross-border cash management, withholding tax planning, treaty entitlement, and tax-efficient repatriation strategies to optimize group cash flow and minimize withholding obligations.
Implement and govern tax controls and SOX-related tax processes, ensuring robust documentation, segregation of duties and continuous improvement of tax control matrices.
Drive tax accounting policy decisions and disclosure narrative for financial statements, including uncertain tax positions, tax reserves, and modeling of tax contingencies.
Lead the evaluation, selection and implementation of tax technology and automation (tax provision software, transfer pricing tools, OneSource, Alteryx, data connectors), to increase efficiency and data transparency.
Partner with Legal and HR to manage global mobility and expatriate tax programs, including tax equalization, payroll tax compliance and immigration-related tax exposures.
Provide senior stakeholder advisory across Finance, Legal, Commercial and Business Unit leaders on tax-efficient commercial models, contract terms, pricing and go-to-market strategies for new markets and products.
Coordinate and review tax credits and incentives analyses, prepare supporting documentation for R&D credits, IP regime benefits and regional investment incentives; manage applications and compliance monitoring.
Prepare clear, executive-level tax summaries and board/committee presentations on global tax risks, ETR forecasting, audit status, and material tax exposures.
Lead and coach a distributed team of tax professionals and external advisors, setting priorities, reviewing deliverables, evaluating performance and growing tax capability within the organization.
Monitor and interpret legislative, regulatory and OECD/BEPS developments globally; translate changes into actionable compliance updates, policy modifications and communication to business stakeholders.
Manage intercompany agreements, global master service agreements and licensing arrangements from a tax perspective, ensuring documentation supports local tax positions and transfer pricing policies.
Develop and track tax KPIs, monthly/quarterly dashboards and cash tax forecasts to enable proactive tax planning and working capital optimization.
Coordinate multi-jurisdictional tax reliefs, treaty claims, refund claims and advance pricing agreements (APAs); prepare and negotiate positions with revenue authorities.
Lead special projects such as tax function transformation, centralization of compliance, tax shared service implementation and standardization of templates and processes across jurisdictions.
Ensure all tax positions are supported by robust analysis, technical memos and contemporaneous documentation to withstand potential tax authority challenge.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc tax data requests and exploratory analysis to inform commercial decisions and model tax impacts of new initiatives.
Contribute to the tax function’s strategic roadmap, including capacity planning, technology investments and continuous process improvement initiatives.
Collaborate with ERP, Finance Systems and FP&A teams to translate tax reporting needs into technical requirements and data feeds.
Participate in agile project delivery for tax system implementations, sprint planning, testing and user-acceptance activities.
Deliver training and enablement sessions to finance and commercial teams on key international tax topics, transfer pricing policy, and global tax processes.
Maintain and update a global tax calendar, ensuring timely escalation of critical deadlines and cross-border filing requirements.
Run periodic internal compliance reviews to identify control gaps, recommend remediation and monitor completion of corrective actions.
Support corporate governance by preparing materials for tax governance committees, risk committees and external auditors.
Coordinate with external advisors and law firms for specialized international tax opinions, treaty interpretations and litigation support.
Facilitate knowledge sharing across countries by maintaining a central repository of tax guidance, checklists, templates and precedent memos.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep technical expertise in international corporate tax: transfer pricing, tax treaties, withholding tax, permanent establishment and cross-border tax structuring.
Proven experience preparing and reviewing tax provision (ASC 740) and deferred tax calculations under US GAAP and familiarity with IAS 12/IFRS tax accounting.
Hands-on experience with transfer pricing documentation (Master File/Local File), benchmarking studies, and defending intercompany pricing to tax authorities.
Strong M&A tax skills: buy-side/sell-side tax due diligence, tax structuring, post-closing integration and tax modeling for deal scenarios.
Experience managing tax audits, controversy, APA negotiation and voluntary disclosures with foreign tax authorities.
Working knowledge of indirect tax regimes (VAT/GST) and experience coordinating global VAT/GST compliance and recovery strategies.
Proficiency with tax software and tools such as OneSource, ONESOURCE TP, Vertex, Alteryx, Power Query, Excel (advanced), and tax provision packages.
Ability to analyze large data sets, reconcile tax data to general ledger and deploy automation to reduce manual work (Power Query, macros, Alteryx).
Understanding of OECD BEPS framework, Pillar One/Pillar Two implications, and local anti-hybrid and CFC rules.
Practical experience interpreting and applying bilateral tax treaties and negotiating treaty positions for withholding and residency issues.
Familiarity with country-by-country reporting (CbCR), tax transparency reporting and global tax reporting requirements.
Solid skills in tax forecasting, cash tax planning and ETR (effective tax rate) analysis.

Soft Skills

Strong communicator capable of translating complex tax technicalities into clear, business-focused recommendations for executives and commercial teams.
Stakeholder management and influencing skills to work effectively with Finance, Legal, Treasury, Commercial, and external advisors.
Leadership and people development: experience managing, coaching and mentoring tax professionals across locations.
Project management capability, including prioritization, multi-tasking and delivery against tight deadlines in a matrix organization.
Analytical thinker with excellent attention to detail, accuracy and the ability to document and support tax positions thoroughly.
Commercial mindset with the ability to balance tax risk mitigation and business objectives to enable growth.
Resilience and adaptability in a fast-changing regulatory environment; comfortable leading change and ambiguity.
Negotiation and problem-solving skills for dealing with tax authorities, advisers and internal stakeholders.
Ethical judgment and professional skepticism in evaluating tax positions and maintaining compliance.
Cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity when leading multi-jurisdictional teams and working with international stakeholders.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Taxation or Law (LLB) or equivalent.

Preferred Education:

Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA), Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) or Juris Doctor (JD) / LLM in Taxation preferred.
Advanced degree (Master of Taxation, MSc Finance or MBA) is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Accounting / Taxation
Law (International Tax, Corporate Tax)
Economics / Finance
Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 6 – 12 years of progressive tax experience with a minimum of 4–6 years focused on international tax matters.

Preferred:

8+ years of international tax experience including Big 4 public accounting or in-house global tax roles.
Demonstrated experience managing teams, global compliance, transfer pricing and M&A tax projects.
Track record of implementing tax technology, process improvement programs and managing multi-jurisdictional audits.