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

$130,000 - $176,800/Yr

Alvarez & Marsal - Houston, TX

Full-time - Mid Level

Houston, TX

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Senior Associate/Manager, Compensation and Benefits (Transaction Tax) position at Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) is a critical role within the Compensation and Benefits (CAB) Tax team, which is composed of experienced tax professionals dedicated to providing practical tax advice to corporate and private equity buyers throughout the transaction lifecycle. The CAB team employs an integrated approach, collaborating with A&M professionals who possess deep operational and financial expertise. This collaboration allows the team to quickly identify and understand potential deal breakers, value drivers, and other areas of specific interest to clients. The services offered by the CAB transaction tax team include conducting tax due diligence, structuring transactions in a tax-efficient manner, and evaluating significant tax attributes, credits, and incentives. In this role, you will be responsible for developing and delivering high-quality tax planning approaches, ensuring that services and work products meet or exceed client expectations. You will perform compensation and benefits due diligence, reviewing various agreements and plans to identify potential tax risks and opportunities. Additionally, you will review payroll tax treatment and withholding policies, ensuring accurate reporting and compliance with tax regulations. The position requires taking ownership of assigned workstreams, coordinating with various tax team members, and managing client relationships effectively. A&M prides itself on its entrepreneurial culture, which encourages independent thinking and proactive problem-solving. The CAB Transaction Tax professionals have extensive experience across various industries, including healthcare, financial institutions, energy, and technology. As part of A&M, you will have access to comprehensive training and development resources, as well as networking opportunities to support your career growth.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver quality tax planning approaches by providing timely and responsive services and work product that meets and/or exceeds client expectations.
• Perform compensation due diligence, including review of equity agreements, CIC plans, and 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, and 280G, with the capability to perform research on and effectively apply compensation and benefits tax knowledge to client situations.
• 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.
• 2-5 years of compensation and benefits tax experience; or 2-5 years of 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