Senior Associate, Tax
New York City, NY - USA
Job Summary
MSCI is seeking a Senior Associate to join its Tax Operations team in support of U.S. federal and state income tax compliance and provision. This is a hands-on high-impact role for a technically strong tax professional who thrives in a fast-moving environment and brings both deep technical skills and a forward-looking mindset toward automation and process innovation.
The Senior Associate will support the preparation of federal and state tax returns assist in the computation of the ASC 740 income tax provision and contribute to a range of tax workpaper and compliance deliverables managed under a co-sourced model with a Big 4 service provider. The ideal candidate combines solid foundational technical skills with the drive to improve how work gets done leveraging AI tools Power Platform and emerging tax technology to increase efficiency and analytical depth.
Tax Provision & ASC 740
- Support preparation of interim and annual U.S. GAAP income tax provisions in accordance with ASC 740 including current and deferred tax calculations.
- Compute and document tax account rollforwards return-to-provision true-ups and uncertain tax positions.
- Assist with effective tax rate analysis tax forecasting and senior stakeholder reporting.
- Coordinate with the external audit process and support audit-ready workpaper documentation.
- Exposure to Longview Tax provision platform is a plus; willingness to develop platform proficiency is required.
Federal & State Tax Compliance
- Support co-sourced federal and state income tax returns including: computation of M-1 book-to-tax adjustments state modifications estimated tax calculations and intercompany elimination with accuracy and clear documentation
- Research and document support for various tax positions.
- Assist with state apportionment workpapers nexus analysis and multi-state compliance across MSCI entities.
- Advance toward review responsibilities over time as technical proficiency and ownership expand.
U.S. International Tax (Preferred)
- Exposure to U.S. international tax concepts including GILTI FDII Subpart F and Form 5471 filing obligations is a plus.
- Assist with international tax modeling or computational workpapers as needed in support of planning and compliance.
Technology Automation & Process Innovation
- Bring an innovative mindset to how tax work gets done actively identifying opportunities to automate streamline or enhance quality through technology.
- Leverage Microsoft Power Platform (Power BI Power Automate Power Query) and AI tools to improve data workflows workpaper preparation and reporting.
- Engage with tax technology platforms including Longview Corptax SAP and the Microsoft suite to support operational efficiency.
- Contribute to the Tax teams broader AI and automation roadmap as MSCI builds out its Finance AI initiative.
Collaboration & Workpaper Ownership
- Manage multiple concurrent deadlines across provision compliance and estimated tax cycles with strong organizational discipline.
- Maintain rigorous documentation standards producing workpapers that are clear audit-ready and consistently structured.
- Coordinate with the co-sourced compliance provider and internal stakeholders (Accounting Finance Legal) to ensure data integrity and on-time delivery.
- Communicate clearly with colleagues and senior team members; escalate issues proactively and with appropriate context.
Education & Certification
- Bachelors degree in Accounting Finance or related field required.
- CPA or active CPA candidate preferred. Masters in Taxation is a plus.
Experience
- 36 years of progressive experience in U.S. corporate income tax with direct exposure to federal and state compliance and/or tax provision.
- Background from a Big 4 or national public accounting firm in a hands-on client-facing role or equivalent in-house experience within a corporate tax department.
- Demonstrated technical proficiency in M-1 computations tax workpaper preparation and multi-entity compliance and accounting processes.
- Experience preparing or supporting ASC 740 provision workpapers including deferred tax analysis and effective tax rate reconciliation.
Technical Skills
- Proficiency in federal and multi-state income tax compliance with comfort navigating complex filing structures.
- Strong Excel skills; ability to work independently with large data sets and ERP-sourced trial balances.
- Working knowledge of tax provision or compliance software platforms (e.g. Longview Corptax OneSource).
- Demonstrated interest in or experience with AI tools Power Platform or other workflow automation technologies is a required differentiator for this role.
Core Competencies
- Exceptional organizational skills with a proven ability to manage and prioritize competing deadlines without sacrificing quality.
- High attention to detail and a commitment to technically precise well-documented work.
- Intellectually curious and self-directed with a continuous improvement mindset.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to work cross-functionally in a collaborative environment.
- Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a dynamic fast-paced setting with multiple workstreams in flight simultaneously.
Preferred Qualifications
- Active CPA license.
- Experience at a Big 4 firm in a direct client service capacity with federal/state compliance and provision responsibilities.
- Exposure to U.S. international tax concepts (GILTI FDII Subpart F Form 5471).
- Familiarity with Longview Tax provision platform.
- Experience with generative AI applications in a tax or finance context.
Background in financial services fintech or similarly complex multinational operating environments.
What we offer you
Salary range: $125000 - $163000 / year plus eligible for annual bonus
- Transparent compensation schemes and comprehensive employee benefits tailored to your location ensuring your financial security health and overall wellbeing.
- Flexible working arrangements advanced technology and collaborative workspaces.
- A culture of high performance and innovation where we experiment with new ideas and take responsibility for achieving results.
- A global network of talented colleagues who inspire support and share their expertise to innovate and deliver for our clients.
- Global Orientation program to kickstart your journey followed by access to our platform AI Learning Center LinkedIn Learning Pro and tailored learning opportunities for ongoing skills development.
- Multi-directional career paths that offer professional growth and development through new challenges internal mobility and expanded roles.
- We actively nurture an environment that builds a sense of inclusion belonging and connection including eight Employee Resource Groups. All Abilities Asian Support Network Black Leadership Network Climate Action Network Hola! MSCI Pride & Allies Women in Tech and Womens Leadership Forum.
At MSCI we are passionate about what we do and we are inspired by our vision to power better decisions. Youll be part of an industry-leading network of creative curious and entrepreneurial pioneers. This is a space where you can challenge yourself set new standards and perform beyond expectations for yourself our clients and our industry.
MSCI strengthens global markets by connecting participants across the financial ecosystem with a common language. Our research-based data analytics and indexes supported by advanced technology set standards for global investors and help our clients understand risks and opportunities so they can make better decisions and unlock innovation. We serve asset managers and owners private-market sponsors and investors hedge funds wealth managers banks insurers and corporates.
MSCI Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the firm to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race color religion creed age sex gender gender identity sexual orientation national origin citizenship disability marital and civil partnership/union status pregnancy (including unlawful discrimination on the basis of a legally protected parental leave) veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. MSCI is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process please email and indicate the specifics of the assistance needed. Please note this e-mail is intended only for individuals who are requesting a reasonable workplace accommodation; it is not intended for other inquiries.
To all recruitment agencies
MSCI does not accept unsolicited CVs/Resumes. Please do not forward CVs/Resumes to any MSCI employee location or website. MSCI is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited CVs/Resumes.
Note on recruitment scams
We are aware of recruitment scams where fraudsters impersonating MSCI personnel may try and elicit personal information from job seekers. Read our full note on
Required Experience:
Senior IC
About Company
We offer data, analytics and technology designed to help you meet private asset, wealth management, sustainability, index and risk management goals.