Director, Tax

About the role

For more than 25 years, Corcept has been singularly focused on the science of cortisol, a powerful hormone that when unregulated, can play a role in a broad range of diseases.

Our commercial portfolio includes treatments for hypercortisolism and oncology, and the company has discovered more than 1,000 proprietary selective cortisol modulators and glucocorticoid receptor antagonists. With advanced clinical trials in patients with hypercortisolism, solid tumors, ALS and liver disease, Corcept is unlocking the power of cortisol modulation to help address some of the most devastating diseases patients face today.

Corcept is headquartered in Redwood City, California. To learn more, visit www.corcept.com.

The Director, Tax, is responsible for fully owning and scaling Corcept’s tax function.

As the company expands its commercial operations internationally, this role will be instrumental in building the global tax infrastructure needed to support that growth—spanning transfer pricing, permanent establishment analysis, international structuring, and cross-border compliance.

This is a unique opportunity to be a key transformational leader within the accounting organization, shaping the tax function during a period of significant international growth and operational scaling.

Responsibilities:

Fully own the tax function end-to-end, operating independently with authority to make substantive decisions on tax strategy, risk posture, and resource allocation

Develop and execute a strategic vision for scaling and transforming the tax function to align with broader corporate goals and the company’s international expansion trajectory

Support ad hoc tax modeling and scenario analysis for strategic initiatives

Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to executive leadership on all tax matters; build business cases, present complex tax data and scenarios to senior leadership, and secure executive buy-in

Drive operational change initiatives across the organization; lead cross-functional tax meetings and influence decision-making across Finance, Legal, Commercial, and Operations teams

Operate autonomously and manage upward by exception to the VP, Corporate Controller, proactively surfacing material risks, opportunities, and strategic recommendations

Evaluate and make decisions on insourcing versus outsourcing tax work, managing the relationship and engagement of external tax advisors, including Big 4 firms

Lead all tax-related aspects of the company’s international commercial expansion, including entity structuring, permanent establishment risk analysis, and market-entry tax strategy

Design and implement transfer pricing policies and intercompany agreements that comply with OECD guidelines, BEPS Action Plans, and Pillar Two (Global Minimum Tax) requirements

Manage VAT/GST compliance across multiple jurisdictions, including registrations, filings, refunds, and reconciliations as the company enters new markets

Oversee global mobility tax considerations for personnel deployed internationally, coordinating with HR and external immigration/tax advisors

Balance the trade-off between tax optimization and global compliance risk, establishing a risk management framework appropriate for the company’s scale and growth stage

Monitor and assess the impact of evolving international tax legislation (e.g., BEPS/Pillar Two, EU directives, country-specific reforms) and recommend proactive responses

Partner with Accounting on cross-border cash management and repatriation strategies, including entity-level cash optimization and coordination with external advisors

Oversee all tax accounting activities in accordance with U.S. GAAP, including quarterly and annual income tax provisions under ASC 740 and maintenance of uncertain tax positions (FIN 48)

Ensure timely and accurate filing of all federal, state, local, and international tax returns, including quarterly estimates, annual extensions, and income tax returns

Manage tax close processes, including journal entries, account reconciliations, and effective tax rate analysis

Oversee federal and state R&D tax credit calculations and other tax incentive programs

Support internal and external audits, including Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance as it relates to the tax function

Maintain tax and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions, including income, sales and use, property, and VAT taxes

Identify and mitigate indirect tax risks within the order-to-cash process, ensuring tax compliance alignment as the company scales its commercial operations

Ensure timely filing of property tax returns and annual reports with Secretary of State offices

Identify and implement tax technology solutions to improve efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of tax operations; provide tax subject matter expertise for ERP and system implementations

Review commercial agreements, client contracts, and vendor arrangements for tax implications, including withholding tax, permanent establishment exposure, and indirect tax considerations

Provide tax support for corporate development activities, including integration planning and post-acquisition tax optimization

Preferred Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or related field; Master’s in Taxation (MST/MBT) is preferred

CPA

10-12 years of progressive tax experience, including a combination of Big 4 public accounting and in-house corporate tax roles

Demonstrated experience leading a tax function at a pharmaceutical company

Deep expertise with U.S. GAAP tax provision (ASC 740), SOX compliance, and SEC reporting requirements related to income taxes and related disclosures

Thorough knowledge of income tax return filing requirements in a multistate reporting environment

Substantial international tax experience, including transfer pricing, cross-border structuring, BEPS/Pillar Two, and multi-jurisdictional compliance

Experience with M&A tax due diligence and transaction structuring

The pay range that the Company reasonably expects to pay for this headquarters-based position is $215,000-$260,000; the pay ultimately offered may vary based on legitimate considerations, including geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and education.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. For information on how Corcept collects, uses, discloses, protects, and otherwise processes personal information and an explanation of the rights and choices available to you with respect to your personal information, please refer to our Privacy Notice link.

Corcept appreciates the commitment and hard work of all our team members as we strive to discover and develop novel treatments for patients with serious unmet medical needs.

Please visit our website at: https://www.corcept.com/

Corcept is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Corcept will not conduct interviews via text message or messaging platforms and will not ask you to download anything as part of your interview. Though we use third-party tools to help with advertising our jobs, please be vigilant in checking that the communication is in fact coming from Corcept.