Director Tax Planning & Abatement Strategy

Fleet Data Centers • Mercer Island, WA

2d

About The Position

The Director of Tax Strategy & Abatement will own all tax incentive, abatement, and government relations across the company’s multi-state data center portfolio. This includes identifying available incentive programs, leading negotiations with state/local authorities, coordinating with external consultants, ensuring compliance, and enabling tax-optimized pricing for customers. This is a high-impact strategic role with direct influence on financial performance and competitive position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, Taxation, or a related field; MBA is a plus.
• 8 plus years in state and local taxes, tax incentives, economic development, or government-facing tax strategy.
• Strong experience working with multi-state incentive programs (ideally for data centers, manufacturing, or large capital projects).
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• Ability to communicate with elected officials and regulatory bodies.
• Strong compliance, documentation discipline, and cross-functional coordination.

Nice To Haves

• MBA is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Multi-State Tax Strategy
• Develop comprehensive tax strategies for all existing and future data center locations.
• Evaluate available tax programs (e.g., sales/use tax exemptions, property tax abatements, personal property tax credits, construction incentives).
• Build financial models showing incentive value, NPV impact, and customer benefit pass-through.
• Government Relations & Program Negotiation
• Build relationships with state/local tax authorities, departments of revenue, and economic development councils.
• Lead negotiations for tax abatement and incentive packages that maximize company value.
• Represent the organization in government meetings, committees, and regulatory discussions.
• Tax Abatement Application Leadership
• Work with consultants to prepare, file, and manage incentive applications.
• Coordinate submission of construction schedules, capex breakdowns, staffing plans, and operational data as required.
• Track progress and secure approvals efficiently.
• Ongoing Compliance & Reporting
• Own compliance calendar for all states, ensuring timely submission of:
• Annual reports
• Certifications
• Usage tracking
• Recertifications
• Audit packages
• Ensure incentive utilization aligns with state requirements to avoid claw backs or penalties.
• Customer-Facing Tax Support
• Partner with Sales, Legal, and Finance to pass through tax benefits to customers collocating in the facilities.
• Build tax-efficient product/pricing structures leveraging incentives.
• Internal Strategy & Partnership
• Work cross-functionally with FP&A, Accounting, Construction, and Procurement to align tax planning with project timelines.
• Support entity strategy, asset classification, and long-term tax planning.
• Build the Tax Function
• Create roadmap for future tax team (analysts, managers).
• Build internal processes, SOPs, documentation libraries, and system requirements for scalability.

Benefits

• Fleet Data Centers employees enjoy competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K program, standard paid holidays, and unlimited PTO.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director