Director, Tax and Treasury

Biotechnology is rewriting life as we know it, from the medicines we take, to the crops we grow, the materials we wear, and the household goods that we rely on every day. But moving at the new speed of science requires better technology.

Benchling’s mission is to unlock the power of biotechnology. The world’s most innovative biotech companies use Benchling’s R&D Cloud to power the development of breakthrough products and accelerate time to milestone and market. 

Come help us bring modern software to modern science.

ROLE OVERVIEW

The Director, Tax and Treasury will be Benchling’s leader and key advisor for all matters tax and treasury.  You will serve as the company’s trusted advisor regarding all tax matters, including tax strategies, tax considerations for new products and services, and tax risk and compliance.  As our head of treasury, you’ll help us optimize liquidity across global entities while maximizing returns of excess cash. This role will report to the Chief Accounting Officer and will work closely with accounting, HR, legal and other senior partners across the business.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and implement comprehensive tax planning strategies for Benchling’s domestic and international business, including international tax structuring contemplating our growing scale and move towards profitability, M&A considerations, and optimization with regard to federal, state, and indirect taxes. 
• Lead completion of quarterly and annual tax provision and manage federal, international, state and local tax and informational filings.  Manage recurring / ad-hoc tax projects such as R&D tax credit and Sec. 382 analyses.  
• Lead transfer pricing planning and compliance, local country reporting, and compliance with BEPS standards. Work with external advisors and internal stakeholders on transfer pricing studies and agreements.
• Collaborate with teams across the business in evaluating sales, use, VAT or other tax considerations for new/existing products and jurisdictions.  Serve as the key advisor on tax considerations for entering in new jurisdictions. Develop a plan to address the requirements, implement solutions, and monitor the ongoing process.
• Lead cash flow management and analysis, and co-lead cash-flow forecasting with our strategic finance team to optimize working capital metrics and improve forecasting accuracy.
• Develop and implement strategies that maintain appropriate capital and operational liquidity across our entities, while maximizing returns on excess cash in line with our investment policy.   
• Manage investment portfolio and work closely with existing external managers on investment strategy and evaluation of new opportunities, as needed.
• Manage relationships with banking partners globally and utilize them to provide timely analysis and recommendations to support our growth.
• Partner across the business to execute capitalizations, intercompany funding and settlements, and other treasury operations projects.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory tax law developments and analyze tax treaties, evaluate their impact on the company’s cross-border activities, communicate the impact to internal stakeholders, and recommend and implement changes as applicable.
• Manage and respond to tax audits across state, federal and international jurisdictions.  Prepare and maintain documentation for international tax positions in accordance with FIN 48 and other reporting requirements.
• Design and implement internal controls and documentations in accordance with Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
• Actively engage with cross functional leadership to keep abreast of the business objectives, priorities and strategies to enable collaborative and supportive relationships as well as provide value added services to each other.
• Lead or assist on special tasks and projects as needed, leveraging your tax expertise to provide strategic insights and drive the company's global tax strategy forward.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 8+ years in tax with Big 4 tax experience required, plus a mix of enterprise SaaS, public company experience preferred.
• JD, CPA or LLM in taxation. Masters in taxation considered
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including creating managerial level presentations and analysis.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state and local corporate income tax, sales/use and property tax required.  International tax experience required. 
• Experience with and understanding of Corp Treasury and Accounting concepts and challenges
• Solid knowledge of technical tax and US GAAP
• Proficiency using NetSuite, Avalara and Excel.
• Self motivating with continuous improvement and curious, analytical mindset; able to partner with stakehold