Tax Manager

Our Client is looking for an experienced Tax Manager to join their team as a long-term technical and client-facing tax professional.

This role is ideal for someone who is highly capable in tax preparation and review, enjoys working directly with clients, and wants to build a long-term career in tax—but does not want the pressure of sales, business development, or entrepreneurship.

The ideal candidate is someone who can independently manage client relationships, provide thoughtful tax guidance, review complex returns, and serve as a trusted advisor while allowing the firm's leadership team to handle sales and business development.

A significant portion of the firm's work will involve S-Corporation (1120-S) returns, with an expected workload of approximately 15–20 tax returns per week during peak periods.

This is a long-term hire. We are looking to identify the right person who can eventually become a key member of the firm's tax team.

Key Responsibilities

Tax Preparation & Review

- Prepare and/or review approximately 15–20 tax returns per week during peak periods.

- Primarily work with S-Corporation (1120-S) tax returns. - Review individual, business, and other applicable tax returns for accuracy, completeness, and compliance.

- Identify potential tax issues, risks, deductions, credits, and planning opportunities.

- Ensure returns are prepared in accordance with current federal and applicable state tax laws.

- Review work prepared by other tax professionals and provide technical feedback when necessary.

- Assist with complex tax situations and escalated client matters.

Client Relationship Management

- Serve as a trusted point of contact for an assigned portfolio of tax clients.

- Build and maintain strong, professional client relationships. - Communicate tax concepts clearly to business owners and individuals.

- Respond to client questions and provide timely, thoughtful tax guidance.

- Conduct client meetings and tax strategy discussions as needed. - Proactively identify tax planning opportunities for existing clients. - Manage client expectations, deadlines, and deliverables.

Tax Advisory

- Provide practical tax planning and advisory support to clients.

- Analyze client financial information to identify tax-saving opportunities.

- Assist business-owner clients with entity structure, compensation, distributions, deductions, and other tax considerations. - Stay current on changes to federal and state tax regulations. - Help clients make informed financial decisions from a tax perspective.

Qualifications

Required

- 3–10 years of professional tax experience.

- CPA or Enrolled Agent (EA) credential.

- Strong experience with business taxation.

- Significant experience preparing and/or reviewing 1120-S returns. - Ability to independently manage multiple client relationships. - Strong understanding of federal taxation and tax compliance. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills. - Strong attention to detail and organizational skills. - Ability to consistently meet deadlines during busy season.

Preferred

- Active CPA license.

- Public accounting or tax-firm experience.

- Experience working extensively with small and mid-sized business owners.

- Strong S-Corporation and pass-through taxation knowledge. - Experience reviewing other preparers' work.

- Experience providing tax planning and advisory services. - Experience with tax software and modern accounting technology.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is:

- Technically strong: You know tax and can confidently review complex returns.

- Client-oriented: You genuinely enjoy helping clients and building long-term relationships.

- Reliable: You take ownership of deadlines and deliverables. - Detail-oriented: You catch issues others might miss. - Practical: You can translate complicated tax concepts into understandable advice.

- Excellent attention to detail

- Career-minded: You're looking for a stable, long-term opportunity rather than your next short-term position.

- Business-minded: You understand how tax decisions affect business owners and their companies.

First 30|60|90 days

Days 1-30 (Diagnose)

• Audit current tax workflows, plans, and client tax situations. • Identify compliance and documentation gaps and technical risks.

• Map the current tax workflow and assess the offshore team’s tax capabilities.

• Establish a technical research process, escalation protocol, and return-review methodology.

Days 31-60 (Build)

• Build standardized tax planning and tax-projection SOPs. • Build the quarterly estimate workflow and the return-review process

• Create the client tax-meeting framework and communication templates.

• Begin training the offshore team and establish documentation and QA standards.

Days 61-90 (Own)

• Own routine tax questions, projections, quarterly estimates, and tax strategy meetings.

• Have a working return review system and a clear staff escalation process.

• Have the tax-season workflow ready to run; January is execution, not scramble.

By day 90, the goal is for the founder to no longer worry about whether client tax work is being handled correctly.

Long-Term Growth

This position is intended to become a key role within the firm's tax organization.

As the firm grows, there is potential for the successful candidate to take on increased responsibility, including:

- Managing a larger client portfolio.

- Leading tax review processes.

- Mentoring junior tax professionals.

- Taking ownership of specific tax functions.

- Becoming a senior technical resource within the firm. - Progressing towards a Director of Tax responsibilities.