Senior Associate, Tax
MSCI · New York City
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 team's 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
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
- CPA or active CPA candidate preferred. Master's in Taxation is a plus.
Experience
- 3–6 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.