Manager, Direct Tax

Job Title: Direct Tax Manager Job Description The Direct Tax Manager plays a critical role in supporting the annual and ongoing goals of the tax function within a dynamic, forward-thinking Finance organization. In this role, you drive income tax compliance, accounting and reporting, forecasting, strategy, and analysis, while leading a professional team that translates complex tax matters into clear, actionable insights. You partner closely with leadership across Tax and Finance and have a significant opportunity to influence the organization’s growth, tax strategy, and overall financial performance. Responsibilities Lead a team of tax professionals in administering U.S. income tax compliance, audits, planning, forecasting, and accounting processes. Manage the global income tax compliance calendar to ensure timely and accurate filing of all required returns and related documentation. Develop, propose, and enable strategies to reduce the corporate tax burden for direct taxes and optimize their accounting impact. Provide performance management, training, coaching, and guidance to Direct Tax team members to support their professional development, succession planning, and the scalability of the function. Promote a continuous improvement mindset by identifying and implementing process enhancements that shorten provision and compliance cycle times and improve data quality. Assist tax leadership in maintaining strong relationships with external consultants and internal finance teams, ensuring effective collaboration across functions. Oversee the preparation and perform the initial review of income and franchise tax compliance, including federal and state consolidated returns and workpapers, separate state returns and workpapers, quarterly estimate calculations, and annual extension calculations. Prepare and review quarterly and annual tax provision components, including book-tax differences and tax footnote disclosures for financial reporting. Review effective tax rate calculations and cash tax projections to support financial planning, forecasting, and decision-making. Coordinate federal and state income tax audits, prepare and review responses to audit inquiries, and keep management informed of audit status and developments. Research complex tax issues, prepare written technical memoranda, and communicate clear conclusions and recommendations to management. Monitor new and pending U.S. tax legislation and assess its potential impact on the organization’s tax position and strategy. Ensure adherence to internal controls and coordinate documentation that evidences compliance with established control procedures. Support activities across compliance, transfer pricing, quarterly tax provision, and tax accounting, contributing to all key areas of the direct tax function. Balance multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, adapting to changing business needs while maintaining high attention to detail and meeting deadlines. Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to build and maintain strong working relationships that support effective tax planning and reporting. Contribute to a collaborative, outgoing, and highly engaged team culture, fostering open communication and mutual support. Essential Skills Bachelor’s degree and at least 5 years of relevant tax experience, preferably with progressive responsibilities in global, corporate tax, and/or public accounting environments. Minimum of 2 years of experience leading others, either directly or indirectly, in a tax or finance setting. Strong knowledge of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740 and solid working knowledge of U.S. GAAP accounting principles. Demonstrated expertise in tax accounting and income tax compliance, with a focus on federal and state income taxes. Strong financial acumen with the ability to interpret and communicate complex financial and tax information. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with internal and external stakeholders, including leadership. Advanced analytical, problem-solving, and tax research skills, with the ability to develop clear, well-supported conclusions. Proven ability to work successfully in a fast-paced environment while maintaining accuracy and composure. Strategic mindset with the ability to think critically, overcome obstacles, and drive meaningful change within the tax function. Demonstrated success in coaching coworkers and building high-performing, highly engaged teams. Strong project management skills, including the ability to balance multiple priorities, adapt to changing business needs, and meet deadlines. Ability to build and maintain collaborative cross-functional working relationships across Finance and other business areas. Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel. Hands-on experience or strong familiarity with Thomson Reuters tax software (such as UltraTax CS) is strongly preferred. Ability to be a strong team fit in a collaborative and outgoing environment, contributing positively to team dynamics. Additional Skills & Qualifications Interest in learning and applying GILTI, FTC, FDII, and BEAT rules developed under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), with demonstrated learning agility on unfamiliar topics. Ability to connect concepts across different tax disciplines to support holistic tax planning and strategy. Experience with or exposure to transfer pricing, quarterly tax provision processes, and broader tax accounting activities. Familiarity with enterprise systems and tax-related technologies such as Workday, Vertex, PeopleSoft, CCH, iSeries, and other tax software tools. Strong documentation skills, including maintaining clear, organized workpapers and supporting files for compliance and audit purposes. Comfort working with various research tools and resources to stay current on tax developments and best practices. Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence in tax processes. Ability to support occasional extended hours and weekend work during peak periods while maintaining high-quality output. Work Environment You join a finance and tax organization that has grown from a small hardware and software seller into a large international provider of IT solutions and services. The culture emphasizes passion, integrity, empowerment, and accountability. Team members keep their commitments, treat others with respect, resolve conflict directly, and include stakeholders in the decision-making process. The environment values hard work, continuous improvement, and the belief that striving for excellence leads to outstanding results. You work closely with a small, collaborative tax team of about five professionals, where people do business with people they like and success is defined by never being fully satisfied with the status quo. The role typically follows an 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST schedule, with flexibility requested for occasional work outside these hours and periodic weekend support during peak tax periods beyond October 31, 2026. The position offers a hybrid work arrangement with approximately two days in the office (such as downtown or Rosemont locations) and more remote work during the first week of the month, with the possibility of fully remote work depending on business needs. You work primarily with modern finance and tax technologies, including Microsoft Office (especially Excel), Thomson Reuters tax software, Workday, Vertex, PeopleSoft, CCH, iSeries, and other tax tools, in a professional office setting that supports focus, collaboration, and growth. Job Type & Location This is a Contract position based out of Vernon Hills, IL. Pay and Benefits The pay range for this position is $35.00 - $45.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Workplace Type This is a hybrid position in Vernon Hills,IL. Application Deadline This position is anticipated to close on Sep 14, 2026. About Aston Carter Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service. The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email astoncarteraccommodation@astoncarter.com for other accommodation options. San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.