Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Tax Coordinator

💰 $45,000 - $65,000 (commensurate with experience)

FinanceAccountingTaxation

🎯 Role Definition

The Tax Coordinator is the backbone of our corporate tax department, providing essential, hands-on support for all tax compliance, reporting, and accounting activities. This role is instrumental in maintaining the integrity of our financial data, mitigating tax-related risks, and ensuring our organization meticulously meets its filing and payment obligations to a multitude of tax authorities. Acting as a central point of contact for tax-related data and processes, the Tax Coordinator collaborates across departments to ensure seamless and accurate information flow, safeguarding the company's financial health and legal standing.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Staff Accountant or Junior Accountant
  • Tax Intern or Co-op
  • Accounts Payable/Receivable Specialist with an interest in tax

Advancement To:

  • Senior Tax Accountant
  • Tax Analyst
  • Tax Manager (over time)

Lateral Moves:

  • Senior General Ledger Accountant
  • Financial Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage the complete lifecycle of indirect tax compliance, including the preparation and filing of sales, use, and property tax returns for various state and local jurisdictions.
  • Meticulously maintain the tax compliance calendar to track and ensure all deadlines for tax filings, payments, extensions, and reporting are met without fail.
  • Process and remit tax payments accurately and on schedule, working closely with the accounts payable team to ensure proper funding and recording.
    ⚫️ Serve as the first point of contact for and respond to notices, inquiries, and correspondence from federal, state, and local tax agencies, coordinating with tax leadership on resolutions.
  • Perform monthly and quarterly reconciliations of tax-related general ledger accounts (e.g., sales tax payable, property tax expense) to ensure accuracy and resolve any discrepancies.
  • Gather, organize, and analyze financial data and supporting documentation required for the preparation of federal and state income tax returns.
  • Provide crucial support during tax audits by gathering requested information, preparing workpapers and schedules, and coordinating with auditors.
  • Oversee the company's exemption certificate management process, including validating, filing, and renewing customer exemption certificates using tax software or internal systems.
  • Assist in the preparation of the quarterly and annual income tax provision (ASC 740), including gathering data for calculating aṁortization and depreciation.
  • Conduct foundational tax research on various compliance issues, changes in tax law, or business-specific questions to support aṁdvisory and planning efforts.
  • Prepare and post tax-related journal entries to the general ledger, ensuring they are properly coded and documented.
  • Facilitate the filing of business licenses, annual reports, and other jurisdictional regulatory filings to keep the company in good standing.
  • Review fixed asset additions and disposals to ensure correct tax depreciation treatment and maintain accurate fixed asset records for tax purposes.
  • Collaborate with IT and external vendors to maintain and troubleshoot tax software and systems, such as Vertex, Avalara, or OneSource.
  • Validate and reconcile data from various internal systems (ERP, billing, etc.) to ensure the accuracy and completeness of data used for tax filings.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist the Senior Tax team with special projects, such as tax process improvements, system implementations, or analysis related to mergers and acquisitions.
  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for tax planning and forecasting initiatives.
  • Contribute to the maintenance and improvement of internal control procedures surrounding the tax process (SOX compliance).
  • Collaborate with business units and the legal department to translate new business initiatives or contracts into tax requirements and process adjustments.
  • Participate in the month-end and year-end closing processes by providing necessary tax accruals and account analysis.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced MS Excel Proficiency: Demonstrated ability to manipulate large datasets using pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, SUMIFs, and other complex formulas is essential for daily analysis and reporting.
  • Tax Software Experience: Hands-on experience with tax compliance software (like OneSource, CorpTax, GoSystem) and/or indirect tax engines (like Vertex, Avalara) is highly desirable.
  • ERP System Knowledge: Familiarity and comfort navigating a major ERP system (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics) to extract financial data.
  • General Ledger Reconciliation: Solid understanding of accounting principles and proven ability to perform complex account reconciliations.
  • Tax Research Skills: Ability to use online tax research platforms (such as CCH, BNA, or RIA Checkpoint) to find and interpret tax law and regulations.
  • US GAAP Fundamentals: A working knowledge of US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, with specific exposure to ASC 740 (Accounting for Income Taxes) being a significant plus.

Soft Skills

  • Meticulous Attention to Detail: An unwavering commitment to accuracy is non-negotiable, as even small errors can have significant financial consequences.
  • Exceptional Organizational Skills: Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, track numerous deadlines, and maintain immaculate records in a fast-paced environment.
  • Strong Analytical & Problem-Solving Mindset: The capacity to identify discrepancies, investigate root causes, and propose logical solutions.
  • Clear and Professional Communication: Ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and verbally, with internal colleagues and external government agents.
  • High Integrity and Discretion: Must be trustworthy and capable of handling sensitive and confidential financial information with the utmost professionalism.
  • Proactive & Self-Motivated: A "get-it-done" attitude with the ability to work independently and take ownership of assigned responsibilities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field of study.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1-3 years of relevant experience in a tax or accounting role.

Preferred: Direct experience within a corporate tax department or a public accounting firm's tax practice is highly valued. An internship in a related field is a strong asset.

Explore More Careers