Tax Counsel

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Verizon is seeking an experienced state and local Tax Counsel to join our tax legal team and provide strategic tax guidance across a broad range of business activities. The candidate must have solid knowledge of all areas of state and local tax law impacting the telecommunications industry, including income and non-income (sales, use, gross receipts, property and utility) taxes and regulatory fees. The ideal candidate should have extensive experience drafting contracts, handling the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, conducting audit defense including litigating before state taxing authorities, and working across cross-functional teams to ensure tax compliance, optimize tax benefits, and mitigate risks for the company.

Responsibilities will include:

• Managing litigation and audit defense: Assist in defending the company in state tax controversy matters; including developing strategies to deal with issues at state tax exams, state tax appeals, state tax tribunal boards and beyond, including collaborating with Verizon's state income and transaction tax audit teams and outside counsel, writing petitions, drafting legal arguments and representing Verizon before tax authorities.

• Providing ASC 740 & FAS 5 support: collaborate with Verizon's tax accounting team to assess potential ASC 740 (FIN 48) and ASC 450 (FAS 5) exposures and draft memo's supporting Verizon's positions.

• Working on new product offerings: partner with Verizon's business segments in offering new products, content and services, including digital, cloud-based or delivery through a market-based facilitator, evaluating taxability in the states where offered. Identify risks and work closely with cross-functional teams to mitigate risks while keeping to project timelines.

• Handling state and local tax planning: Support the research and planning team to develop state and local income and non-income tax planning strategies, including apportionment, filing methodologies (i.e., separate, combined, consolidated), sourcing and nexus planning that impact Verizon's effective tax rate, cash taxes and above the line taxes, including ensuring that all tax planning initiatives are well-grounded in tax law, properly implemented and have appropriate documentation to withstand audit scrutiny. Draft memo's outlining the facts, applicable tax law and potential risks.

• Handling dispute resolution: Work across all lines of business to resolve customer tax disputes

• Maintaining industry knowledge: Stay up-to-date with changes in state and local tax law, particularly those affecting the telecommunications industry, and apply this knowledge to optimize tax strategies and ensure tax compliance.

• Conducting legal research and analysis: legal research and analysis on various issues impacting the company. Communicate findings in a clear and concise manner to internal clients and upper management.

• Providing client support: Support the in-house tax team in evaluating complex tax issues including research and analysis related to restructurings and new business initiatives; analyze new state and local tax laws, regulations, and rulings and work with clients to implement necessary changes in the compliance process and in the company's billing and taxing systems.

• Advising on mergers and acquisitions: Provide expert tax advice on mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring, ensuring compliance with state and local tax regulations, performing due diligence to assess and quantify tax risks, and working with internal teams to resolve and mitigate such risks.

• Drafting and negotiating contracts and agreements

You'll need to have:

• JD degree and six or more years of relevant work experience.

• Admission and good standing in at least one state (if not New Jersey, then eligibility for New Jersey In-House Counsel Limited Licensure).

• Experience in a large law firm and/or in-house dealing with state income and non-income tax matters.

• Knowledge of attorney-client privilege and work product also required.

Even better if you have one or more of the following:

• Masters in Tax or LL.M. in Taxation.

• Background in accounting.

• Proven ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities and work in a fast-paced environment.

• Must be a team player with a strong ability to collaborate among multiple disciplines within the Verizon Tax Organization, while also independently exercising sound judgment.

• Outstanding writing, editing and oral communication skills, adaptive to and effective for different audiences.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build and maintain relationships within an organization.

• Strong income tax and non-income tax research skills.

• Ability to work with and manage outside advisors and counsel.

• Possess a strong work ethic and desire to work through complex issues.

• Strong people leadership skills with the ability to develop personnel both technically and as future leaders.

f Verizon and this role sound like a fit for you, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every "even better" qualification listed above.

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