Founded in 1992, Cerberus is a global leader in alternative investing with approximately $70 billion in assets across complementary credit, private equity, and real estate strategies. We invest across the capital structure where our integrated investment platforms and proprietary operating capabilities create an edge to improve performance and drive long-term value. Our tenured teams have experience working collaboratively across asset classes, sectors, and geographies to seek strong risk-adjusted returns for our investors. For more information about our people and platforms, visit us at .
Job Purpose:
Cerberus is recruiting a tax attorney to join the Cerberus Operations & Advisory Company (COAC) tax team in our New York office. Cerberus is recruiting a tax attorney to join the Cerberus Operations & Advisory Company tax team in our New York office. Reporting to the Chief Tax Officer, the successful candidate will be primarily focused on transactional tax structuring across our diverse global private equity, real estate, credit, supply chain, venture, financial institutions, and asset-backed finance platforms. While not the primary focus of the role, the position will also involve meaningful fund-level and firm-related tax responsibilities.
This is an exceptional opportunity for a tax attorney who wants to be close to the investment side of the business and work directly with investment, legal, accounting, operations, and compliance professionals on complex, real-world transactions. The ideal candidate may be a partner-track attorney or counsel who is interested in moving from an advisory role into a more integrated client-side/investment-side seat, with broad exposure to sophisticated tax issues across asset classes, geographies, and fund structures, working with world-class advisors around the globe.
Responsibilities:
- Provide tax structuring support throughout the investment lifecycle, including acquisitions, dispositions, restructurings, reorganizations, M&A transactions, and other COAC investment initiatives.
- Collaborate with investment professionals, legal teams, business leaders, and external advisors to evaluate complex tax issues, balance competing stakeholder considerations, and deliver commercially sound structuring solutions that support Cerberus' investment strategy and investor requirements.
- Analyze transaction-specific tax issues and translate the conclusions into practical structuring recommendations, including with respect to FIRPTA, REITs, ECI, UBTI, Subchapters C and K, cross-border investment structures, withholding, treaties, and related tax considerations.
- Support fund-level tax matters, which are expected to represent approximately 30% to 50% of the role, including fund structuring, fund documentation, investor diligence requests, side letter negotiations, and other fund-related tax work.
- Advise on the tax structuring and formation of global investment platforms across private equity, credit, real estate, lending, supply chain, venture, and asset-based strategies.
- Select, manage, and coordinate external counsel and accounting firm advisors, including defining scopes, overseeing deliverables, and integrating their advice into transaction structuring, fund structuring, tax diligence, and planning matters.
- Serve as a key advisor to the Chief Tax Officer on tax strategy and planning matters affecting Cerberus, including management company and general partner structures, global operations, firm initiatives, and other high-priority projects.
- Monitor and advise on U.S. and global tax developments that could affect Cerberus funds, investment platforms, transactions, investors, and the firm.
- Partner with tax compliance teams to support efficient and accurate tax reporting across the firm, funds, and investment structures.
- Partner with investment teams and portfolio company management to identify opportunities for efficiency, operational improvement, strategic transactions, and value creation initiatives
Requirements:
- JD required, coupled with at least 6 years of tax experience in a law firm or an accounting firm advisory practice.
- Demonstrated experience with transactional tax work and investment structuring, including M&A, reorganizations, restructurings, real estate, credit, partnerships, corporate tax, and cross-border transactions.
- Deep understanding with core tax concepts relevant to alternative investment structures, including FIRPTA, REITs, ECI and UBTI structures, Subchapter C, Subchapter K, withholding, tax treaties, international tax audits and tax controversy matters, and blocker structures.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with a collaborative, team-oriented approach.
- Experience advising clients in the funds, alternatives, private equity, real estate, credit, or investment management space.
- Broad intellectual curiosity and willingness to learn new asset classes, products, structures, and tax issues on a continuous basis.
- Strong commercial judgment, practical business orientation, and ability to translate technical tax analysis into commercial recommendations.
- Proven ability to influence and collaborate effectively across legal, investment, accounting, operations, compliance, and tax functions.
- Exceptional ability to communicate technical tax concepts clearly and practically to non-tax professionals, both orally and in writing.
- Roll-up-sleeves mentality and comfort operating as an individual contributor in a fast-moving, high-exposure environment.
- Energized by the opportunity to complex transactions, senior stakeholders, and sophisticated tax issues across Cerberus’ global investment mandates.
- Willingness to embrace new technologies and processes, including the use of AI tools to drive improvements in transactional tax support and general tax process improvements within our portfolio companies and oversight thereof.
The base salary for this position is expected to be between $350,000.00 and $450,000.00. The base salary offered to the chosen candidate will be commensurate with a candidate’s relevant experience and other qualifications for the position, as determined by the Company in its sole discretion. In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for an annual discretionary bonus (which is often a meaningful portion of the compensation package), and a robust benefits package.