Director, International Tax

THE ROLE

Director, International Tax 

We are looking for an Director, International Tax to build and own the international tax function at Quince. This is the first dedicated tax hire in the company, and it arrives at the moment we need it most: Quince is entering Europe, Mexico, Australia, and numerous other countries on an aggressive timeline, and every one of those markets brings tax questions we do not currently have an in-house answer to.

Entity structure. Permanent establishment. VAT and GST registration. Withholding tax. Transfer pricing. Customs and import duty treatment. Local filing obligations we may not know exist until we have already tripped over them. The International Tax Director is the person who knows where those blind spots are before we walk into them, and who tells us what we need to do about them while it is still a decision rather than a problem.

The role reports directly to the VP of Accounting and functions as their right hand on anything tax — the person who can answer any tax question, or knows exactly how to go get the answer. This role is also the first call for the Head of International on any tax question tied to a new market, and a close partner to Legal, People Ops, and Supply Chain as the international footprint is built.

Responsibilities

•     Serve as the tax lead on every new-market launch — assess the tax profile of a market before we enter, flag what will and won't work, and define the registrations, filings, and structural decisions required to operate compliantly from day one.
•     Build and maintain a market-entry tax playbook and a global filing calendar, so the tenth country launch is materially faster and cleaner than the first.
•     Advise on legal entity structure and the tax consequences of each option — branch vs. subsidiary, holding structure, where IP and inventory sit, and how intercompany flows are designed — partnering with Legal on entity timing and sequencing.
•     Identify and manage permanent establishment risk created by employees, contractors, EOR arrangements, warehouses, third-party logistics providers, and local agents, including the tax implications of transitioning employees from EOR to local entity.
•     Own transfer pricing end to end: intercompany agreements, pricing methodology, master file and local file documentation, country-by-country reporting where applicable, and defense of the position under audit.
•     Own indirect tax globally — EU VAT (including OSS/IOSS, distance-selling rules, import VAT, and reverse charge), UK VAT, Mexican IVA, Australian GST and low-value imported goods rules, and the considerably more complex South American regimes — covering registration, filing, recoverability, and the operational setup behind each.

Qualifications

•     Deep international tax capability is essential given the scope of this role — cross-border structuring, transfer pricing, treaty analysis, permanent establishment, and indirect tax across multiple regimes.
•     Working knowledge of US federal and state taxation, including ASC 740, is a plus rather than a requirement. Our US provision and returns are prepared by an external firm; what we need is someone who can manage that firm credibly, review its work, and recognize when an answer doesn't hold up.
•     Genuine indirect tax depth, or a demonstrated ability to research an unfamiliar country's VAT/GST regime from scratch and return with a defensible, documented answer. Knowing how to find the right answer in a new jurisdiction matters more here than having memorized any one of them.
•     Demonstrated ability to stand up tax infrastructure where none exists, and to apply rigorous technical judgment to ambiguous, fast-moving, and incompletely specified situations.
•     Comfortable being the only tax person in the company. This role will not be hiring a team for at least 12–18 months, and in the meantime you are both the strategist and the person doing the work.
•     Proactive risk identifier. The most valuable thing you will do in this role is raise the issue nobody else knew to ask about.
•     Skilled at translating complex technical tax positions into clear business language that non-tax partners can act on with confidence.
•     Collaborative partner with a positive, solutions-oriented mindset; able to build trust quickly with Accounting, Legal, People Ops, Supply Chain, and the International team.
•     Agile and adaptable; comfortable building and evolving processes as the international footprint matures, without being constrained by legacy approaches.
•     Entrepreneurial mindset; equally comfortable setting global tax strategy and rolling up their sleeves to file a return.
•     Proactive problem-solver and self-starter; energized by ambiguity and motivated to find the right answer even when no playbook exists.

Preferred:

•     Substantial international tax experience specifically — this is the center of the role, not an adjacent skill.
•     Demonstrated experience supporting a company through multi-country international expansion, including entity setup, indirect tax registration, and cross-border structuring.
•     Experience supporting direct-to-consumer, retail, e-commerce, or another goods-based business with a physical supply chain strongly preferred, including exposure to customs and import duty matters.
•     Experience selecting and managing external tax advisors across multiple jurisdictions.
•     Practical experience with tax engines (Avalara, Vertex, or similar) and ERP tax configuration preferred.