Job Objective:
The Senior Sales Tax Accountant is responsible for supporting the Company’s sales and use, motor fuels, and excise tax functions across multiple states and legal entities. This position will manage assigned compliance responsibilities, research and analyze complex tax issues, support audits and refund opportunities, and provide tax guidance to internal business groups. The role will also assist in identifying tax risks and savings opportunities, improving processes and controls, and ensuring compliance with applicable state and local tax laws and regulations.
Essential Job Responsibilities:
- Manage sales and use, motor fuels, and excise tax compliance activities across multiple states and legal entities, including preparation, review, reconciliation, and timely filing of tax returns.
- Research and interpret state and local sales and use tax, motor fuel tax, and excise tax laws and regulations, particularly as they apply to upstream oil and gas operations.
- Review purchase and operational transactions to determine proper tax treatment and identify potential tax exposures, exemptions, or overpayments.
- Provide tax guidance to Accounting, Accounts Payable, Operations, and other business groups regarding the taxability of purchases, services, equipment, fuel usage, and operational activities.
- Support sales and use, motor fuel, and excise tax audits by gathering documentation, analyzing transactions, preparing workpapers, responding to auditor requests, and assisting with development of tax positions.
- Identify and pursue tax savings and refund opportunities, including transaction analysis, exemption reviews, refund claim preparation, and supporting documentation.
- Assist with tax controversy matters, including researching technical issues, developing factual support, preparing responses, and coordinating with taxing authorities and outside advisors.
- Monitor legislative, regulatory, and administrative developments and evaluate potential impacts to Hilcorp's operations and tax obligations.
- Review and maintain tax rates, tax codes, exemption information, and system tax determination rules to promote accurate tax treatment.
- Analyze large volumes of transactional and operational data using SAP, Excel, and other tax or reporting systems to identify errors, trends, exposures, and opportunities.
- Perform tax account reconciliations and investigate differences between tax returns, general ledger accounts, tax accruals, and underlying transaction data.
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- Assist with motor fuel and excise tax determinations involving fuel purchases, consumption, exemptions, taxable uses, and applicable reporting requirements.
- Partner with field and operational personnel to understand how fuel, equipment, and services are used and determine the appropriate tax treatment.
- Develop and maintain procedures, documentation, and internal controls related to sales and use, motor fuel, and excise tax processes.
- Assist with implementation of process improvements, system enhancements, and automation initiatives designed to improve tax accuracy and efficiency.
- Review work prepared by other team members and provide guidance on compliance, taxability, research, and technical issues.
- Assist with training and development of less-experienced tax staff.
- Participate in special projects involving acquisitions, new operations, new entities, system changes, tax planning, and other business initiatives.
- Proactively identify opportunities to reduce tax risk, recover overpayments, improve processes, and provide value to the business.
- Support team members with compliance, audits, research, special projects, and other priorities as needed to help meet department objectives and deadlines.
- Collaborate across the Tax Department, share knowledge and best practices, and serve as a resource to help resolve issues and improve overall team performance.
- Proactively identify opportunities to improve processes, increase efficiency, strengthen controls, and enhance the quality of the department’s work.
- Maintain flexibility to assist with new or changing responsibilities as business needs and department priorities evolve.
- Contribute to a positive, accountable, and team-oriented work environment by communicating effectively, taking ownership, and supporting the overall success of the Tax Department.
Other Job Responsibilities:·
- Adheres to the company’s values – integrity, ownership, urgency, alignment, and innovation.
- Supports company vision and mission.
- Adheres to established work schedule, attendance standards and is punctual to work and meetings.
- Ability to remain professional, positive, determined, and focused when facing challenging situations.
- Maintains employee confidence and protects company assets, including intellectual property, by keeping information confidential.
- Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
- Other duties as assigned by management.
Qualifications:
- Minimum of five (5) years of experience in sales and use tax or indirect tax, preferably within the oil and gas industry, including upstream, midstream, and/or oilfield services operations.
- Strong knowledge of state and local sales and use tax laws and regulations, with particular emphasis on Texas.
- Experience supporting state and local tax audits, including audit defense, transaction analysis, development of tax positions, and interaction with taxing authorities.
- Experience with indirect tax compliance, tax research, planning, refund opportunities, and tax controversy matters.
- Experience analyzing the tax implications of oil and gas operational activities, including drilling, completions, production, facilities, equipment, and services.
- Experience with motor fuels and excise taxes preferred.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to analyze large volumes of transactional and operational data, identify issues, and develop practical solutions.
- Strong business acumen and the ability to understand operational activities and translate them into appropriate tax treatment.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly communicate complex tax and operational matters to both tax and non-tax personnel.
- Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships across departments, with field personnel, taxing authorities, and external advisors.
- Ability to independently manage multiple assignments and competing priorities while meeting established deadlines.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to maintain accurate and well-supported documentation.
- Proactive and achievement-oriented, with a willingness to take ownership of responsibilities, identify opportunities, and contribute to the overall success of the Tax Department.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, support team members, share knowledge, and adapt to changing department and business priorities.
- Proficiency in the use and application of the following software:
- Required: Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook).
- Preferred: Advanced Excel skills.
Education Requirements:
- Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year university or college with a degree in accounting, finance or a closely related field.
Certifications, Licenses, Registrations:·CMI, Preferred.
