Tax Associate Director - Construction Services

Dean Dorton; Fort Wright (KY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Unlimited PTO

Paid family leave

Retirement benefits

Job summary

Dean Dorton seeks an experienced Associate Director in Construction Tax Services to lead a diverse client portfolio and engagements. You will oversee tax planning, advise on entity structuring, review returns, and mentor teams while driving business development within the construction industry.

The role emphasizes client interaction, regulatory compliance, and ongoing professional development, with a strong focus on firm growth and leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in accounting, finance, business, or related field.
• CPA licensure is required for the role.
• Minimum of ten years of experience in a tax or tax-related technical role with construction/real estate clients preferred.
• Experience in leading teams, managing processes and building technical expertise.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage client service teams and engagements across construction tax.
• Review tax returns and workpapers to meet regulatory requirements and deadlines.
• Develop deep understanding of construction operations, including job costing and project accounting.
• Mentor and coach team members; drive business development and client relationships.
• Sign tax returns and communicate with clients on tax law changes.

Skills

Tax expertise

Leadership

Client relationships

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business, or related field

Tools

CaseWare

CCH Fixed Assets

CCH Axcess Tax

CCH Workstream

CCH Billing and Invoice

PowerBI

Microsoft Office

Excel

SafeSend

ShareFile

QuickBooks

Job description

About Dean Dorton

Dean Dorton’s team makes up one of the largest advisory firms in the United States. We thrive when you thrive! We are here to help you succeed in every step of your development and career as you work with nationally recognized experts in a recognized best place to work.

Our core values guide how we work, lead, and support one another every day. They are:

• Integrity - We do the right thing, integrity guides our decisions.
• Relationships - We value people, relationships drive our impact.
• Collaboration - We win as one team, collaboration fuels our success.
• Growth - We stay curious, growth is our mindset.

About Tax Services

Dean Dorton's tax team provides comprehensive solutions to our clients, serving a wide variety of entity types and industries. Our team partners with clients to meet their compliance requirements, while also providing the crucial guidance and expertise they need to implement an overall tax strategy covering local, state, national, and international areas. We support clients by minimizing their tax burden and maximizing their business and financial goals.

About the Role

The Associate Director – Construction Tax Services role, focuses, leads and manages a diverse portfolio of clients and engagements, with a primary focus on construction related businesses. This role oversees workflow, ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, and provides strategic tax advisory services tailored to the construction industry. They serve as a leader within the firm, driving internal initiatives, representing the firm to clients and prospects, and contributing to business development activities—particularly within the construction sector. Additionally, they play a crucial role in mentoring and developing team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and maintaining a strong focus on client relationships and engagement performance.

This role may not be for you:

This role may not be a good fit for someone who prefers purely technical work, dislikes client interaction, avoids leadership and business development, struggles in a fast-paced environment, or doesn’t want administrative responsibilities. It requires a balance of tax expertise, management, and strategic growth efforts.

This role may be for you:

This role is ideal for an experienced CPA who excels in tax expertise, leadership, and client relationship management. It involves overseeing tax engagements, mentoring teams, driving business development, and contributing to firm initiatives. A great fit for someone who enjoys a mix of technical tax work, strategic advising, and firm growth.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

The essential duties & responsibilities of the Tax Associate Director role are outlined below in correlation with Dean Dorton’s performance management impact areas.

Technical

Definition: your specialized knowledge & expertise associated with the work you perform for/with clients (note: clients may be internal to Dean Dorton).

• Lead and manage client service teams and engagements, requiring a variety of tasks, that may include:
• Managing workflow of engagements, ensuring deadlines are met, including the collection and review of client information to complete client engagement tasks.
• Reviewing prepared tax returns and workpapers, providing review comments as needed, to meet all regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Developing a deep understanding of construction operations, including job costing, WIP schedules, bonding requirements, and project-based accounting.
• Understanding clients’ business and operations – providing advisory and consultative services. Connect with clients to foster relationships.
• Researching complex tax issues, including revenue recognition methods, cost capitalization (UNICAP), and industry-specific deductions and credits.
• Engaging in tax planning activities, identifying opportunities to minimize tax liabilities and optimize financial outcomes for clients.
• Consulting with clients on tax implications related to entity structuring, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and multi-state construction projects.
• Interfacing with taxing authorities and assisting in gathering information for federal, state, and local tax audits, as needed.
• Resolving client issues.
• Signing tax returns.
• As necessary, participating at any level of a tax engagement or project to ensure client and regulatory deadlines are met.
• Communicate with clients throughout the year to maintain relationships and address significant issues. Educate clients on tax law, regulatory, and compliance changes/requirements.
• Assess overall risk and staffing needs for tax engagements. Monitor staffing of client engagements to ensure proper leveraging standards are maintained.
• Assess skill sets, strengths, and abilities to match team members with client engagements.

Behavioral

Definition: the behaviors associated with performing your job (interpersonal skills).

• Monitor overall performance, including profitability, of client engagements.
• Communicate effectively, setting clear expectations for team members and clients.
• Obtain confidence and independence in making decisions and managing clients, that reduce client and firm risk.

Non-Charge

Definition: the contribution you make to Dean Dorton outside of client work.

• Specialize in specific industries or niches, providing subject matter expertise and delivering team education. Commit to continuous learning and professional development.
• Create and champion the culture of the tax practice and the firm with team members.
• Serve as a mentor, coach, and Career Advisor, participating in the development, growth, and training of team members. Build personal connections with team members.
• Serve as a leader for team members, assessing internal initiatives, processes, and procedures. Evaluate success of internal programs.
• Serve as the face of the firm, representing Dean Dorton to clients and prospects.Manage the firm’s reputation in the market.
• Begin accountability for firm growth activities, including responding to proposal requests and engaging in networking activities.
• Ensure proper team staffing, including recruiting and interviewing candidates, that meets the needs of client engagements.
• Oversee firm administrative tasks such as scheduling, billing, business development, recruiting, and training.
• Lead or actively participate in tax and firm committees.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in accounting, finance, business, or related field.
• Minimum of ten years of experience in a tax or tax-related technical role with significant experience serving construction or real estate clients preferred.
• Extensive experience in leading teams, managing processes, and building a strong technical expertise.
• CPA licensure required.

Software & Tools

• CaseWare
• CCH Fixed Assets
• CCH Axcess Tax
• CCH Workstream
• CCH Billing and Invoice
• Tax Research Software and Tools
• Client Portal Tools (SafeSend, ShareFile)
• QuickBooks
• TValue
• Adobe
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams)
• Data analysis and visualization tools, such as PowerBI
• Familiarity with other relevant software and tools used in accounting and tax practices.

Travel

Travel may be required for client or firm needs, including occasional overnight stays.

The Fun Stuff

Work isn’t all work! We want to make your experience at Dean Dorton a great one. From your health and happiness to your long-term satisfaction, we focus on YOU! A few highlights are listed below:

• Health insurance – medical, vision, dental
• Unlimited PTO
• Paid family leave, medical leave, and maternity/paternity leave programs.
• Retirement benefits – 401(K) match and best-in-class automatic profit sharing
• Telemedicine, mental health resources, and wellness program reimbursement
• Life insurance and disability insurance

Dean Dorton is an equal opportunity employer. We’re committed to growing and empowering an inclusive community within Dean Dorton and our industry which is why we hire and cultivate diverse teams of the best and brightest from all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives across the organization. We welcome anyone of any race, religion, color, national origin, political affiliation, pregnancy, ancestry, handicap, medical condition, disability, marital status, age, sexual orientation or gender.