Director, Tax

Position Summary:

The Director, Tax is a highly visible individual contributor and the Company’s subject matter expert for tax and treasury. The Director owns the global tax function, including provision, compliance, transfer pricing, indirect tax, and planning, working with external tax advisors. The Director, Tax will initially manage day-to-day treasury responsibilities, including cash, investments, and the Company’s debt and royalty financing arrangements. The Director is hands-on and accountable for establishing and executing tax and treasury policies and procedures, directing the work of external advisors and service providers.  The Director will partner with Finance, Legal, executive leadership, external advisors, auditors, and lenders to manage risk and support the Company’s growth from clinical to commercial stage.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute global tax planning strategy aligned with company objectives, including effective tax rate and cash tax forecasting and tracking of NOLs and other tax attributes.
• Oversee preparation and review of the quarterly and annual income tax provision under ASC 740, including uncertain tax positions, valuation allowances, and Form 10-K and 10-Q disclosures.
• Oversee preparation and timely filing of federal, state, and international income tax returns including review and approval of returns and payments, and lead tax audits.
• Manage, and hold accountable the external tax advisors, including definition of scope of work, oversight of deliverables, budgets, deadlines, and quality of work.
• Own transfer pricing and intercompany policies, oversee the related documentation, and support international expansion, entity formation, and cross-border licensing structures.
• Manage the R&D tax credit and Section 174 analyses with R&D, Finance, and external advisors.
• Oversee indirect tax compliance (VAT, sales and use) and coordinate property and employment tax compliance with external providers and Payroll.
• Monitor tax law changes and advise on the tax implications of business development, licensing, and financing transactions, including the term loan, convertible notes, and synthetic royalty obligation.
• Administer the term loan, convertible notes, and synthetic royalty obligation, including payment calculations, covenant compliance, lender reporting, and related accounting and disclosures.
• Initially manage day-to-day treasury operations, including cash management, forecasting, liquidity planning, banking relationships, and foreign currency exposure.
• Manage the investment portfolio in accordance with the investment policy, emphasizing capital preservation and liquidity.
• Maintain SOX 404 controls and documentation for tax and treasury, drive automation and process improvements, and escalate significant issues to the VP Finance & Corporate Controller.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, and a CPA or advanced degree in taxation.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive corporate tax experience in public accounting and/or industry, including at least 5 years of public company ASC 740 provision experience and the ability to review and challenge advisor-prepared provisions and returns.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and international income tax, including transfer pricing, R&D credits, and the tax treatment of debt, convertible, and royalty financing instruments.
• Working knowledge of treasury operations, including cash forecasting, investment management, and debt administration.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, SEC reporting, and SOX controls, plus proficiency with an ERP system (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, or Oracle) and advanced Excel.
• Proven ability to work independently as an individual contributor, managing external advisors and multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and adapting quickly as the Company moves from clinical to commercial stage.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to influence without authority and to explain complex tax positions to senior leaders and auditors.

Preferred:

• Biotech, pharma, or life sciences experience, particularly the transition from clinical to commercial stage.
• Big 4 or national firm experience with life sciences clients.
• Experience with convertible notes, term loans, royalty financings, or cross-border licensing.
• Experience building tax and treasury processes at an emerging company, including automation and analytics.

The position is eligible for a competitive compensation and benefits package.

Zenas is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The base salary pay range for this role is $188,000 to $235,000. Actual compensation packages will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to depth of experience, education, skillset, overall performance and/or location.

Zenas believes in providing a competitive compensation and benefits package to all employees. Our base salary is just one component of Zenas’ competitive total rewards strategy that also includes annual performance bonus, equity, full range of benefits and other incentive compensation plans.