Tax Accountant

Career Area

Finance

Job Description

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other.  We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Role Definition

Prepares workpapers, tax returns, tax provision support, audit responses, research, and process improvements to support Global Tax compliance, reporting, audit, and planning initiatives. Supports tax activities across Spain, Portugal, and Italy, including direct and indirect tax compliance, with specific responsibility for Spanish VAT and SII processes and support for Portuguese and Italian tax requirements. Works closely with business partners, external advisors, and third-party service providers to promote timely reporting, accurate reconciliations, regulatory compliance, and effective resolution of tax-related issues.

Responsibilities

• Compile, validate, analyze, and reconcile transactional and financial data for tax compliance, audits, tax returns, Spanish VAT, and SII reporting.
• Support tax provision calculations, return-to-provision analysis, tax account reconciliations, and related documentation, as assigned.
• Prepare workpapers, calculations, reconciliations, tax forms, and documentation supporting direct and indirect tax returns, statutory reporting, audits, and tax authority inquiries.
• Assist with tax audits and tax authority inquiries by gathering information, preparing analyses, tracking requests, and coordinating responses with internal stakeholders and external advisors.
• Monitor Spanish SII submissions, identify errors or rejected records, coordinate corrections, and maintain supporting documentation and audit trails.
• Prepare and/or support direct and indirect tax returns, information reporting, and related submissions, and maintain the tax compliance calendar for Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
• Coordinate Portuguese tax compliance and related reporting with third-party providers, including VAT and other assigned filings, data delivery, deliverable review, deadline monitoring, and issue resolution.
• Support Italian tax compliance, including VAT and other assigned reporting, annual return preparation, account reconciliations, and coordination with external advisors.
• Assist in monitoring electronic invoicing and tax-reporting processes, investigate data or interface issues, and coordinate corrective action.
• Work closely with Finance, Accounting, IT, and other business partners to gather information and improve tax data quality, controls, and process compliance.
• Monitor tax authority communications and notifications and coordinate complete, accurate, and timely responses.
• Research applicable tax laws, regulations, and guidance aligned with job responsibilities.
• Support the assessment and implementation of tax law and regulatory changes affecting Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
• Identify and implement process efficiencies, automation, control enhancements, dashboards, and reporting improvements using technology.

Degree and Language Requirement

• Degree or equivalent experience desired

• Fluent Spanish and professional working proficiency in English.

What You Will Have

Accuracy and Attention to Detail: Understanding the necessity and value of accuracy; ability to complete tasks with high levels of precision. Level Working Knowledge:

• Accurately gauges the impact and cost of errors, omissions, and oversights.
• Utilizes specific approaches and tools for checking and cross-checking outputs.
• Processes detailed tax and financial information with accuracy.
• Uses Microsoft Excel and data analysis techniques to perform reconciliations, review large data sets, identify anomalies, and support accurate tax reporting.
• Learns from mistakes and applies lessons learned.
• Develops and uses checklists to support complete and error-free reporting.

Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors. Level Working Knowledge:

• Communicates effectively with business partners, service providers, advisors, auditors, and tax authorities.
• Delivers helpful feedback focused on behaviors and uses feedback to improve own communication.
• Makes oral presentations and writes reports needed for own work.
• Avoids technical jargon when inappropriate and accurately interprets stakeholder needs.

Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations. Level Basic Understanding:

• Uses a disciplined approach to problem identification, analysis, resolution, reporting, and escalation.
• Investigates tax return differences, rejected records, reconciliation differences, data issues, and process failures.
• Supports root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement.

Financial and Accounting Systems: Knowledge of functions, features and capabilities of financial and accounting systems; ability to use financial and accounting applications specific to the organization. Level Working Knowledge:

• Works with financial and accounting systems, including ERP applications (Oracle preferred), tax-reporting systems, and relevant sub-systems.
• Understands data flows between financial, accounting, invoicing, and tax-reporting systems.
• Identifies appropriate business and technical contacts when production or interface issues arise.
• Assists in resolving transactional, master-data, and system-interface issues.

Tax Management: Knowledge of tax laws, organizational tax practices, obligations; ability to manage organization tax related issues. Level Basic Understanding:

• Explains the purpose and intent of tax laws and regulations.
• Locates reference information supporting interpretation of applicable tax requirements.
• Identifies general filing requirements, frequencies, deadlines, and the tax department’s major responsibilities.
• Understands the roles of internal stakeholders, external advisors, and compliance providers.

Tax Operations: Knowledge of tax practices and regulations; ability to prepare and file tax returns. Level Basic Understanding:

• Prepares workpapers, calculations, reconciliations, supporting documentation, and basic tax forms.
• Follows record-keeping, filing, documentation, and compliance-calendar requirements.
• Identifies information and tools needed to complete direct and indirect tax returns and related submissions.
• Supports tax provision, audit, and tax authority response processes.

Tax Regulations: Knowledge of tax procedures and regulations; ability to adhere to tax regulations when filing forms as they pertain to a particular business or industry. Level Working Knowledge:

• Explains the impact of taxation on the organization's bottom line.
• Prepares basic tax forms for filing.
• Assists in analyzing tax liability in at least one area of the business.
• Follows current general tax regulations as they pertain to own industry.
• Clarifies the rationale behind specific tax rates and regulations.

Research Analysis: Knowledge of the concepts, methodologies and methods of research analysis; ability to locate, interpret and evaluate research findings compiled and documented by others. Level Working Knowledge:

• Researches and evaluates tax and regulatory materials under the guidance of a supervisor.
• Reports on validity, relevance, accuracy, and practical impact of research findin