Avalara is seeking a Director of Valuation Professional Services to lead complex, defensible property tax valuations for ad valorem purposes. Serving as an independent expert on behalf of taxpayers, this role supports high-stakes assessments, appeals, and litigation that require strong technical judgment, credibility, and clarity.

This is a senior, hands-on leadership role for an experienced valuation professional who thrives in complex environments and can confidently defend valuation conclusions with assessors, attorneys, and review bodies. You will lead valuation engagements end-to-end while helping scale Avalara’s valuation practice through strong standards, methodologies, and delivery discipline.

Valuation leadership and delivery

• Lead valuation strategy, execution, and quality for complex property tax valuation engagements.

• Direct and/or perform valuations of complex property for ad valorem purposes, including:

• • Power plants and energy assets (traditional and renewable)
  • Utility-type companies and infrastructure assets
  • Manufacturing facilities and industrial operations
  • Large-scale commercial real estate and special-use properties
• Develop and review valuation models (including unitary / centrally assessed-style models where applicable), assumptions, and conclusions; ensure work is internally consistent, well-supported, and clearly documented.
• Oversee the full engagement lifecycle: scoping, data requests, analysis, report drafting, review, and final deliverables.

Appeals, litigation, and expert support

• Provide technical support for assessor inquiries, informal reviews, formal appeals, and litigation.
• Prepare defensible valuation reports, rebuttals, and supporting exhibits; collaborate effectively with attorneys and client stakeholders.
• Serve as (or support) expert witness functions, including deposition and trial/hearing testimony, as required.

Technical excellence and standards

• Ensure valuation work complies with applicable professional standards and ethics expectations (e.g., independence/objectivity, proper documentation, and defensible workfiles).
• Stay current on property tax rules, jurisdictional requirements/exceptions, and relevant court decisions; translate these into practical guidance for valuation methodology and deliverables.

Practice leadership

• Coach and mentor team members; provide technical reviews and feedback to elevate quality and consistency.
• Contribute to internal training, thought leadership, and process improvement initiatives.
• Partner with Sales/Account teams and Professional Services leadership to scope valuation services, set expectations, and support client expansion opportunities (when applicable).

Cross-functional partnership

• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Operations teams to improve valuation-adjacent workflows (e.g., data intake, asset classification support, reporting, documentation, and audit trails).
• Identify opportunities to simplify and standardize valuation delivery through better tooling, repeatable templates, and automation.

Required qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive valuation experience with a meaningful portion focused on property tax / ad valorem valuation, assessment support, and/or property tax consulting.
• Demonstrated experience valuing complex property types, such as utilities, energy/power generation, manufacturing/industrial, and large commercial properties.
• Experience with centrally assessed / unitary-style valuation concepts (e.g., multi-jurisdictional allocation/apportionment, state-level assessment frameworks, and industry-specific valuation considerations).
• Strong command of valuation theory and application across:
• Income approach (e.g., DCF, direct capitalization, rate/return support)
• Cost approach (e.g., RCN/RLN, depreciation, functional/economic obsolescence)
• Market approach (e.g., comparable sales/transactions and market support, when applicable)
• Proven ability to produce clear, defensible written deliverables and explain complex valuations to non-technical audiences (clients, assessors, counsel, triers of fact).
• Experience supporting or participating in appeals/hearings and working within strict jurisdictional deadlines.

Credentials

• ASA designation (American Society of Appraisers) strongly preferred.
• Other relevant credentials may be considered (as applicable to your background), such as MAI, CFA, CPA/ABV, CVA, IAAO designations, or state appraisal licensure.

Traits and ways of working

• Solution-driven and pragmatic: you can find a path forward even when inputs are incomplete.
• Curious and analytical: you seek better data, test assumptions, and continuously improve.
• Strong ownership: you manage priorities, deadlines, and quality with minimal supervision.
• Confident communicator: you can present and defend conclusions with professionalism and composure.

Travel

• Travel: This role requires approximately 10–20% travel, depending on client needs, hearings, and business requirements.

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.