Certified Public Accountant

Heman Lawson Hawks LLP; West Lafayette (IN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Heman Lawson Hawks LLP in Indiana seeks an experienced tax professional to prepare and review complex individual, trust and business returns. You will coordinate multi-return groups, ensuring accuracy and concierge client service while maintaining federal, state, and local compliance.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years of hands-on tax experience in public accounting, strong communication skills, and comfort with AI-enabled workflows and modern tax software.

Qualifications

• Active CPA license required.
• 5+ years of recent, hands-on tax preparation and review experience in a public accounting or tax firm setting.
• Significant experience with complex individual 1040s, including rentals, multi-state issues, flow-through income, and K-1s; experience with S-corps & partnerships strongly preferred.
• Strong client communication skills, with the ability to explain complex tax issues clearly and calmly to non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to manage multiple deadlines across a full-year cycle.
• Tech-forward mindset and ease with modern tax software, portals, e-sign; openness to learning and using AI-enabled workflows is essential.

Responsibilities

• Tax Preparation for individuals, businesses, trusts and estates.
• Review and signing complex individual, trust, partnership, foundation and corporate tax returns, ensuring accuracy and compliance, as required.
• Coordinate, review and delivery of multi-family, multi-tax return groups and ensuring a concierge experience.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local tax regulations.
• Participate in proactive tax planning meetings with clients, identifying strategies, explaining implications in plain language, and coordinating implementation over time.
• Help guide client relationship transitions from retiring CPA staff, building trust and continuity with long-standing clients.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, acting as a trusted advisor.
• Manage assigned client relationships, tax projects, and workflow during tax season, ensuring timely and accurate deliverables.
• Analyze IRS and state notices, preparing or reviewing responses as needed. Work directly with taxing authorities on resolving client tax issues.
• Perform additional duties as assigned to support client service and firm objective.
• Maintaining a team-first mindset by assisting colleagues and stepping in when needed.
• Active CPA license required.

Skills

Tax preparation

Tax review

Client communication

Deadline management

S-corps

K-1s

Multi-state taxes

AI-enabled workflows

CPA license

Education

CPA license or certification

Tools

Tax software (AI-enabled)

Job description

Who We Are

We exist to serve others and be a solution for financial matters, and to make business and tax obligations easier to manage for our clients.

We exist to serve others and be a solution for financial matters, and to make business and tax obligations easier to manage for our clients.

How We Work

Our culture is built on three core values:

Be Part of the Solution, Confidence, and Compassion

• Be Part of the Solution means showing up with a positive attitude, doing what's right, communicating clearly, following established processes, and contributing to meaningful relationships with both clients and colleagues. We believe in a "we over me" mindset and take ownership in improving how we work together.
• Confidence shows up in proactive communication, thoughtful questions, strong time management, and genuine interest in understanding clients as people - not transactions. We value emotional intelligence and a big-picture approach.
• Compassion guides how we treat others. We aim to be approachable, helpful, and mindful in our intentions, bringing positivity and respect to both clients and teammates.

If you're motivated by meaningful work, dedicated to helping others, and committed to delivering exceptional service, you'll thrive here.

• Tax Preparation for individuals, businesses, trusts and estates
• Review and signing complex individual, trust, partnership, foundation and corporate tax returns, ensuring accuracy and compliance, as required.
• Responsible for coordination, review and delivery of multi-family, multi-tax return groups and ensuring a concierge experience
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local tax regulations
• Participate in proactive tax planning meetings with clients, identifying strategies, explaining implications in plain language, and coordinating implementation over time
• Help guide client relationship transitions from retiring CPA staff, building trust and continuity with long-standing clients.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, acting as a trusted advisor
• Manage assigned client relationships, tax projects, and workflow during tax season, ensuring timely and accurate deliverables
• Analyze IRS and state notices, preparing or reviewing responses as needed. Work directly with taxing authorities on resolving client tax issues
• Perform additional duties as assigned to support client service and firm objective
• Maintaining a team-first mindset by assisting colleagues and stepping in when needed
• Active CPA license required
• 5+ years of recent, hands-on tax preparation and review experience in a public accounting or tax firm setting
• Significant experience with complex individual 1040s, including rentals, multi-state issues, flow-through income, and K-1s; experience with S-corps & partnerships strongly preferred
• Strong client communication skills, with the ability to explain complex tax issues clearly and calmly to non-technical audiences
• Proven ability to manage multiple deadlines across a full-year cycle, not just during filing season
• Tech-forward mindset and ease with modern tax software, portals, e-sign; openness to learning and using AI-enabled workflows is essential