Senior Manager, Tax (Head of Tax)

About the role

This is Harness's first in-house tax hire. Reporting to the VP Corporate Controller, you will own the global tax function from day one — and you will own it operationally. This is a hands-on, execution-heavy role. You will prepare and review tax provisions, manage VAT and sales tax filings, review local and municipal returns, coordinate external advisors, support M&A diligence, and maintain transfer pricing documentation — while simultaneously building the processes and controls that will carry Harness through its IPO.

Responsibilities

• Tax Provision & Income Tax Compliance:

  • Prepare and review the consolidated global income tax provision (ASC 740) across all entities
  • Own the US federal, state, local, and municipal tax compliance calendar; coordinate with external preparers as needed
  • Coordinate international income tax compliance across India, Israel, Argentina, the UK, and the EU; review all externally prepared returns before filing
  • Document and assess uncertain tax positions (ASC 740-10 / FIN 48) with supporting workpapers

• Indirect Tax — VAT, Sales Tax & County/Municipal Tax:

  • Review and manage VAT filings across all international jurisdictions in coordination with local advisors
  • Own US sales and use tax compliance — filings, nexus tracking, exemption certificates, and automation opportunities
  • Maintain a complete indirect tax compliance calendar; proactively identify exposure and optimization opportunities

• Transfer Pricing:

  • Maintain transfer pricing studies, contemporaneous documentation, and intercompany pricing policies across the global entity structure
  • Manage external transfer pricing advisors; review deliverables and flag risks to the Controller
  • Monitor inter-company transactions for consistency with documented policies

• M&A Tax Diligence & Integration:

  • Review tax diligence materials for M&A transactions; identify risks and prepare written findings for the Controller and CFO
  • Support post-acquisition integration including compliance catch-up, entity rationalization, and intercompany alignment across Harness's 12+ completed acquisitions

• External Tax Advisor Coordination:

  • Serve as the primary liaison for all external tax advisors across all jurisdictions — Big 4, regional firms, and local country advisors
  • Direct, coordinate, and critically review all externally prepared work product; manage the advisory budget and hold advisors to timeline and quality standards

• Tax Planning & IPO Readiness:

  • Support Identify domestic and international tax planning opportunities including R&D credits, nexus strategy, and treaty positions
  • Support IPO tax workstreams: S-1 disclosures, ETR modeling, and audit coordination
  • Build SOX-ready tax controls and processes; monitor legislative changes and provide proactive impact analysis

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of tax experience with a strong Big 4 foundation; in-house corporate tax experience a plus but not required for the right candidate

• Genuinely hands-on — you have personally prepared or directly reviewed tax provisions, filed or reviewed sales tax returns, managed VAT compliance, and worked through local tax obligations

• Solid technical grounding in ASC 740 income tax accounting; exposure to FIN 48 and uncertain tax positions

• Working knowledge of US federal, state, and local income tax; sales and use tax compliance; and international tax fundamentals

• Exposure to transfer pricing concepts — you do not need to have authored a full TP study, but you understand intercompany pricing principles and documentation requirements

• Comfortable managing external advisors and reviewing their work critically, not deferring to it

• A genuine builder mentality — motivated by the absence of existing processes, not deterred by it

• Strong communication skills across all levels — comfortable presenting to the CFO and working alongside payroll coordinators in the same week

• CPA required; MST or advanced tax degree a meaningful plus

• SaaS, technology, or high-growth startup experience strongly preferred

• Familiarity with NetSuite, Anrok, or similar tools a plus