Tax Lead (Finance)

TL;DR

Tax Lead (Finance): Building the tax function from the ground up and managing a global tax landscape with an accent on indirect tax, income tax compliance, and payroll operations. Focus on optimizing the global effective tax rate and ensuring compliance across multiple jurisdictions as international operations scale.

Location: Remote across the US (Offices available in New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle)

Salary: $160,000 – $210,000

Company

Runway is an AI company building world models to simulate the world by merging art and science.

What you will do

• Build and manage sales & use tax, VAT/GST, and digital-services tax compliance, including nexus analysis.
• Support ASC 740 provision and federal, state, and international income tax filings with external preparers.
• Own payroll reconciliation, flux analysis, and related journal entries in partnership with Finance and People teams.
• Advise on employer tax obligations across various jurisdictions.
• Manage tax treatment and compliance for employee equity options.
• Identify opportunities to optimize the global effective tax rate, including R&D tax credits and transfer pricing.

Requirements

• 6+ years of corporate tax experience, ideally a mix of Big 4 and in-house at a high-growth company.
• CPA required.
• Must be based in the US.
• Broad expertise across direct tax, indirect tax, payroll tax, and equity compensation.
• Experience with tax software (e.g., Sphere, Avalara) and ERP platforms (NetSuite).
• Strong communication skills to translate complex tax issues for non-tax stakeholders.

Nice to have

• Experience with HRIS Rippling.

Culture & Benefits

• Commitment to pay equity and recruiting diverse talent.
• Opportunity to be the first dedicated tax lead in a high-growth AI company.
• Collaborative environment working closely with Finance, People, Legal, and executive leadership.
• Inclusive workspace supporting equal opportunity for all employees.