Legislative Director Jobs in Colorado (NOW HIRING)

DISH, an EchoStar Company, has been reimagining the future of connectivity for more than 40 years. Our business reach spans satellite television service, live-streaming and on-demand programming, smart home installation services, mobile plans and products, and now we are building America’s First Smart Network™.

Today, our brands include EchoStar, Hughes, DISH TV, Sling TV, Boost Mobile, OnTech and GenMobile.

As the Director State Income Tax, you will lead the strategic direction, audit, compliance, provision, and planning for all state and local income and franchise tax matters across our multi-state corporate footprint. Managing a dedicated team of SALT professionals, you will serve as the chief advisor on state tax implications for major corporate transactions, restructuring, and legislative changes. This role requires a balance of high-level technical expertise, strategic foresight, and the ability to communicate complex state tax concepts and positions to non-state tax professionals and executive leadership. Additionally, you will serve as the primary relationship manager and collaborator with outside advisors to optimize tax strategies and safeguard the company's tax positions.

Key Responsibilities
    Strategic Planning & M&A: Identify, evaluate, and implement state tax planning opportunities, structural reorganizations, and tax-efficiency strategies. Provide due diligence and integration support for mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.
    Compliance Leadership: Oversee the preparation and filing of all multi-state corporate income and franchise tax returns. Ensure all filings are accurate, complete, and structured to optimize beneficial tax positions across all jurisdictions.
    Tax Accounting & Provision: Direct the state portion of the quarterly and annual ASC 740 income tax provision, including the evaluation of state effective tax rates, valuation allowances, and uncertain tax positions.
    Audit Defense & Controversy: Lead the strategy for state income tax audits. Manage relationships with state tax auditors, draft technical responses, negotiate settlements, and represent the company’s positions effectively to minimize exposure.
    Legislative & Policy Monitoring: Track, analyze, and model the impact of changing state tax legislation, court rulings, and administrative pronouncements. Proactively advise executive leadership on potential financial impacts and risks.
    Team Development & Leadership: Mentor and develop a high-performing team of state tax managers and analysts. Foster a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, process improvement, and technological advancement - including the adoption of emerging artificial intelligence (AI) tools and automation to increase efficiency, streamline data analysis, and modernize the tax function.

Qualifications & Requirements
    Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. Master’s in Taxation (MST), J.D., or LL.M. in Taxation is highly preferred.
    Certification: CPA designation is strongly preferred.
    Experience: 12+ years of progressive corporate tax experience, focused heavily on state and local income tax within a Fortune 500 corporate tax department or a Big 4 accounting firm.
    Leadership: Proven track record of successfully building, motivating, and retaining a highly cohesive team characterized by strong interpersonal and professional camaraderie. Demonstrated success in cultivating talent from within and establishing clear pathways for professional development.
    Technical Expertise: Deep knowledge of corporate state and local tax structures, multi-jurisdictional tax laws, and corporate accounting principles. Proven ability to evaluate complex tax frameworks, anticipate legislative shifts, and align tax strategy with overall corporate financial goals.

    Software Skills: Mastery of core productivity tools, including Microsoft Excel and Word. Experience with enterprise tax software (e.g., CORPTax) and data analytics platforms (e.g., Alteryx) is considered a strong plus. Importantly, candidates should possess a strong technology aptitude and a proactive mindset toward adopting, exploring, and implementing emerging AI and machine learning tools to optimize tax workflows and reporting.
    Communication: Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with a proven ability to translate complex, state-specific tax concepts into clear, actionable business insights for non-state tax professionals and non-tax executives alike.

We offer versatile health perks, including flexible spending accounts, HSA, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, career opportunities, and a flexible time away plan; all benefits can be viewed here: EchoStar Benefits.

The base pay range shown is a guideline. Individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, and competencies; compensation is based on the role's location and is subject to change based on work location. 

Candidates need to successfully complete a pre-employment screen, which may include a drug test and DMV check. Our company is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where every individual has the opportunity to succeed. We are dedicated to providing individuals with criminal or arrest records a fair chance of employment in accordance with local, state, and federal laws.

The posting will be active for a minimum of 3 days. The active posting will continue to extend by 3 days until the position is filled.

We pride ourselves on developing and promoting talent as an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. EchoStar will accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs of employees if such accommodations are not undue hardships and are otherwise within the bounds of applicable law. All qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with local, state, and federal law. You may redact any information that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of school/graduation from your application documents before submission and throughout our application process.
EchoStar will provide reasonable accommodation to otherwise qualified job applicants and employees with known physical or mental disabilities, unless doing so poses an undue hardship on the Company, poses a direct threat of substantial harm to others, or is otherwise not required by law. EchoStar has a more detailed Accommodation Policy that applies to employees. EchoStar endeavors to make echostar.com and jobs.echostar.com accessible to users. Please contact leaves@dish.com if you would like to discuss the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process. This contact information is for accommodation requests only; do not use this contact information to inquire about the status of applications.
Click the links to access the following statements: EEO Policy Statement, Pay Transparency, EEOC Know Your Rights (English/Spanish)