Senior Tax Manager

Distinct | North America; Virginia Beach (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus opportunities

Profit sharing

401(k) with employer match

Comp time

Healthcare, dental and vision

Professional development support

Wellness benefits

Summer flexibility / Fridays off with

Job summary

A growing Virginia Beach CPA and advisory firm is seeking a Senior Tax Manager who will own clients, people and the direction of the tax practice with autonomy to lead rather than merely hold title. You’ll sit close to firm leadership, managing a portfolio of business and individual clients with planning, advisory and relationship-management duties.

The role emphasizes taking ownership of complex engagements, mentoring staff, expanding advisory opportunities, and contributing to firm

Qualifications

• 8+ years of public accounting tax experience.
• Strong business and individual tax knowledge.
• Significant review and tax planning experience.
• Confidence managing important client relationships.
• Experience developing and leading other tax professionals.
• Strong technical research and problem‑solving ability.
• Judgement to work autonomously.
• CPA or EA qualification, or progress towards one.

Responsibilities

• Leading complex tax engagements from planning through delivery.
• Reviewing business and individual tax work.
• Advising clients on tax planning and strategy.
• Becoming a senior point of contact for key client relationships.
• Identifying planning and wider advisory opportunities.
• Leading, mentoring and developing Managers, Seniors and staff.
• Resolving complex technical tax matters.
• Improving processes and shaping the department's operations.
• Working with leadership on firm initiatives.

Skills

Public accounting tax

Tax knowledge

Tax planning

Client relationship management

Leadership & mentoring

Technical research

Autonomy

CPA / EA progress

Education

CPA or EA qualification, or progress towards one

Job description

$150,000 - $190,000 + bonus / profit sharing

At Senior Manager level, another promotion isn't particularly interesting if the job stays exactly the same.

More review. More deadlines. More responsibility. Same amount of influence.

This opportunity is different.

A growing Virginia Beach CPA and advisory firm is looking for an experienced Senior Tax Manager who wants to take real ownership of clients, people and the direction of a tax practice, with the autonomy to actually lead rather than simply carry a more senior title.

What the role actually looks like

You’ll sit close to firm leadership and take ownership of a portfolio of business and individual clients, combining technical tax work with planning, advisory and relationship management.

The role will include:

• Leading complex tax engagements from planning through delivery
• Reviewing business and individual tax work
• Advising clients on tax planning and strategy
• Becoming a senior point of contact for key client relationships
• Identifying planning and wider advisory opportunities
• Leading, mentoring and developing Managers, Seniors and staff
• Resolving complex technical tax matters
• Improving processes and helping shape how the department operates
• Working directly with leadership on wider firm initiatives

This isn't a position where every meaningful decision needs to travel through three layers of approval.

They want someone experienced enough to have an opinion, and they'll give you room to use it.

The clients want advice, not just compliance

The firm works predominantly with small and mid-sized businesses and their owners, and the relationship goes considerably further than preparing the annual return.

The aim is to understand what's happening within the business, spot issues early and help clients make better decisions.

That creates much more room for planning and advisory work around growth, business changes, tax strategy and the longer-term financial picture.

At Senior Manager level, that's where your value really sits.

Not simply knowing the answer.

Knowing the client well enough to recognise the question before they ask it.

There's room to influence the practice

This is probably the biggest selling point.

The firm is growing and wants experienced people who can help shape what comes next.

You'll have direct access to leadership, input into how the team operates and the opportunity to develop the people underneath you.

If you've reached the stage where you want more say over client service, team development and how a tax department should actually run, there's genuine scope to do that here.

You're not joining to maintain somebody else's system forever.

A more personal type of public accounting

The culture is collaborative and relationship driven, with approachable leadership and an emphasis on people building long careers with the firm.

There is flexibility as you become established, alongside a benefits package that includes:

• Bonus opportunities
• Profit sharing
• 401(k) with employer match
• Comp time
• Healthcare, dental and vision
• Professional development and continuing education support
• Wellness benefits
• Summer flexibility, including the ability to use accumulated comp time for Fridays off

Busy season is still busy, this is public accounting, after all.

But the firm recognises that the rest of the year shouldn't feel like one continuous extension of April.

Who they're looking for

This is aimed at somebody already operating around Senior Manager level, or a strong experienced Manager who's clearly ready to step up.

You'll ideally bring:

• 8+ years of public accounting tax experience
• Strong business and individual tax knowledge
• Significant review and tax planning experience
• Confidence managing important client relationships
• Experience developing and leading other tax professionals
• Strong technical research and problem-solving ability
• The judgement to work autonomously
• CPA or EA qualification, or strong progress towards one

Most importantly, they want somebody who enjoys the relationship side of public accounting.

Someone who wants clients to call them for advice, staff to look to them for leadership and Partners to trust them with meaningful decisions.

Why make the move?

Because at this stage, the next job should give you more than another title.

It should give you influence.

A stronger voice with clients. More control over how work gets delivered. The opportunity to develop a team. Direct access to leadership. And enough autonomy to put everything you've learned over the last decade into practice.

If you're already doing Senior Manager-level work, it might be time to work somewhere that treats you like one.