Senior Tax Manager

Cedar Group; Oakville; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Four weeks' vacation

Job summary

Cedar Group in Oakville, Ontario, seeks a senior planning practitioner to lead day-to-day practice on the most complex tax files, including reorganizations, cross-border matters, and M&A. You will guide the team, ensure high-quality work, and drive the practice standards.

You will review colleagues' work for technical soundness, own the closing calendar, and serve as senior contact for key clients and advisors.

Qualifications

• CPA designation (CA, CGA, or CMA legacy accepted).
• 8+ years in Canadian tax, most of it planning and advisory work.
• Hands-on M&A experience — tax due diligence, pre-sale reorganizations, deal structuring; exposure to foreign affiliates and surplus.
• Strong project management across a portfolio; ability to keep many files moving toward firm deadlines.
• Experience leading a team — reviewing their work, developing them, and owning their output.
• Clear, calm communicator who can hold a room with clients, lawyers and valuators.
• In the office every day; valid driver’s license and own vehicle; relocation to Oakville considered.

Responsibilities

• Lead the complex files: manage top reorganizations and transactions from steps to closing.
• Second review: check managers' and associates' work for technical soundness.
• Be the escalation point for technical and judgment questions.
• Own the closing calendar for reorganizations and run weekly status with the team.
• Lead and develop the team; hire and retain strong professionals.
• Coordinate outside teams: clients’ lawyers, valuators and accountants.
• Maintain senior client relationships and handle difficult conversations.
• Raise the standard: refine review templates and checklists.

Skills

M&A tax

Tax planning

Team leadership

Project management

Canadian tax

Client communication

Education

CPA designation

MTax or CPA In-Depth Tax Course

Job description

For a senior planning practitioner who wants to lead the practice day to day — the hardest files, the team and the standard of the work.

Lead the practice day to day — the hardest files, the team and the standard of the work

Be in the room where decisions get made — founders deciding whether to sell, valuators defending a number, lawyers and US advisors working the structure with us

Complex advisory work — reorganizations, s.55(2), amalgamations and wind-ups, cross-border, M&A, tax modelling and CRA disputes

Help build what comes next — the team, the standards, and how the practice grows

Four weeks' vacation, plus a December break — the office closes for the second half of December

Lead the complex files: Lead our most complex reorganizations and transactions from steps to closing, under the Tax Principal's strategy and sign-off

Second review: Review the managers' and associates' work for technical soundness and defensibility before it goes to the Tax Principal

Make the hard calls: Be the escalation point for technical and judgment questions, so the team isn't waiting on the Tax Principal for routine decisions

Own the closing calendar: Own the closing calendar for our reorganizations. Admin support and our tracking tools handle the logistics and follow-ups; you run a short weekly status with the team, spot the files at risk early, and make the calls that keep the monthly closing targets on track

Lead and develop the team: Set clear expectations for managers and associates, give feedback that sticks, and help us hire and keep good people

Coordinate the outside team: Work with clients' lawyers, valuators and accountants so the legal documents, the elections and the books match the plan

Client relationships: Be a senior point of contact for key clients and their advisors, and handle the difficult conversations calmly

Raise the standard: Own our review standards, templates and checklists so quality doesn't depend on who's on the file

CPA designation (CA, CGA, or CMA legacy accepted)

8+ years in Canadian tax, most of it planning and advisory work

CPA In-Depth Tax Course completed, or a Master of Taxation (MTax)

Strong command of the reorganization and planning rules: s.85, s.86, s.51, s.87 and s.88 (including the bump), s.84.1 and s.84(3), s.55(2) and safe income, PUC and ACB, QSBC and the capital gains exemption, the CDA and RDTOH, s.7 stock options, and estate freezes and trusts — attribution, TOSI and the 21-year rule

You can work through a fact pattern you haven't seen before and land on a defensible answer. No two of our files are alike, and the rules rarely come one at a time

Hands-on M&A experience — tax due diligence, pre-sale reorganizations, deal structuring. Exposure to foreign affiliates and surplus is a strong asset

Experience leading a team — reviewing their work, developing them, and owning their output

Strong project management across a portfolio — you keep many files moving toward firm deadlines and communicate status before anyone has to ask

An owner's mindset: steady and self-directed — you own outcomes, make decisions, and raise issues early

Clear, calm communicator who can hold a room with clients, lawyers and valuators

In the office every day. Our office isn't reachable by transit, so a valid driver's licence and your own vehicle are required. Open to candidates relocating closer to Oakville