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

$130,000 - $176,800/Yr

Alvarez & Marsal - Chicago, IL

Full-time - Mid Level

Chicago, IL

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

A&M's Compensation and Benefits (CAB) Tax team is a group of seasoned tax professionals dedicated to providing practical tax advice to corporate and private equity buyers throughout the transaction lifecycle. The team employs an integrated approach, collaborating with A&M professionals who possess deep operational and financial expertise. This allows them to quickly identify and understand potential deal breakers, value drivers, and other areas of specific interest to clients. The CAB transaction tax services encompass a range of activities, including performing tax due diligence, which involves reviewing the target's historic tax profile, planning, tax examinations, acquisitions/dispositions, and filing history to assess potential risks and opportunities. The team also utilizes the due diligence process to identify opportunities for further tax efficiencies, structures transactions in a tax-efficient manner, and reviews significant tax attributes, credits, and incentives. Additionally, they evaluate purchase agreements and disclosure schedules, model transaction scenarios, and identify matters to be addressed post-closing, including integration-related risks and opportunities. In this role, you will contribute by developing and delivering quality tax planning approaches, ensuring timely and responsive services that meet or exceed client expectations. You will perform compensation due diligence, reviewing equity agreements, change in control plans, golden parachute calculations, deferred compensation plans, tax returns, financials, and other documentation to evaluate potential tax risks and opportunities. Benefits due diligence will also be part of your responsibilities, which includes reviewing retirement plans, Section 125 plans, discrimination testing, Forms 5500, and determination letters for compliance with IRS and DOL requirements. You will review payroll tax treatment and withholding policies, ensuring accurate reporting and compliance with various forms of compensation. You will take ownership of assigned workstreams, creating and preserving relevant diligence work products, ensuring timely reviews by supervisors, and proactively responding to changes in workflow. Coordination with federal, state, local, and international tax team members, as well as financial and operational due diligence teams, will be essential to deliver the highest quality integrated work product. As you grow in this role, you will begin to manage client relationships, communicate effectively, gather relevant data, and tailor project deliverables accordingly. A&M is not a typical tax firm; it is a group of entrepreneurial, action-oriented professionals who take a hands-on approach to solving client problems and helping them reach their potential. The CAB Transaction Tax professionals have significant experience on both the buy and sell sides of transactions across various industries, including healthcare, financial institutions, energy, environmental services, technology, and education.

Responsibilities

• Perform tax due diligence, including reviewing target's historic tax profile, planning, tax examinations, acquisitions/dispositions, and filing history to assess potential risks and opportunities.
• Identify opportunities for further tax efficiencies through the due diligence process.
• Structure transactions in a tax-efficient manner, including equity rollovers and deferrals.
• Review and evaluate significant tax attributes, credits, and incentives.
• Review and comment on purchase agreements and disclosure schedules.
• Evaluate potential acquisition structures and model transaction scenarios.
• Identify matters to be addressed post-closing, including integration-related risks and opportunities.
• Develop and deliver quality tax planning approaches by providing timely and responsive services and work products that meet 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.
• Review payroll tax treatment and withholding policies and practices, including accurate reporting and withholding on various forms of compensation.
• Review and comment on compensation and benefits aspects of financial models, purchase agreements, and structuring calculations.
• Take ownership of assigned workstreams, ensuring timely review and constructive feedback of deliverables.
• Coordinate with federal, state, local, and international tax team members, as well as financial and operational due diligence team members, to deliver high-quality integrated work products.
• Begin developing and managing client relationships by communicating and responding to client expectations.

Requirements

• Demonstrated knowledge of compensation and benefits tax concepts, including Sections 83, 409A, 401, 422, 125, and 280G.
• 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 and ability to work with a team.
• Ability to work in a 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 from the company.