Tax Manager - Indirect at Ben E Keith in Fort Worth, TX

Job description

At Ben E. Keith Company, our legacy is strong—and our future is even stronger. For more than a century, we’ve been leaders in fine food and premium beverage distribution, known for delivering excellence and building lasting partnerships. Today, our Food Division spans multiple states, and our Beverage Division brings top beverage brands to communities across Texas. But what truly sets us apart is our commitment to people. We invest in our employees, empower growth, and create opportunities to make an impact—because when our people succeed, so do our customers and our business. Since 1906, that’s been our promise. The Tax Manager is a hands-on, working manager responsible for performing and overseeing key aspects of the Company’s state and local tax functions related to Accounts Payable transactions, with a primary focus on sales and use tax compliance, transaction review, taxability research, audits, and related accounting activities. This position combines direct involvement in day-to-day tax activities with responsibility for providing technical guidance, reviewing work, developing team capabilities, and strengthening tax processes and controls. The Tax Manager applies strong tax knowledge and independent judgment to analyze transactions, research and resolve complex tax matters, identify potential tax risks and savings opportunities, and provide practical guidance to internal stakeholders. The position remains actively involved in compliance, audits, research, and process improvement while providing day-to-day leadership, training, and support to the Tax team and branches. The Tax Manager also partners with cross-functional teams to improve tax processes, systems, controls, and data quality. Position Responsibilities: Transaction & Risk Review: Perform and oversee reviews of invoices, contracts, purchasing documentation, exception reports, and related data to identify potential tax exposure, overpayments, exemptions, coding issues, and documentation requirements. Research and resolve issues and escalate significant risks as appropriate. Taxability Review, Research & Training: Research, analyze, and provide guidance regarding state and local tax treatment of procurement expenditures across a variety of business activities. Develop and maintain practical tax resources, including procedures, taxability matrices, coding guides, checklists, process maps, FAQs, and training materials. Utilize authoritative sources and approved technology, including responsible use of AI-assisted research tools with appropriate validation. Maintain clear documentation of tax decisions and supporting authority. Tax Compliance & Accounting: Perform and oversee assigned activities related to the multistate sales and use tax process, including transaction review, accruals, filings, reconciliations, journal entries, reporting, and maintenance of accurate records and supporting documentation. Review work as appropriate to ensure accuracy, completeness, and timely completion. Processes, Controls & Documentation: Perform and oversee recurring review processes and lead the development and maintenance of sustainable policies, procedures, workflows, controls, issue tracking, and documentation standards. Identify recurring issues and implement practical solutions designed to improve accuracy, strengthen controls, and support audit readiness. Audit Management & Support: Actively participate in and manage assigned state and local tax audits and other tax matters. Research audit issues, prepare and review documentation and information requests, support Company tax positions, track deadlines, communicate with internal and external stakeholders, and escalate significant tax risks as appropriate. Tax Technology & Process Improvement: Partner with Accounts Payable, Procurement, IT, Operations, and other teams to improve SAP, Vertex, data quality, coding practices, reporting, and related tax processes. Remain actively involved in identif