Tax Specialist - US

In brief

**Overview** The role is for a Tax Specialist - US at Kontak Recruitment, working for a US-based alternative investment manager specializing in structured and private credit. The firm is expanding its tax function by hiring a remote individual based in South Africa. Its core activities involve loan origination, securitisation, investment partnerships, corporations, REITs, registered funds, and an insurance business. The tax function, currently led by a single Managing Director, aims to address a growing compliance backlog and establish a two-tier review system. Third-party firms prepare tax returns and workpapers, with the successful candidate performing the initial review, followed by the Managing Director's final review. This is described as a focused, high-trust position for an individual who takes ownership and requires minimal supervision. **What you will do** * Perform first level review of US federal and state corporate and partnership tax returns prepared by third-party accounting firms, flagging errors, inconsistencies, and open items. * Review Schedule K-1 deliverables for accuracy, consistency with fund allocations, and investor-level reporting. * Review estimated tax payment calculations and supporting schedules before payments are processed. * Perform tax and technical diligence on positions taken in third-party deliverables and raise uncertainties and potential risk areas early. * Reconcile taxable income workpapers to book income and portfolio accounting data, including allocations across large partnership structures. * Run and export reports from portfolio accounting systems such as Geneva to support tax workpapers and data requests. * Tie tax data back to source systems and document every adjustment with a clear, traceable paper trail. * Complete and maintain IRS W-series forms including W-9, W-8BEN-E, and W-8IMY for firm entities and counterparties. * Maintain entity management records and registrations covering legal entity details, tax classifications, EINs, and organisational charts. * Organise tax files and records in a consistent, structured format so any reviewer can locate support quickly. * Coordinate regularly with third-party tax firms, fund administrators, and the fund accounting team on data requests and open questions. * Track deliverables to completion and escalate issues to the Managing Director, Tax. * Prepare internal ad hoc analyses, schedules, and summaries for the tax function. * Assist with process improvement and help extend the firm's use of AI tools within the tax function. **Requirements (from the original advert)** * Ideally 5-7 years big four experience in the tax department. * Prior experience supporting a US/UK/Irish asset management, financial services, real estate, hedge fund, or private equity tax practice. * Hands-on experience with Geneva or a comparable portfolio accounting system used by fund administrators. * Advanced Excel skills covering lookups, pivot tables, and large-dataset reconciliations with clearly built, traceable workpapers. * Exceptional reconciliation discipline where every number ties to a source and every adjustment is documented so a remote reviewer can follow it without a call. * Strong file management habits with consistent naming, versioning, and folder organisation. * Sharp eye for errors in work prepared by others. * Basic familiarity with Claude or similar AI tools and willingness to use them in daily work. * Professional written and spoken English for regular communication with US-based colleagues and third-party service providers. * Availability to overlap at least 5 hours daily with US Eastern Time, with extended overlap during peak periods in February to mid-April, late August to mid-September, and December. * Solid working knowledge of US partnership tax under Subchapter K, including allocations across large partnership structures and K-1 reporting (Preferred). * Familiarity with US federal and state income tax forms, including the Form 1120 series and Form 1065 (Preferred). **Who should apply** This role is suitable for a professional based anywhere in South Africa seeking a fully remote, long-term engagement with a US-based alternative investment manager. The ideal candidate takes ownership of their work, thrives in a high-trust environment, and does not require constant supervision. They should have experience in US/UK/Irish asset management tax practices and possess strong technical skills in Excel, portfolio accounting systems (like Geneva), and meticulous reconciliation and file management. The candidate must have professional English communication skills and be available to overlap significantly with US Eastern Time, especially during peak tax periods. A willingness to utilize AI tools like Claude in daily tasks is also expected. The role offers exposure to complex US fund structures and direct work with a highly experienced Managing Director. **Deadline** Not specified **Reference** Original posting: https://www.myjobmag.co.za/job/tax-specialist-us-kontak-recruitment Source: myjobmag

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At a glance

• At least 5 years of experience.

• Microsoft Excel

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