Senior Director, Tax

About the role

Fairstead is a real estate firm focused on affordable housing, owning and managing more than 30,000 apartments across 28 states. The Senior Director, Tax reports directly to the CFO and acts as the company's senior-most tax authority, overseeing federal, state and local tax matters across a complex, multi-entity, multi-jurisdictional structure. The role works closely with legal, accounting, finance, ventures and development teams.

Key responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of the tax function, including federal, state and local income tax compliance, planning and reporting across 28 states
• Develop and execute the company's tax strategy, focusing on LIHTC, minimizing effective tax rates, REITs and managing tax risk across the portfolio
• Oversee preparation and review of federal and multi-state partnership, personal and corporate tax returns, including consolidated and combined filings
• Champion AI and automation tools to streamline compliance workflows and improve data accuracy
• Direct tax structuring for acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, 1031 exchanges, development projects and capital markets transactions
• Advise on entity structuring, legal entity rationalization and succession planning
• Manage state and local tax compliance, including income, franchise, transfer and property taxes
• Lead relationships with external tax advisors, accounting firms and tax counsel
• Monitor legislative and regulatory changes and advise the CFO, CEO and executive team on tax matters
• Manage tax audits and examinations, set up internal tax controls and coordinate investor tax reporting such as K-1s

Required profile

• Minimum 15 years of tax experience, with significant time in real estate and direct experience in multi-state partnership tax compliance and planning
• Prior experience as Head of Tax, VP of Tax, Tax Director or equivalent senior in-house tax leadership role at a real estate operating, private equity real estate or development company
• CPA required; JD, LLM in Taxation or MST strongly preferred
• Experience managing federal and state tax audits
• Experience at a public accounting firm in a real estate tax practice highly preferred

Required skills

• Deep technical expertise in partnership taxation, including Section 704(b)/704(c), carried interests and complex multi-tier partnerships
• Multi-state income, franchise and property tax compliance
• Multi-state sales and use tax compliance and nexus analysis, including nexus studies and voluntary disclosure agreements
• Ability to explain complex tax matters to non-tax executives