Associate Director - Tax

Role & responsibilities

The Associate Director - Taxation leads direct and indirect tax compliance, including excise duty, team operations, and stakeholder engagement for an organization in India. This senior role requires overseeing tax strategies, ensuring regulatory adherence across income tax, GST, TDS, and excise duties, and driving tax optimization initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee preparation, review, and filing of direct (income tax) and indirect (GST, TDS, excise duty) tax returns, advance tax computations, and statutory reporting to ensure timely compliance.
• Lead a taxation team by distributing work, providing training, mentoring staff, and coordinating cross-functional efforts for audits, assessments, reconciliations, and excise duty filings.
• Manage stakeholder relationships with internal teams, external auditors, tax authorities, and consultants, including representation in proceedings, appeals, and excise department interactions.
• Develop tax planning strategies, risk assessments, and policies aligned with Indian tax laws, DTAAs, FEMA, GST, income tax regulations, and excise duty requirements for excisable goods.
• Conduct tax audits, reconciliations between records and authorities (including excise records), monitor excise duty payments on production/sale of goods, and prepare technical reports on tax implications.

Qualifications and Experience

• Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification from ICAI.
• Minimum 7 years of post-qualification experience in direct and indirect taxation in India, including excise duty compliance, with proven team handling.
• Strong expertise in income tax computations, GST compliance, TDS, withholding tax, excise duty on excisable goods, transfer pricing, and statutory filings.
• Excellent knowledge of Indian tax laws, including Income Tax Act, GST, excise duty, DTAA, and recent amendments.
• Proficiency in MS Excel, tax software, ERP systems (SAP), and data analysis for reconciliations and excise records.
• Superior communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills for cross-functional collaboration and excise authority liaison.
• Ability to stay updated on tax changes, including excise duty transitions to GST, and provide advisory support to leadership.
• High energy and a proactive approach.
• Exceptional customer orientation.
• Fast-mover, quick to adapt.
• Flexible and resilient in a dynamic environment.