Senior Accountant, Real Estate Taxes

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Accountant, Real Estate Taxes is responsible for managing all real estate tax obligations across Discovery Senior Living's growing portfolio of approximately 450 senior living communities in 40+ states. Reporting to the Shared Services Controller, this role ensures accurate accrual and payment of real estate taxes, supports appeal and exemption strategies, and maintains strong controls and documentation across a complex, multi-jurisdictional property portfolio. The role works closely with property management, ownership groups, and external tax consultants, with Yardi 8 and Excel as the primary platforms.

Remote & Hybrid Work:

The position will start remote but then transition to onsite work in Dallas three days per week, working alongside the accounting and asset management teams with regular exposure to senior leadership.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following duties are normal for this position. This list is not to be construed as exclusive or all inclusive. Other duties may be required and assigned.

Real Estate Tax Accrual and Payment Management

• Maintain the real estate tax calendar and accrual schedule for 450+ community properties across 40+ states, ensuring accurate and timely payments.
• Prepare and post monthly real estate tax accrual journal entries in Yardi 8 for all entities and properties.
• Reconcile real estate tax accruals to actual assessments and invoices; investigate and resolve variances.
• Process and track real estate tax payments, including installment schedules, and coordinate with Accounts Payable as applicable.

Assessment Review and Appeal Support

• Review real estate tax assessments for accuracy and reasonableness relative to portfolio valuations.
• Identify over-assessed properties and coordinate with external tax consultants and legal counsel to initiate appeal processes.
• Track appeal status, settlements, and refunds; record outcomes in Yardi 8 and reconcile to accruals.
• Monitor new acquisitions and dispositions to ensure real estate tax prorations and ongoing obligations are properly recorded.

Exemption and Incentive Management

• Research and maintain documentation of tax exemptions, abatements, and incentive programs applicable to DSL communities by state and municipality.
• Coordinate filings and renewals for applicable exemptions with community teams and external advisors. Maintain an exemption tracking register and ensure timely reminders for renewal deadlines

Reporting and Audit Support

• Prepare real estate tax schedules, accrual reconciliations, and trend analyses for the Shared Services Controller and finance leadership.
• Support annual audit preparation, including providing real estate tax workpapers and responding to auditor inquiries.
• Produce reporting from Yardi 8 and Excel for ownership, management fee structures, and CAM reconciliation purposes as applicable.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position is an individual contributor role with no direct reports. The Senior Accountant may provide functional guidance to junior accounting staff, community-level accounting personnel, or cross-functional teams as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Real Estate, or a related field required.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of progressive accounting experience; experience in real estate tax accounting or property tax compliance strongly preferred.
• Experience working across multi-state, multi-entity property portfolios in senior living, healthcare, or commercial/multifamily real estate preferred.
• Proficiency in Yardi 8 or a comparable real estate accounting platform required.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including complex reconciliation models, pivot tables, and multi-year trend tracking.
• Familiarity with real estate tax appeal processes, exemption programs, and multi-jurisdictional compliance.

ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTABILITY

• Works primarily indoors in a climate-controlled office setting.
• May participate in meetings across multiple locations and time zones.
• Occasional travel to community sites or regional offices may be required.
• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time.
• Frequently required to use hands, reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear.
• The Team Member must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employer is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the employer will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages prospective Team Members and incumbents to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.