Manager, Tax Resource Management Pasadena, CA

Lucas Horsfall; Pasadena (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Excellent Voluntary Insurance Options

401(k) Matching

Discretionary Bonus

Commitment to Professional Development

Meaningful work that makes aDifference

Job summary

Lucas Horsfall is seeking a Manager, Tax Resource Management to oversee the day-to-day operational workflow of the tax department. You will manage staffing, balance workloads, and drive process efficiency during peak tax seasons and year-round engagements.

This senior role blends hands-on project management with strategic planning to meet deadlines, regulatory due dates, and capacity targets in a hybrid environment out of Pasadena, Encino, or Irvine offices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in operations, scheduling, or practice management in a professional services environment.
• Proven experience managing projects and complex scheduling systems.
• Strong proficiency in scheduling/practice management software and Microsoft Office/Excel.
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to manage competing deadlines under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Manage master scheduling for tax preparers, reviewers, and staff across seasons and off-season periods.
• Coordinate staffing across offices and tax service lines; allocate engagements by capacity and certification.
• Lead weekly staffing calls and keep scheduling systems updated with changes.
• Design and refine departmental workflows to improve turnaround and throughput.

Skills

Staff Scheduling

Capacity Management

Operations Management

Project Management

Scheduling Software

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Accounting

Tools

CCH Axcess

Karbon

ProSystem fx

Microsoft Office/Excel

Job description

Backed by private equity from people-focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a dynamic platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent while accessing the resources of a Top 25 firm to help them grow. Ascend provides access to growth capital, robust talent acquisition and training, leading quality management resources,best-of-breed technology, AI tools, an offshore captive, shared back-office services, a catalytic leadership system, and modernized equity incentives so that firms can surmount today’s industry challenges to reach their full potential. For more information, visit www.ascendtogether.com .

About Lucas Horsfall

Have you dreamt about a career in public accounting with work-life balance? Enjoying the diversity of clients and the challenging work public accounting offers with the added benefits of professional growth and opportunity for advancement? Have you experienced a culture that is fun and diverse offering an authentic family feel with people that truly care about you and your professional development? Lucas Horsfall is that CPA firm. Celebrating our 68th year anniversary in 2025, we attribute our exceptional growth and low turnover to our appreciation of our people and clients.

The Role

At Lucas Horsfall, a Manager, Tax Resource Management oversees the day-to-day operational workflow of the tax department, with primary responsibility for staff scheduling, workload distribution, and process efficiency during peak filing seasons and year-round engagements. This is a senior-level role combining hands‑on project & operational management with strategic planning to ensure the department meets client deadlines, regulatory due dates, and internal capacity targets. This role will be performed in a hybrid environment out of our Pasadena, Encino, or Irvine office location.

Key Responsibilities

Scheduling & Capacity Management

• Develop and manage the master scheduling system for all tax preparers, reviewers, and support staff across tax season and off-season periods
• Coordinate staffing against engagements across offices & tax service lines (individual, business, trust & estate, international)
• Allocate client engagements based on staff capacity, expertise, and certification levels (e.g., CPA, EA)
• Monitor real-time workload distribution and rebalance assignments to prevent bottlenecks or burnout
• Resolve scheduling conflicts and escalated staffing requests quickly, professionally, and with sound judgment.
• Lead weekly staffing calls; communicate assignment decisions clearly and ensure all changes are reflected in the scheduling and practice-management systems.

Operations Management

• In Partnership with Head of Tax, design and refine departmental workflows, including document intake, review cycles, and e‑filling processes across offices to improve turnaround and throughput.
• Establish and track key metrics of projects such as turnaround time, return accuracy, and on‑time filing rates to Identify recurring bottlenecks and create efficiency

Coordination & Reporting

• Coordinate with Tax Professionals, Directors/Partners on resource allocation for complex or high‑priority engagements
• Facilitate communication between preparers, reviewers, and client‑facing staff to keep engagements on track
• Prepare, review and monitor regular operational and utilization reports for department leadership; maintain accurate records of engagement status and deadline compliance.

Client & Stakeholder Coordination

• Serve as the single point of contact for scheduling and capacity questions from the professional staff and partners.
• Oversee deadline tracking across the client portfolio to ensure no filings are missed
• Coordinate extension filings across offices and triage urgent or escalated client requests
• Serve as a liaison between the tax team and other departments (audit, advisory, admin) on shared resources

Compliance & Reporting

• Maintain accurate records of staff hours, engagement status, and deadline compliance
• Prepare regular operational reports for department leadership
• Ensure scheduling practices align with firm policies and applicable labor regulations

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in operations, scheduling, or practice management, ideally within an accounting/tax/professional services environment
• Proven experience managing projects and complex scheduling systems
• Strong proficiency in scheduling/practice management software (e.g., CCH Axcess, Karbon, ProSystem fx, or similar) and Microsoft Office/Excel
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage competing deadlines under pressure

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience specifically within a CPA firm or corporate tax department
• Familiarity with accounting, tax season cycles, IRS deadlines, and e‑filling requirements
• Comfort working with utilization and capacity data to inform resourcing decisions.
• An awareness of staffing needs based on historical filing volume and upcoming deadlines (e.g., March 15, April 15, extension deadlines)

What We Offer

As a firm, we offer great benefits, a competitive salary and tuition reimbursement for advanced education. Headquartered in Pasadena, CA with offices in Encino and Irvine, Lucas Horsfall is a growing CPA and consulting firm focused on tax, audit, and consulting needs. Explore the opportunities that await you today! Join our team and enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that supports well-being, health, and ongoing professional growth:

• Flexible PTO
• Excellent Voluntary Insurance Options
• 401(k) Matching
• Discretionary Bonus
• Commitment to Professional Development
• Meaningful work that makes a difference in our clients' lives

The pay range for this role is $100,000 - $150,000 per year. This range includes the anticipated low and high end of the pay range for this position. Actual compensation may vary based on various factors, including experience, education, and/or skill level.

At Ascend, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Ascend hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.

At Ascend, we believe that having a diverse organization that reflects the communities that we serve is critical in everything we do. In order to increase representation across identity groups and ensure equitable experiences throughout the hiring process, we collect information regarding race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. For each question, please select all that apply or choose "I prefer not to answer" if you do not wish to provide a response.

Responses to this survey will have no influence on your application, interview process, or ultimate hiring decision. All questions are aimed towards ensuring our recruiting and hiring practices are inclusive to all persons, and all responses will be kept anonymous.

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Lucas Horsfall’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.