Indirect Tax Counsel

Tesla's Indirect Tax Counsel team operates at the intersection of law, operations & automation. We're deeply embedded across business functions & serve as the first line of support for resolving daily indirect tax questions & escalations from customers, suppliers & internal stakeholders. We don't just solve problems-we build systems to prevent them from occurring.

Team members are expected to be fast, precise, & proactive-capable of analyzing complex tax matters on the fly while also building scalable, tech-enabled solutions that streamline compliance, & reduce future manual intervention.

We are looking for an attorney who has a strong knowledge of U.S. & Canadian indirect tax matters & is equally comfortable resolving urgent tax escalations, partnering with different stakeholders. The ideal candidate must have the ability to strategically anticipate tax issues, enabling sustainable growth & aligning tax strategy with Tesla's mission.

Multiple locations possible: Fremont, CA; Austin, TX; Draper, UT

• Serve as a primary legal point of contact for indirect tax escalations across Tesla's U.S. & Canadian operations, providing timely, practical guidance to business units
• Design, implement, & continuously improve automated tools, workflows & decision engines that reduce repetitive tax inquiries & standardize resolution processes
• Build logic-driven playbooks, knowledge bases, exemption capture engines & compliance tools that integrate with procurement, finance & customer-facing platforms
• Review contracts & partner with legal, procurement, & finance to ensure documentation supports optimized & auditable tax outcomes
• Lead resolution of consumer & agency escalations including Departments of Revenue and Attorney General offices by identifying root causes & implementing systemic fixes
• Monitor tax legislation & identify changes that may require system updates or present automation opportunities
• Partner with data & software teams to implement tax logic in Tesla's ERP, sales & procurement platforms

• JD from an ABA-accredited law school & active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
• 3+ years of experience in indirect tax at a law firm, accounting firm or in-house legal department
• Demonstrated ability to resolve real-time indirect tax questions & responsibly manage high-urgency matters
• Experience in industries such as AI, energy, automotive, software, and utilities
• Technical fluency with indirect tax systems & automation-experience with tools like Excel, Bloomberg Tax, Alteryx, Power BI, Vertex & other custom tax engines
• Ability to support User Acceptance Testing with IT Team during tax implementation phase
• Experience with tax accounting

Along with competitive pay, as a full-time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire:

• Aetna PPO and HSA plans > 2 medical plan options with $0 payroll deduction
• Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans, both have options with a $0 paycheck contribution
• Company Paid (Health Savings Account) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Aetna medical plan with HSA
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits
• Company paid Basic Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions), and Paid Holidays
• Back-up childcare and parenting support resources
• Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance
• Weight Loss and Tobacco Cessation Programs
• Tesla Babies program
• Commuter benefits
• Employee discounts and perks program