Senior Tax Manager

Distinct | North America; Illinois; Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Distinct | North America is seeking a senior Trust & Estate CPA in Illinois with strong autonomy to lead sophisticated tax work for high-net-worth clients. The role involves shaping the practice and advising clients directly, without excessive oversight.

The team focuses on trust and estate compliance, planning, and advisory services for HNW families and closely held businesses, with opportunities to influence service delivery and practice development.

Qualifications

• CPA is required.
• A JD would be a big plus, but it is not essential.
• This senior role offers autonomy and potential to shape the Trust & Estate practice.

Responsibilities

• Trust and estate compliance and planning.
• HNW tax planning and advisory.
• Partnerships, S Corps and C Corps.
• Manage client relationships and provide direct guidance without heavy oversight.

Skills

Trust & Estate experience

HNW tax planning

Client relationship management

Education

CPA certification

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

Remote or hybrid if you prefer in Illinois | $155,000 to $200,000+

If you’re at the stage of your career where you don’t need someone looking over your shoulder, but you’re definitely not done growing either, this is a really interesting opportunity.

You’ll have plenty of autonomy in how you work, alongside the opportunity to develop further, influence the practice and have a genuine impact on where the firm goes next.

This is an independent CPA firm of around 50 to 100 people with a strong HNW and Trust & Estate practice. They already have highly experienced people in this space, but client demand continues to grow and they want to add another senior professional to the team.

The client base includes HNW individuals, multigenerational families, trusts and estates, alongside closely held businesses and their owners.

So while Trust & Estate experience is important, you’re not going to be boxed into doing one thing all day.

The work includes:

• Trust and estate compliance and planning
• HNW tax planning and advisory
• Partnerships, S Corps and C Corps

At this level, you’ll be trusted to manage relationships, review complex work and advise clients directly without unnecessary layers of oversight.

There is also an opportunity to help shape the future of the Trust & Estate practice. If you enjoy the technical side but also want to have an influence over how a practice develops, there is room to do that here.

And the hours are realistic.

Nobody is pretending busy season is 40 hours a week, but they do not expect 65+ either.

Busy season typically averages around 55 to 60 hours. Once it is over, people go back to a normal working week.

The firm has actually invested in getting this right. They brought in an external consultant to review hours, engagement and turnover, then made changes based on what they found rather than accepting burnout as part of public accounting.

It has worked. Staff turnover is low and people tend to stay.

The team itself is a mixture of specialists and generalists, so there is flexibility to shape the position around what you’re particularly good at and the work you enjoy most.

CPA is required. A JD would be a big plus, but it is not essential.

It is a good middle ground for someone who still wants sophisticated tax work and interesting clients, but does not want all the layers that can come with a much larger firm.

If you’re looking for a senior role where you can advise HNW families, continue building your Trust & Estate expertise and have some genuine influence over where the practice goes next, get in touch.

Sound like somewhere you’re interested in?