About Instead

Instead is a tax platform designed to help taxpayers and tax professionals collaborate to save money on taxes. As the first company in decades to receive IRS approvals to E-file 1040, 1041, 1120, 1120S, and 1065 — we're re-inventing a complex category. Founded in 2023, Instead combines LLMs with tax law to make tax management a continuous, proactive process rather than a dreaded annual deadline.

Instead's investors include Sarah Guo from Conviction (conviction.com) and many of our customers who believe in our mission and vision. The Instead team comprises talented leaders from leading tax, financial services and fintech companies — Gusto, Intuit, Zenefits, Thomson Reuters, Wolters Kluwer, Bloomberg — as well as top tax & accounting firms such as PwC, BDO, RSM, and KPMG.

Instead was a 2024 Innovation Award Finalist in CPA Practice Advisor. Instead's CEO, Andrew Argue, is a CPA and has been named Top 100 Most Influential People in the Accounting Profession twice - Ones To Watch and CPA Practice Advisors 20 under 40.

We’re opening an office in Bengaluru and looking for talented team members to join us.

About the Role

We are seeking an exceptional Tax Director (India Head) to establish and lead our India operations. This key leadership position will drive the development of our tax technology platform while building and managing a high-performing team in Bengaluru. As the India Head, you will play a pivotal role in scaling our operations and ensuring technical excellence across all U.S. tax domains. You will play a vital role in leading the creation and annotating tax forms, managing tax calculations, compliance, and contributing to the development of a cutting-edge tax software product. You will work with partners in government liaison, engineering, prompt engineering, and applied AI to achieve our annual goals to comply with U.S. government requirements. This role requires a deep understanding and familiarity with preparing and reviewing tax returns across all core U.S. tax entity types (1040, 1041, 1120, 1120S, 1065).

What You'll Do

• Lead and scale our India operations, initially hire and manage a team of 30 with potential growth to 60-90 team members
• Drive technical excellence in U.S. tax across the organization, ensuring accuracy and compliance in all tax calculations and implementations
• Build and mentor high-performing teams across tax calculations, tax testing, forms management, and more
• Partner with U.S. leadership to define and execute strategic initiatives for product development and team growth
• Oversee the development and testing of tax calculations and forms across all entity types (1040, 1041, 1120, 1120S, 1065)
• Collaborate with engineering and AI teams to optimize tax form development and testing processes
• Establish quality control processes and best practices for tax form and calculation development
• Drive operational efficiency while maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and compliance

What You'll Need

• 7-10+ years of progressive U.S. tax experience, with management/leadership experience
• Deep expertise in complex U.S. federal and state taxation across all entity types
• Experience scaling teams and operations in a high-growth environment
• CPA/CA certification required, additional relevant certifications preferred
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams
• Excellence in cross-cultural communication and remote collaboration
• Strategic thinking with strong business acumen and problem-solving skills

Nice to Have

• Experience working with U.S.-based tax software companies
• Background in technology or software development
• Experience with AI/ML applications in tax or financial services
• Previous experience establishing or scaling India operations
• Familiarity with government E-file and print requirements
• Experience with an existing tax software company (Wolters Kluwer, Thomson Reuters, Intuit or similar)
• Experience from one of the top 25 U.S. accounting firms

Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunity to work on an innovative tax software product.
• Collaborative and inclusive work environment.
• Career growth opportunities with a focus on professional development.

If you meet the qualifications and are passionate about U.S. tax compliance and innovation, we’d love to hear from you!