Tax Manager - Product & Operations

About the role

This role focuses on integrating tax legislation into Alpaca's product development, particularly for the German market. The Tax Manager will translate intricate tax rules, such as German Abgeltungsteuer logic, into clear requirements for product managers and backend developers. Success in this area means ensuring new product launches accurately reflect tax logic and that calculation engines are thoroughly tested before deployment.

A core part of the position involves serving as the primary expert on German personal income tax and capital gains taxation for financial instruments like equities, ETFs, and crypto. The manager will support the automation of tax-related workflows to enhance efficiency and minimize manual reviews. Continuous monitoring of tax law changes in core and target jurisdictions is also crucial to assess their impact on Alpaca's platform and clients.

The Tax Manager will act as a key liaison for tax authorities in Germany, and assist with Spanish authorities, handling routine product tax and withholding inquiries. This includes facilitating communication with external tax advisors, auditors, and compliance partners, ensuring they receive necessary data and context. The role requires a strong ability to communicate complex tax concepts to various stakeholders, both internal and external.

The salary for this position ranges from $135,000 to $225,000 USD.

Skills that matter here

• German Tax Law: This role requires deep knowledge of German personal income tax, capital gains taxation, and reporting obligations for financial instruments.
• Capital Markets Taxation: The position demands experience in taxation within capital markets, either from advisory roles or direct fintech/brokerage operations.
• Product Integration: A key responsibility is translating tax legislation into actionable requirements for product managers and software engineers to integrate into the platform.
• Software Engineers: The manager will work directly with software engineers to review technical workflows and ensure tax logic is correctly implemented.
• EU Tax Regimes: While focused on Germany, the role involves researching and integrating tax logic for secondary markets, initially Spain and France.
• Regulatory Monitoring: The manager will monitor updates and changes in relevant tax laws across jurisdictions and summarize their potential impact.

Who this role suits

• A professional with 4-7+ years in capital markets taxation or financial services tax advisory, especially in a Big 4 firm or fintech/brokerage.
• Someone who can clearly articulate complex tax concepts to non-experts, including software engineers, and review technical workflows.
• An individual with native or near-native fluency in German, essential for navigating local regulations and interacting with authorities.
• A detail-oriented person who can monitor evolving tax laws and translate them into practical implications for a financial platform.

From the employer

Key Responsibilities

Product Integration & Engineering Support

• Act as a vital link between tax legislation and our engineering pods. Help translate complex requirements (e.g., German Abgeltungsteuer logic, capital gains offset rules) into clear, actionable requirements for product managers and backend developers.
• While your primary mandate is the German market, you will partner with senior management to research, interpret, and integrate tax calculation and reporting logic for secondary markets, with an immediate focus on Spain and France.
• Contribute specialized tax input for new product launches. Assist in reviewing tax logic during the design phase and support the testing of calculation engines to ensure accuracy before launch.

Subject Matter Expertise & Ongoing Compliance

• Serve as a subject matter expert on German personal income tax, capital gains taxation, and local reporting obligations for financial instruments (equities, ETFs, derivatives, crypto).
• Support the continuous improvement and automation of tax-related workflows, helping the operations team minimize manual reviews and optimize cross-border efficiency.
• Monitor updates and changes in relevant tax laws across our core and target jurisdictions, summarizing potential impacts on Alpaca's platform logic and end-clients.

Tax Authority & Ecosystem Liaison

• Act as a reliable contact person for the German BZSt (and assist with the Spanish AEAT) regarding routine product tax, withholding inquiries, and client reporting.
• Facilitate interactions with external local tax advisors, auditors, and outsourced compliance partners across different jurisdictions, ensuring they have the data and context they need.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Experience: 4-7+ years of experience in capital markets taxation, financial services tax advisory (Big 4), or a hands-on Tax/Operations role within a fintech or brokerage.
• Technical Tax Knowledge: Strong, demonstrable knowledge of German personal tax law, particularly regarding financial products and automated withholding models.
• Translational Mindset: Ability to communicate complex tax concepts clearly to non-experts. You must be comfortable working alongside software engineers and reviewing technical workflows.
• Language Fluency: Professional fluency in English and native/near-native fluency in German is strictly required to navigate local regulations and authority interactions.

How We Take Care of You:

• Competitive Salary & Stock Options
• Health Benefits
• New Hire Home-Office Setup: One-time USD $500
• Monthly Stipend: USD $150 per month via a Brex Card

Alpaca is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace dedicated to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce.