Senior Director Tax

Cook Inlet Region, Inc is seeking a talented Sr. Director Tax to join our Tax team. CIRI's offices are conveniently located in mid-town Anchorage at the Fireweed Business Center, a modern building that represents CIRI’s cultural diversity, respect for the land, and sustainability. The Fireweed Business Center reflects our heritage in the displayed Alaska Native art and interior design.

Cook Inlet Region, Inc., also known as CIRI, is one of 12 land-based Alaska Native regional corporations created pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). CIRI’s regional boundaries roughly follow the traditional Dena’ina territory of Southcentral Alaska. CIRI was incorporated on June 8, 1972, and is owned today by a diverse group of more than 9,500 Shareholders who live in Alaska and throughout the world.

This position is based in Anchorage, AK but offers a fully remote schedule for candidates who live outside of Alaska. Remote employees may be required to travel to the corporate office on a regular schedule. For candidates who are based in Anchorage, AK, CIRI offers a hybrid work schedule.

CIRI offers an excellent benefits package for eligible employees. Benefits include: paid holidays, paid time off, 401K with employer match, dental, vision, health insurance plans through the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program, as well as life and disability benefits. 

CIRI only accepts applications through our online career page at https://www.ciri.com/careers/jobs/

General Function
In alignment with CIRI’s mission and values, this position is responsible for leading all tax strategy, tax filing, tax financial reporting matters, including compliance and reporting for federal, international and multi-state income taxes, CIRI Settlement Trust and CIRI’s natural resource activities.  Provides tax analysis and recommendations with respect to acquisitions, dispositions, business expansion, shareholder issues and other corporate activities. Assists in identifying assets to transfer to CIRI’s Settlement Trust considering tax consequences, maintaining tax-free status of shareholder distributions and determining taxability of settlement trust transactions. The position along with senior leaders are jointly responsible for the management and execution of due diligence and investment analyses resulting in recommendations to CIRI’s Board of Directors and senior management concerning the merit and viability of proposed investment opportunities and existing business assets.  Participates in the tax negotiation and evaluation of potential acquisitions, new investment opportunities, as well as the tax negotiation and language of final closing documents.  

Major Activities (Typical Duties/Responsibilities)

1. Responsible for compliance regarding CIRI’s complex federal, international and multi-state corporate and partnership income and miscellaneous taxes, including preparation of workpapers, returns, accruals, tax provisions, and payments for the group and separate multiple entities.  
2. Provides tax analysis and recommendations with respect to potential acquisitions, dispositions, business expansion, shareholder issues, CIRI Settlement Trust asset transfers and other corporate activities.
3. Keeps abreast of changes and developments in federal, international and state law, assessing application to and impact of such changes on CIRI’s potential acquisition opportunities and ongoing operations.  
4. Serves as company-wide tax resource, providing tax information and recommendations in areas such as employee benefits, pension plans, non-profits, settlement trusts, gross receipts, and sales and use taxes.
5. Leads the effort to respond to federal, international and state audits by tax authorities and directs outside advisers in administrative appeals and court cases related to audits and notices.
6. Leads the effort to prepare the tax provision section of the financial statements and manages the relationship with the external auditors who work on the tax provision.
7. Leads the tax due diligence process for potential acquisition candidates, identifies tax deficiencies and risks and proposes acquisition structures resulting in the most tax-efficient operations for CIRI.
8. Prepares tax risks and opportunities, tax impacts and returns as part of package for Board of Directors’ approval of new and existing investments, and present portions as requested at Board of Directors’ meetings.
9. Participates in the design, development, and implementation of tax position, risk appetite and investment guidelines.
10. Supervise and manage staff, including assigning and providing guidance on significant tasks, performance management and annual employee appraisals and career development, fostering employee engagement and innovation.
11. Determines ways to automate all tax processes and procedures, evaluates and implements new technologies, works with the IT department to expand existing technology and implement better technology solutions to improve accuracy and decrease cycle time.
12. Create the annual departmental budget and then manage the department spending so that actual expenses are kept within budgetary constraints.
13. Develop the annual departmental training budget so that staff is personally developed and keeps current on all relevant tax law changes and technology trends.
14. Serve as official tax contact for all outside agencies with the authority granted by serving as officer of all subsidiaries of CIRI or obtaining power of attorneys from the CFO.
15.  Performs other duties as appropriate and as assigned.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Understand CIRI‚Äôs mission, values and strategic focus areas and incorporate knowledge into daily activities.
• Ability to strategically plan and execute projects related to the tax department or to the tax-related components of larger projects. ¬†Also, the ability to develop the tax department budget and execute that budget within approved parameters.
• Strong management presence that can motivate others to want to achieve difficult tasks in a timely and accurate manner.
• Department management presence that can engage employees in a manner that promotes high performance and fosters high employee satisfaction.
• Strong understanding of the federal, international and multi-state corporate, partnership and settlement trust income tax rules and regulations sufficient to manage the corporate tax requirements of a corporation the size and complexity of CIRI.
• Understanding the utilization of a shared services model and how to best make shared services structures be the most tax efficient given the company‚Äôs acceptable risk profile. ¬†In addition, knowledge of state and foreign transfer pricing concepts and how they are affected by these arrangements.
• Thorough knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and standards with a particular emphasis on the tax provision.
• Understanding of the requirements of the tax due diligence exercise and the ability to initiate, conduct and evaluate a tax due diligence examination of acquisition and/or investment candidates.
• Understanding of the tax components of legal agreements and the ability to direct the preparation or editing of the tax language in legal documents appropriate to the situation.
• High level of skill in building effective and cooperative relationships with other departments within the company and with the management of subsidiary companies.
• Ability to conceptualize tax strategies, verbalize their advantages and disadvantages, calculate their financial impact and suggest methods for their application.
• Strong communications skills, both written and oral, with an emphasis on the presentation of tax-related material in a meaningful and understandable manner to the ultimate decision makers.
• Ability to build an effective and useful network of contacts inside and outside of the company in order to gather information and get things done.
• Ability to work effectively with department management and staff, and to effectively communicate with regulatory and taxing authorities.

Physical Abilities

• Sufficient fine motor skills for use of computers with an ability to withstand repetitive keyboarding for extended periods of time.
• Possess visual and communication ability sufficient to perform the essential functions of the job.
• Ability to kneel, bend and twist at the waist on an occasional basis.
• Ability to reach below shoulder height with regular frequency (desk position) and at or above shoulder height on occasion.
• Ability to push, pull, carry, and lift objects weighing up to 20 pounds as needed.

Minimum Experience

• Undergraduate degree in accounting, finance, or business management; master‚Äôs degree in business administration or Tax preferred.
• 15 years corporate and state income tax compliance experience, seven of which were in a senior manager or director role.
• Merger and acquisition experience preferred.
• 7 years of supervisory experience.
• CPA designation preferred.
• Ability to pass background check.
  

CIRI does not discriminate, and the company provides equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship status, age, marital status, pregnancy or parenthood, handicap or disability, genetics, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic. CIRI adheres to all federal, state and local laws regarding equal employment opportunity and will not discriminate against you in violation of these laws. CIRI reserves the right to apply CIRI Shareholder preference to qualified Shareholders in employment and advancement opportunities.