Associate Director, Tax COE

Overview

Associate Director, GST at Bristol Myers Squibb's Tax Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad, serving as the dedicated in-house lead for the company's India GST position.

What you'll do

• Act as the dedicated, in-house owner of the company's overall India GST position, providing a single, consistent point of contact across authorities and advisers.
• Lead and manage ongoing GST audits, investigations, and appeal proceedings, ensuring a joined-up, India-wide approach rather than treating matters in isolation.
• Own the input tax reclaim process, tracking credits through the appeals process and coordinating with relevant stakeholders to support timely resolution.
• Partner closely with the Customs function, given the direct bearing that classification decisions have on the broader GST position.
• Manage controversy strategy, execution, and stakeholder coordination, underpinned by clear escalation and reporting lines.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for external advisers and legal counsel, ensuring consistency of positions across different local tax authorities.
• Partner with senior finance leadership, including the Finance Director and Controller, and the global tax team, to provide day-to-day operational ownership while enabling leadership to focus on strategic oversight.
• Build and maintain constructive working relationships with local tax authorities and the broader Hyderabad entity and India finance teams.
• Contribute to the long-term growth of the Tax CoE's India presence, including an expectation to build and lead a small team as the function matures.

What you'll need

• Significant, demonstrable experience in Indian GST / indirect tax, including experience with audits, investigations, or appeal proceedings.
• Experience gained in-house, with a major professional services firm, or a combination of both.
• Strong working knowledge of GST compliance, controversy management, and interaction with Indian tax authorities.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively across finance, tax, customs, and external advisory teams.
• Ability to operate independently, taking ownership of complex matters while keeping senior stakeholders appropriately informed.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex tax matters clearly to non-specialist audiences.

Nice to have

• A professional qualification such as Chartered Accountant (CA), Company Secretary (CS), or equivalent.

Details

• Based in Hyderabad, India; reports directly into the Tax Centre of Excellence leadership.
• Work closely with India finance teams; scope expected to grow, including the potential to build and lead a small team.
• Work model: the role is structured under the company's four work models (site-essential, site-by-design, field-based, remote-by-design), assigned based on core responsibilities.