Sr. Manager of Tax

First Watch Restaurants, Inc.

$110K — $130K *
Legal & Accounting
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting; Master's in Taxation preferred
  • Active CPA license required
  • 7+ years of relevant tax experience, including public accounting or public company tax
  • Strong ASC 740 and income tax compliance experience required
  • Experience with multi-state taxation; preferred experience in consumer-facing industries
  • Ability to review workpapers and communicate practical recommendations
  • Experience in project management and team leadership, with a preference for formal management roles
  • Strong tax technical and research skills for complex analysis

Responsibilities

  • Manage and review federal, state, and local income tax compliance
  • Support the quarterly and annual income tax provision process under ASC 740
  • Prepare and review tax-related financial statement support and tie-outs
  • Assist with sales and use tax and property tax compliance
  • Execute and strengthen tax controls and documentation standards
  • Conduct tax research to support compliance and business initiatives
  • Manage responses to income, indirect, and property tax audits
  • Help improve tax processes through design, automation, and technology
  • Serve as a tax resource for various internal stakeholders
  • Manage and coach tax team members for high-quality execution

Benefits

  • Professional development opportunities
  • Exposure to complex tax issues in a dynamic environment
  • Opportunity to work in a cross-functional team setting
  • Potential for career growth within the organization
  • Flexible work environment incentives
Full Job Description
Overview

The Senior Manager of Tax is a key member of the tax function, responsible for supporting the Company's income tax provision, compliance, tax reporting, controls, and process improvement activities. The Senior Manager will help execute the Company's tax strategy, ensure timely and accurate compliance and reporting, and provide practical tax support to internal stakeholders.

Responsibilities

The essential functions in this job description are not all-inclusive of this position's duties and responsibilities. Reliable and dependable attendance is required.

Tax Compliance & Reporting
  • Manage and review federal, state, and local income tax compliance workstreams, including coordination with external advisors and internal stakeholders
  • Support the quarterly and annual income tax provision process under ASC 740, including preparation and/or review of key schedules, rate reconciliation items, deferred tax analyses, uncertain tax positions, and related documentation
  • Prepare and review tax-related financial statement support and disclosure tie-outs in a manner that is complete, accurate, and audit-ready
  • Assist with sales and use tax, property tax, and related compliance matters, including coordination with internal teams, vendors, and advisors as needed

Internal Controls & Governance
  • Execute and strengthen tax controls, review procedures, and documentation standards consistent with public company expectations
  • Maintain organized, supportable workpapers and review evidence that demonstrate precision, completeness, and accountability
  • Partner with internal audit, accounting, and external auditors to support efficient execution of SOX and financial statement audit procedures

Tax Planning & Technical Research
  • Conduct tax research and technical analysis to support business initiatives, tax accounting conclusions, compliance positions, and planning opportunities
  • Identify and escalate tax risks, opportunities, and judgmental matters to the VP of Tax with clear analysis and recommended next steps
  • Support cash tax forecasting, state tax planning, credits and incentives, and legislative monitoring as assigned

Audit & Controversy Management
  • Manage day-to-day responses to income, indirect, and property tax notices and audits, including information gathering, support preparation, advisor coordination, and status tracking
  • Maintain clear documentation of audit positions, open items, deadlines, and escalation matters

Process Improvement & Transformation
  • Help improve the scalability, transparency, and reliability of tax processes through better workpaper design, calendar discipline, data quality, automation, and use of technology
  • Support efforts to standardize recurring tax processes, improve handoffs, and reduce reliance on ad hoc knowledge or manual procedures

Cross-Functional Partnership
  • Serve as a practical tax resource for Accounting, FP&A, Treasury, Legal, HR, IT, Operations, and other stakeholders, escalating complex or sensitive matters to the VP of Tax as appropriate
  • Translate tax requirements and risks into clear, actionable guidance for non-tax audiences

Leadership & Team Development
  • Manage and coach tax team members and external advisors on assigned workstreams, deliverables, documentation standards, and deadlines
  • Model accountability, responsiveness, and high-quality execution across the tax function
  • Demonstrate readiness for expanded leadership responsibilities through consistent ownership, judgment, and continuous improvement


Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting required; Master's in Taxation preferred
  • Active CPA license required
  • 7+ years of relevant tax experience, including meaningful public accounting and/or public company tax experience
  • Strong ASC 740 and income tax compliance experience required; public company reporting and SOX/control experience strongly preferred
  • Experience with multi-state taxation required; restaurant, food and beverage, hospitality, or other multi-unit, consumer-facing industry experience preferred but not required
  • Demonstrated ability to review workpapers, identify issues, document conclusions, and communicate practical recommendations
  • Experience managing projects, deadlines, advisors, and/or staff; prior formal people-management experience preferred but not required for otherwise strong candidates
  • Strong tax technical and research skills, with ability to analyze complex matters and escalate conclusions appropriately

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