Manager, Direct Tax

At Bayer we're visionaries, driven to solve the world's toughest challenges and striving for a world where 'Health for all Hunger for none' is no longer a dream, but a real possibility. We're doing it with energy, curiosity and sheer dedication, always learning from unique perspectives of those around us, expanding our thinking, growing our capabilities and redefining 'impossible'. There are so many reasons to join us.

If you're hungry to build a varied and meaningful career in a community of brilliant and diverse minds to make a real difference, there's only one choice.

We are seeking a Manager – Direct Tax who brings strong technical expertise, attention to detail, and a continuous improvement mindset to support high-quality tax compliance and reporting. This role is an opportunity to play a key part in delivering accurate, audit-ready results while continuously improving processes through collaboration, co-creation, standardization, and the responsible use of technology, automation and AI.

The successful candidate will have a solid foundation in direct tax principles and is excellent in applying that knowledge to execute compliance activities, support tax provision processes, and identify opportunities for efficiency and risk reduction. This individual will work closely with the Direct Tax team, business partners, and the Global Business Services (GBS) team in Costa Rica to ensure quality, consistency, and continuous improvement.

We are looking for a team-oriented professional who is curious, accountable, and committed to delivering high-quality results while contributing to a positive and collaborative team environment. The ideal candidate constructively challenges existing ways of working, solves root causes, and helps build scalable capabilities instead of only completing assigned tasks.

The primary responsibilities of this role, Manager, Direct Tax are to:

• Prepare and review federal and state income tax returns, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and compliance with applicable regulations;
• Support state income tax matters, including apportionment, state adjustments, combined/separate filing considerations, notices, and audit inquiries;
• Support the quarterly and annual income tax provision process, including calculation and review of current and deferred taxes and maintenance of tax software;
• Assist in interpreting and applying new or changing tax laws and regulations, and evaluating their impact on the organization;
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and GBS teams to ensure timely and accurate delivery of tax data and compliance and reporting outputs;
• Partner with GBS teams to co-create playbooks, strengthen review routines, improve data quality, and build sustainable direct tax capabilities across the borderless North America Tax team;
• Support tax audits and inquiries by gathering documentation and responding to information requests;
• Deliver audit-ready work papers and tax calculations with clear documentation, review trails, and minimal rework;
• Identify and implement process improvements, including automation opportunities, to enhance efficiency and reduce risk;
• Standardize processes before automating them, ensuring improvements are sustainable, controlled, and easy to transfer across teams;
• Maintain documentation and support audit-ready processes across all assigned activities;
• Partner with external parties as needed to support compliance, planning, and technical matters;
• Contribute to ensuring strong internal controls and adherence to company policies and procedures;
• Identify and responsibly apply automation and AI opportunities to improve quality, consistency, documentation, and cycle time in direct tax compliance and reporting workflows;
• Work in a DSO-oriented way by taking ownership for outcomes, challenging processes constructively, solving root causes, and strengthening collaboration across Direct Tax, GBS Costa Rica, Accounting, and other business partners.

This position reports to the North America Head of Tax and has close working relationships with the Direct Tax Lead, Tax Accounting Manager, the other functional US Tax Teams and GBS.