Business License Managed Services Director

Avalara’s Business License Managed Services business is scaling in complexity, volume of license and registration filing, and customer experience expectations. This role exists to ensure License Managed Services grows with filing requirement discipline and AI-enabled workflows, rather than linear headcount expansion.

The Business License Managed Services Director serves as the executive-level subject matter authority on business license compliance, advising on clear service boundaries, influencing automation strategy, and strengthening regulatory decision quality. This role enables durable revenue, risk reduction, improved unit economics, and scalable service design aligned to Avalara’s AI-first direction.

How This Role Elevates Avalara

Raises decision quality across Sales, Product, and Operations by providing authoritative regulatory judgment and simplifying complex licensing environments into defensible, scalable models.

Builds customer trust and retention by ensuring consistent, expert-backed compliance guidance, reducing surprises, and aligning service expectations with operational reality. This role increases talent density by improving clarity, accountability, and execution rigor in how license compliance is defined and delivered.

Responsibilities

• Own interpretation of multi-jurisdictional licensing requirements and define clear compliance standards within Avalara’s service model.
• Increase win rates and deal confidence in complex License Managed Services engagements by serving as executive-level compliance authority.
• Improve operation efficiencies by identifying automation opportunities, standardizing high-volume scenarios, and eliminating work that should not require human judgment.
• Influence product roadmap and automation investments using regulatory expertise and data-backed risk analysis.
• Raise cross-functional performance standards through disciplined decision frameworks and simplification of regulatory complexity.

12-Month Success Signals

Within 12 months, this role will have:

• Increased conversion rates or deal velocity in complex License Managed Services opportunities.
• Reduced exception-driven operational effort through clearly defined automation or rule-based standardization initiatives.
• Improved clarity of service scope, reducing churn and customer escalations.
• Contributed to measurable operational efficiency improvements through scalable service design recommendations.
• Established themselves as the recognized internal and external authority on license compliance.
• Demonstrated measurable AI-enabled improvements in sales support, accurate compliance scoping and service delivery.

• B.S. in Computer Science, Engineering, Tax, Finance, Accounting, or a related technical or regulatory discipline.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in business licensing, regulatory compliance, managed services, or advisory roles aligned to enterprise-scale environments.
• Deep, hands-on expertise interpreting complex multi-jurisdictional licensing requirements.
• Demonstrated experience influencing service design, product direction, or go-to-market strategy through subject matter expertise.
• Proven ability to operate as a senior individual contributor with strong executive presence, ownership, and judgment.
• Demonstrated applied AI experience with measurable business impact tied to efficiency, revenue, customer experience, or risk reduction.

Bar Raiser Expectations: 

We are hiring a Bar Raiser — someone who elevates the performance, standards, and decision quality of the teams they work with. This role is expected to strengthen how regulatory compliance, service design, and cross-functional execution operate across Avalara.

A successful candidate will:

• Raise decision quality across Sales, Product, and Operations through clear, defensible regulatory frameworks

• Improve service design and execution by simplifying complexity and introducing scalable, repeatable approaches

• Increase team capability by setting high standards for judgment, accountability, and clarity in compliance decisions

• Reduce ambiguity and inconsistency in how licensing requirements are interpreted and operationalized

• Influence cross-functional outcomes by bringing structured thinking and strong regulatory expertise into key decisions

• Leave systems, processes, and teams stronger by improving how compliance is defined, delivered, and scaled

AI Expectations

As an AI Bar Raiser, this role must embed AI into regulatory interpretation, service design, and scalability decisions.

This includes:

• Using AI to analyze regulatory changes, detect compliance risk patterns, and accelerate jurisdictional research.
• Applying AI-assisted data analysis to identify exception drivers and automation opportunities that reduce manual effort.
• Leveraging AI to improve speed and consistency in complex pre-sales due diligence and compliance scenario modeling.
• Quantifying measurable impact such as time saved, reduction in manual reviews, improved risk detection, or enhanced decision accuracy.
• Applying responsible AI governance standards when influencing regulatory interpretations or customer compliance outcomes.

AI usage must materially improve speed, quality, scale, or risk management — not serve as convenience tooling

AI is embedded in our workflows, decision-making, and products.  Success here requires embracing AI as an essential capability.

• You’ll bring experience using AI and AI-related technologies, ready to thrive here.

• You’ll apply AI every day to business challenges - improving efficiency, contributing solutions, and driving results for your team, our company, and our customers.

• You’ll grow with AI by staying curious about new trends and best practices, and by sharing what you learn so others can benefit too.

Total Rewards 

In addition to a great compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave, many Avalara employees are eligible for bonuses. 

Health & Wellness 
Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance. 

Inclusive culture and diversity 
Avalara strongly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is committed to integrating them into our business practices and our organizational culture. We also have a total of 8 employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and exec sponsorship. 

We’re defining the relationship between tax and tech.

We’ve already built an industry-leading cloud compliance platform, processing over 54 billion customer API calls and over 6.6 million tax returns a year. Our growth is real - we're a billion dollar business - and we’re not slowing down until we’ve achieved our mission - to be part of every transaction in the world.

We’re bright, innovative, and disruptive, like the orange we love to wear. It captures our quirky spirit and optimistic mindset. It shows off the culture we’ve designed, that empowers our people to win. We’ve been different from day one. Join us, and your career will be too.

We’re An Equal Opportunity Employer

Supporting diversity and inclusion is a cornerstone of our company — we don’t want people to fit into our culture, but to enrich it. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, national orientation, disability, sexual orientation, US Veteran status, or any other factor protected by law. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.