Requisition ID # 163277 

Job Category: Accounting / Finance 

Job Level: Manager/Principal

Business Unit: Finance

Work Type: Hybrid

Job Location: Oakland

 

 

Research and Planning Principal - PG&E (“the Company”) is a public utility that is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  The Principal role is equivalent to a Manager role in responsibility and compensation, with the difference being no formal direct report personnel responsibilities. Due to the nature of the utility industry, the Principal encounters complexities not faced by similar positions in most companies.

 

Regulated utilities are subject to tax accounting and issues unique to the industry. In addition to having a thorough understanding of the rules applicable to corporate taxpayers, the Principal will be required to learn and address this added technical regulated overlay. In a non-utility company, tax is a by-product of the entity’s activity. Here, tax drives revenues.  As a regulated utility, tax is a recoverable cost and a material component of the Company’s revenues. A background in the utility or regulatory environment is desired but not a requirement.

 

The Principal must be a self-starter, have the ability to conduct research with little oversight on a variety of tax issues unique to the utility industry as well as oversee and direct staff on a variety of corporate tax research issues, including income, sales and use, gross receipts and excise taxes.  The Principal must be able to analyze and develop a defensible conclusion on a tax issue using strategic and critical thinking skills without omitting or misstating any critical facts or applicable rules. The Principal should be able to support analyses of transaction economics and scenario planning. The Principal should be able to analyze new tax legislation, Treasury/IRS regulations, rules and guidance and determine impact to the Company or transactions, as applicable. The role requires the ability to effectively communicate highly technical conclusions to upper management, regulators, and taxing authorities.

 

This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned location based on business needs. 

 

PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, and internal equity. Although we estimate the successful candidate hired into this role will be placed between the entry point and the middle of the range, the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis related to these factors.​ 

 

This job is also eligible to participate in PG&E’s discretionary incentive compensation programs.  

 

A reasonable salary range is:​ 

 

Bay Area Minimum:      $128,000       

Bay Area Maximum:     $218,000

 

Job Responsibilities

 

A successful candidate will:

Determine the appropriate questions to ask based on the unique facts, research the relevant authority, formulate a conclusion and communicate it to the stakeholders, factoring in the regulatory overlay and utility specific issues (e.g., Clean Energy Credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, tax repairs, casualty losses, penalties, nuclear decommissioning, partnership transactions); Develop and lead tax planning strategies using scenario modeling and/or financial analysis to improve the benefits realized from the implementation of federal, state and local tax planning strategies and determine who would receive such benefits (i.e., shareholders, ratepayers, or both); Fill the role of primary liaison with outside consultants on tax planning strategies; Lead the internal department process on monitoring, evaluating and quickly communicating the impact on the Company of proposed or enacted federal, state and local tax laws; Document conclusions and positions for the tax return, audit, regulatory filings, and ASC 740 Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes taking into account the unique issues faced by regulated utilities; Manage and facilitate IRS and FTB income tax audits, including preparing and reviewing responses and proposed adjustments and closing agreements; Perform detailed review of tax positions taken on Federal and State income tax, sales and use tax, gross receipts tax and excise tax returns.; Advise and provide information and analysis on federal, state and local tax aspects of significant transactions such as acquisitions, dispositions, and financing, factoring in the regulatory overlay and its impacts to customers;

 

Qualifications

 

Minimum:

B.A. or B.S. degree (Accounting or Tax emphasis preferred Minimum of 8 years of corporate tax experience, in either public accounting or industry

 

Desired:

Strong knowledge of tax code, compliance and procedures for corporations and partnerships; Strong experience with a variety of tax operations and ability to drive process improvements; Demonstrate the ability to clearly and concisely communicate (both oral and written) technical issues to upper management, business units, IRS and FTB auditors, as well as regulators taking into account their level of tax knowledge; Demonstrate broad expertise in tax areas as well as demonstrate the ability to analyze and reach conclusions with respect to unfamiliar tax issues; Demonstrate the ability to validate a conclusion from a different angle/approach; Strong organizational and interpersonal skills; Strong ability to utilize project management and best practices to organize and prioritize tasks and the tasks of other tax team members; Knowledge of Tax Research Software, including, Bloomberg (BNA); CCH and RIA. Advanced degree preferred (e.g., MST, JD, LLM)

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