Associate Director, International Tax

Position Summary:

The Associate Director International Tax serves as a critical leader within the International Tax Team, leveraging advanced international tax knowledge and leadership skills to drive accurate and efficient tax computations and strategies across global operations. This role is responsible for overseeing and coordinating critical elements of the international tax function including core tax computations, transfer pricing and strategic projects. The Associate Director International Tax will cultivate relationships with Finance and Accounting teams to facilitate complex international tax computations along with review and preparation of supporting workpapers. This position will also oversee global transfer pricing, lead certain strategic tax planning efforts and support effective tax rate objectives and strategies.

The Associate Director International Tax will identify and develop audit strategies for inquiries from both domestic and foreign tax authorities. The position requires independent strategy evaluation, judgment, creative problem-solving, and the ability to oversee junior staff while maintaining high standards of accuracy and compliance in all deliverables.

*This is a full-time role, Monday through Friday, with an expectation of 2-3 in-office days per week and additional on-site presence as needed. The individual must reside in the San Diego area and be able to commute to our corporate offices.

Essential Functions:

The following are the essential functions of the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• Primary oversight and decision maker around Federal tax return computations, including Subpart F, GILTI, FDII, Foreign Tax Credit, and other Federal activities.
• Directs operational objectives around global transfer pricing including risk analysis and study preparation by U.S. and foreign regional personnel. Includes oversight of OECD reporting such as CBC and Pillar 2.
• Build relationships with Illumina’s Accounting Team and advocate for tax objectives around complex data flows that support tax return computations, transfer pricing, and OECD requirements.
• Lead complex strategic tax planning projects related to effective tax rate goals and provide material input on strategic direction for other tax strategies.
• Identify strategic opportunities within tax and confidently evaluate them with leadership throughout Illumina including Tax, Finance, and Operations.
• Promote tax and advocate for tax initiatives within Finance and Accounting teams.
• Develop and recommend tax strategies in response to IRS and foreign country audits.
• Build and maintain cross-departmental relationships to foster planning and efficiency.
• Direct junior staff and provide primary oversight of assignments and computation deadlines.
• Independently prepare and deliver presentations to stakeholders that incorporate properly developed tax positions along with identification and evaluation of alternative solutions.

Decision-Making and Impact:

• Leadership: Ability to rally and coordinate resources around highly complex tax issues and multi-level tax computations
• Influence: Ability to draw on experience and communication skills to advocate for tax objectives within the Tax Department as well as Illumina’s various business units
• Authority: Finalize key decisions around critical tax return computations and transfer pricing risks.  Includes driving companywide transfer pricing policies, processes and procedures. 

Key Competencies:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to connect international tax strategies, transfer pricing decisions, and tax planning initiatives to broader enterprise objectives and long-term value creation.
• Judgment and Decision Quality: Ability to evaluate complex tax matters, balance risk and business objectives, and make sound recommendations in ambiguous, high-impact situations.
• Executive Communication: Ability to translate highly technical tax concepts into clear, actionable recommendations for Finance, Accounting, and business leadership.
• Stakeholder Leadership: Ability to build alignment, influence decisions, and drive outcomes across Finance, Accounting, Operations, and external partners while navigating a complex matrixed environment.
• Tax Strategy and Risk Management: Ability to identify, evaluate, and mitigate domestic and international tax risks while developing strategies that support compliance and organizational objectives.
• Accounting Judgment: Ability to apply accounting and tax principles thoughtfully in complex situations, ensuring technical accuracy, compliance, and defensible positions.
• External Perspective and Regulatory Awareness: Ability to anticipate and respond to evolving global tax regulations, OECD requirements, transfer pricing developments, and tax authority scrutiny across jurisdictions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

The role provides direction and oversight of junior staff assignments and deliverables.

Minimum Qualifications:

All minimum qualifications are job-related and consistent with business necessity.

• Typically requires a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a minimum of 15 years of related income tax and transfer pricing experience in large corporate and/or Big 4 environments, with 7+ years of management experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Demonstrated expertise in SAP and financial statement analysis.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and data analytics tools.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex tax concepts to diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to quickly adapt to new projects and develop creative solutions.
• Strong collaborative skills and ability to build trusted advisor relationships with internal business partners.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development and learning.

Preferred Credentials:

• CPA license preferred.
• Master of Science in Taxation (MST) preferred.
• Experience with other ERP systems such as Oracle or Workday is a plus.