Accounting Director, Tax

We are pleased to announce the relocation of our corporate headquarters to Greenway Plaza’s Phoenix Tower in Houston’s Upper Kirby neighborhood.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Stay updated on current and proposed tax laws, optimizing the company's tax position and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations; communicate implications to senior management.
• Manage annual preparation and timely filing of, including but not limited to the following:  
• Federal income tax returns for all consolidated entities.
• Texas Franchise Tax Return.
• Ensure accurate and timely payment of all tax amounts due.
• Manage state and local sales and use tax process, including but not limited to the following:
• Identification of direct payment vendors to issues exemption certificates.
• Ensure taxability of items and vendors are properly reflected in accounting system.
• Ensure proper use tax rates are reflected in the system.
• Ensure sales and use taxes are calculated on all payments to direct pay vendors and other invoices for taxable items that did not include sales and use taxes.
• Ensure use tax returns are properly prepared and filed and any taxes due are paid on time.
• Identification of tax rebate opportunities and management of any related agreements.
• Manage the assessment of values and payment of property taxes and homeowner association dues (HOA) for real property owned by the Company, including but not limited to the following:
• Manage relationships with property tax appraisers and ensure they are provided with all necessary financial schedules and worksheets in a timely manner.
• Analyze the appraisal values proposed by the appraisal districts, using discretion and independent judgment to determine whether to accept or protest appraised values and whether any exemptions or designations are appropriate.
• Ensure all appropriate protests are submitted with support for the Company’s position.
• Ensure Company is represented at formal and informal tax hearings with the appraisal districts.
• Approve payment of property taxes, rollback taxes and homeowner assessment dues.
• Ensure prorations of property taxes and any HOA dues are properly reflected on settlements statements of land and lot purchases and home closings.
• Communicate with developers, title companies, taxing authorities, HOA management, and homeowners about property tax requirements and assessed values as needed.
• Ensure accurate and timely submission of business personal property renditions to appraisal districts.
• Oversee the timely and accurate preparation and filing of 1099 forms for vendors and contractors.
• Review tax language in land and lot purchase and vendor contracts to ensure financial accuracy and compliance of the Company’s tax positions.
• Ensure that income, property, sales & use, and any other tax accruals are properly recorded and reconciled to the GL and applicable tax return.
• Manage the land and lot acquisition process, which includes but is not imited to the following:
• Liaise with title companies, land sellers, developers, internal land and lot acquisition team, and division presidents to ensure the timeliness, accuracy, and compliance of land and lot purchases and land development.
• Ensure land and lot acquisition and land development activity is properly accounted for and reported on.
• Assist with cash payments and receipts, including but not limited to wire transfer approvals.
• Manage third party service providers used in any tax related matters to ensure accurate and timely filings and maximum tax savings at a competitive cost.
• Manage tax recovery projects.
• Manage tax audits.
• Manage and assist with other Accounting Department responsibilities, as appropriate based on opportunity and need.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Excellence
• Customer Service
• Integrity
• Teamwork
• Giving Back

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

• Models Leadership
• Takes Ownership
• Adapts & Adjusts
• Connects & Serves
• Develops Talent
• Communicates with Impact
• Thinks Strategically
• Drives for Excellence
• Improves & Innovates

JOB COMPETENCIES

• Financial Management
• Organizational Skills
• Communication/Building Relationships
• Initiative
• Time Management
• Attention to Detail

 SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• This position directly supervises employees who work on tax related and land and lot acquisition and development related matters within the Accounting Department.

QUALIFICATIONS

• College degree in Accounting or Finance preferred.
• CPA required.
• Requires at least 7 years of relevant tax experience with incomes taxes, property taxes, sales and use tax; experience with the homebuilding industry preferred.

• Familiarity with the Internal Revenue Code required; experience with Texas Property Tax and Sales and Use Code Preferred.
• Experience working with MS D365 preferred.
• Demonstrated computer skills including a working knowledge of MS Office products, including Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Current, valid Driver’s License with acceptable driving record.

WORK AVAILABILITY

• Regular, predictable attendance is an essential function of this position.
• Must be regularly available and willing to work at least full workdays from Monday through Friday and such other hours as the Company determines are necessary or desirable to meet business needs.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• While performing this job, the employee may occasionally be required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; write; sit; use a computer; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk and hear; and lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. The employee may rarely lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include visual perception, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. 

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee typically works in an air conditioned office environment; however, on occasion, the employee must go outside the office and may be in non-air conditioned environments for short periods of time.