Global Tax Lead

About the role

You will build and own the Lightning AI corporate tax function across a multi-entity consolidated group, establishing tax policies, documentation, controls, and procedures from the ground up. You will develop a multi-year tax operating roadmap that defines process design, automation priorities, and a consultant-to-FTE transition plan while operating in a fast-paced, foundation-building environment with evolving priorities.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Design and own the end-to-end U.S. federal and state corporate income tax compliance workflow, including first consolidated federal return and California mandatory combined reporting, while managing multi-state nexus exposure and separate-filing and addback jurisdictions.
• Establish tax policies, documentation, controls, and procedures from the ground up, and develop a multi-year tax operating roadmap with clear process design, automation priorities, and a consultant-to-FTE transition plan.
• Oversee indirect tax compliance including sales and use tax and gross receipts tax, while coordinating property tax compliance across the data center and equipment footprint, covering assessment review, return preparation, appeals, and exemptions or abatements tied to GPU and infrastructure investments.
• Own quarterly and annual income tax provision under U.S. GAAP and ASC 740, and partner with external auditors and Corporate Accounting for first-year audit tax workstreams.
• Support technical accounting for M&A, including ASC 805 purchase accounting, opening balance sheet tax positions, and carryforward analysis, and lead tax workstreams on future M&A, financing, and restructuring transactions.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate corporate tax risks and monitor evolving tax laws including AI infrastructure implications, translating complex tax outcomes into clear guidance for non-tax stakeholders.
• Partner with Strategic Finance and Corporate Development on Deal Desk diligence and structuring, and collaborate with external tax advisors, auditors, and third-party partners to align tax strategy with business objectives.
• Build tax forecasts and reporting cadences that support Finance, FP&A, and leadership decision-making, maintaining a bias toward building rather than maintaining in a start-up, post-merger, or carve-out context.
• Communicate tax matters clearly to executives and non-tax audiences across Finance, Accounting, FP&A, Legal, and Engineering, ensuring alignment on positions, disclosures, and risk management.
• Oversee the full lifecycle of tax compliance and provision processes, integrating inputs from Accounting, Finance, Legal, and FP&A to close the loop between execution, risk assessment, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA or MST strongly preferred.
• 8+ years progressive corporate tax experience with a mix of Big 4 public accounting and in-house experience.
• Strong technical command of U.S. federal and state corporate income tax compliance including consolidated return rules.
• Working knowledge of California mandatory combined reporting and multi-state apportionment including separate-filing and addback jurisdictions.
• Demonstrated experience with ASC 740, tax provisions, deferred tax accounting, and effective tax rate analysis.
• Hands-on experience with M&A tax including purchase accounting, opening balance sheet, carryforward analysis, and post-merger integration.
• Experience standing up or significantly rebuilding a tax function; start-up, post-merger integration, or carve-out experience strongly preferred.
• Comfort with technical accounting demands of infrastructure or capex-heavy businesses, including complex revenue arrangements and leases under ASC 842.
• Track record of effective partnership with Accounting, Finance, Legal, FP&A, auditors, and external advisors.
• Experience with tax provision and compliance tools such as OneSource, Corptax, or similar.
• Excellent written and verbal communication to brief executives and translate tax for non-tax audiences.

Nice to have

• Prior experience at high-growth AI, cloud, infrastructure, or capex-intensive technology company.
• Exposure to GPU financing, vendor financing, or other complex capital structures.
• Experience supporting a first-year audit or significant compliance remediation.
• Multi-state intercompany pricing experience across a multi-entity U.S. group.
• Property tax experience in a capex-heavy environment including data center, GPU, or equipment-intensive footprints.

Engineering methods

Relevant systems

OneSource

Corptax

Practical notes

Hybrid role based in San Francisco with in-office requirement of 2 days per week.

U.S. work location; California and multi-state nexus considerations.

Annual base salary range: $185,000-$200,000 USD.

Final offers based on experience, skills, geographic location, and role expectations.

Total rewards package includes discretionary bonus, meaningful equity component, and comprehensive benefits.