Tax Manager

Job Description: Tax Manager - Individual, Trust & Estate
Up to $200,000
San Mateo, CA Hybrid

There's a version of your career where you spend your days in review meetings you didn't ask for, managing junior staff you don't have time to mentor properly, and chasing business development targets that pull you away from the technical work you're actually good at.

This isn't that role.

A boutique CPA firm that's been serving Bay Area families and business owners for over 40 years - independent, no private equity, no rollup ambitions.

One of their longest tenured team members has just moved on after years of handling the firm's most technically demanding individual, trust and estate work. They need someone who can step straight into that seat and own it.

If you're the kind of tax professional who'd rather go deep on a complex trust return than sit in another strategy meeting this is for you.

You'll be handling the firm's most complex individual returns, sophisticated trust and estate structures, and selective corporate work
Long-standing relationships and zero pressure to develop your own business
Busy seasons rarely more than 55 hours a week, even at peak
Hybrid is the norm, and for the right person, and flexibility around your personal commitments
The incoming managing partner is direct, transparent, and easy to work with, no politics, no guessing where you stand

What you'd be doing:

Preparing and reviewing complex federal and state returns for high-net-worth individuals, trusts and estates
Building sophisticated tax projections and planning strategies
Leading on IRS audits, notices and tax controversy matters
Managing client relationships directly and resolving issues as they come up
Preparing corporate returns as needed
Working closely with firm leadership on the technical matters that actually require your judgment

What you'll bring:

c.10 years in public accounting, with real depth in individual, trust and estate taxation
CPA license preferred (not a hard requirement for the right technical background)
Comfortable owning complex, high stakes returns with minimal oversight
CCH Axcess experience is a plus, not a must

If your current firm has you doing too much people management and not enough of the work you're actually trained for, this is worth a conversation.

Not quite the right fit, but exploring what's out there? Get in touch anyway.
We're tax specialists and work with a range of CPA firms across California (San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Sacramento, LA). We're regularly placing at Senior Associate, Manager and Senior Manager level across all tax disciplines.

Reach out to Sam Croft () or Louis Fayers () to schedule a conversation.