Senior Tax Associate

Senior Tax Accountant / Tax Supervisor

$70k to $100k | Mainly onsite with flexibility

If you like the idea of actually knowing your clients rather than just seeing their name on a return, this could be a really good move.

I’m working with a small CPA firm looking for someone to become a key part of the business alongside the owner. Tax is the main focus, with some client accounting mixed in, but the bigger piece is being comfortable building relationships and taking real ownership of clients.

Their client base is a little different from your typical small CPA firm. You’ll work predominantly with successful individuals and privately owned businesses across professional services, entertainment, medical and healthcare. Relationships tend to be long term and personal rather than transactional.

What would you be doing?

• Preparing individual and business tax returns, with the opportunity to review depending on your experience
• Managing your own client relationships and becoming someone clients genuinely come to for advice
• Supporting some client accounting work, including bookkeeping, payroll and monthly reporting
• Working directly alongside the owner and getting exposure to pretty much everything that happens within the firm
• Helping improve how the firm works as they introduce more technology and automation into the preparation process

They’re ideally looking for around 3 to 6 years of public accounting experience, although they’re much more interested in finding the right person than ticking off a certain number of years.

CPA or actively working towards your CPA would be preferred.

The type of person matters here.

It’s a small firm, so this isn’t somewhere you disappear into your own little area and wait for work to land on your desk.

They want someone driven and engaged. Someone who asks questions, thinks outside the box and looks at how something could be done better or faster rather than simply doing it the way it has always been done.

You’ll need to enjoy talking to clients too. A lot of the value they provide comes from the relationships they’ve built over years, so being personable, confident and comfortable picking up the phone is important.

What’s the longer term opportunity?

The owner wants someone who can become his right hand person as the firm moves forward. For someone ambitious, there is the potential to grow into a much bigger role over time and potentially explore ownership or succession longer term.

That isn’t a requirement though. If you want progression, more responsibility and a close relationship with your clients without necessarily wanting to own a firm one day, that can work too.

And the hours?

There is a busy season, but they’re also very conscious that the quieter months should actually feel quieter.

Summer can be incredibly light, with some weeks potentially around 30 hours. If the work is done, the expectation isn’t that you sit at your desk until a certain time just because those are the official office hours.

The owner is flexible and reasonable about how people manage their time and would rather give someone freedom when the workload allows it. They’re also looking at ways to make preparation more efficient through technology, with the aim of cutting out unnecessary hours rather than simply expecting people to work more.

They enjoy being together in the office because of the collaboration and quicker learning you get from a small team. The role is mainly onsite, but there is flexibility to work from home when needed.

If you’re looking for a move within public accounting locally but this role isn’t quite right, please still reach out. I’m recruiting for plenty of other roles and would love to hear what you’re looking for.