Senior Associate/Manager, Compensation and Benefits (Transaction Tax)

$130,000 - $176,800/Yr

Alvarez & Marsal - Boston, MA

Full-time - Mid Level

Boston, MA

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Senior Associate/Manager in Compensation and Benefits (Transaction Tax) at Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) plays a crucial role in providing expert tax advice to corporate and private equity buyers throughout the transaction lifecycle. The Compensation and Benefits (CAB) Tax team is composed of seasoned professionals who leverage their extensive experience to deliver practical solutions tailored to the unique needs of clients. This position involves a comprehensive approach to tax due diligence, where the team assesses the target's historic tax profile, planning, tax examinations, acquisitions/dispositions, and filing history to identify potential risks and opportunities. The CAB team is dedicated to structuring transactions in a tax-efficient manner, which includes equity rollovers and deferrals, and reviewing significant tax attributes, credits, and incentives. In this role, you will be responsible for performing compensation and benefits due diligence, which includes reviewing equity agreements, change in control plans, golden parachute calculations, deferred compensation plans, and tax returns. You will also evaluate retirement plans, Section 125 plans, and compliance with IRS and DOL requirements to identify potential tax exposures. The position requires a proactive approach to reviewing payroll tax treatment and withholding policies, ensuring accurate reporting and compliance with various tax obligations. You will take ownership of assigned workstreams, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality work products while coordinating with various tax team members to provide integrated solutions. As a Senior Associate/Manager, you will begin to develop and manage client relationships, tailoring project deliverables to meet client expectations. The CAB team is characterized by its entrepreneurial spirit, nimbleness, and proactive problem-solving approach, making it a unique environment for tax professionals. A&M is committed to supporting your career growth through training, development resources, and networking opportunities, recognizing that its people are the key to its success.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver quality tax planning approaches by providing timely and responsive services and work products that meet and/or exceed client expectations.
• Perform compensation due diligence, including review of equity agreements, CIC plans, golden parachute calculations, deferred compensation plans, tax returns, financials, and other documentation to evaluate potential tax risks and opportunities.
• Perform benefits due diligence, including review of retirement plans, Section 125 plans, discrimination testing, Forms 5500, and determination letters for compliance with IRS and DOL requirements to help identify potential tax exposures and opportunities.
• Review payroll tax treatment and withholding policies and practices, including accurate reporting (W-2, K-1, 1099, etc.), withholding on income tax and FICA on various forms of compensation, and worker classification.
• Review and comment on compensation and benefits aspects of financial models, purchase agreements, and structuring calculations.
• Take ownership of assigned workstreams, including creating and preserving relevant diligence work products, ensuring supervisors can timely review and provide constructive feedback of deliverables, and otherwise proactively responding to changes in workflow.
• Coordinate with federal, state and local, and international tax team members, as well as financial and operational due diligence team members, to timely deliver highest quality integrated work product.
• Begin developing and taking responsibility for managing client relationships by communicating and responding to client expectations, gathering data relevant to the engagement, and tailoring project deliverables accordingly.

Requirements

• Demonstrated knowledge of compensation and benefits tax concepts, including Sections 83, 409A, 401, 422, 125, and 280G, with the capability to perform research on and effectively apply compensation and benefits tax knowledge to client situations.
• Ability to identify compliance issues with qualified plans.
• Experience with worker classification determinations under IRS and DOL rules.
• Understanding of compensation and benefits issues for various entity structures, including public and private corporations, partnerships, S-Corps, and consolidated groups.
• Bachelor's degree in accounting/finance or related field required.
• Advanced Degree / Certification preferred: CPA, JD, or LLM.
• 3-5+ years of compensation and benefits tax due diligence experience.
• Prior experience with Mergers and Acquisitions preferred.
• Strong writing, analytical, research and organizational skills.
• Experience with all Microsoft Office products (with an emphasis on Excel).
• Strong communication skills.
• Strong sense of personal motivation as well as the ability to work with a team.
• Ability to work in dynamic, time-sensitive environment.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with Mergers and Acquisitions preferred.

Benefits

• Healthcare plans
• Flexible spending and savings accounts
• Life, AD&D, and disability coverages
• 401(k) retirement plan with discretionary contributions
• Discretionary bonus program based on individual and firm performance