Tax Credits & Incentives Advisory Senior Associate - R&D

Cherry Bekaert LLP; United States; Hybrid; USD 84,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid time off

Retirement plans

Paid care leave

Job summary

Cherry Bekaert LLP is seeking an R&D Senior Associate for our Tax Credits & Incentives Advisory team. You will work hybrid from US offices or remotely across the United States, delivering tax consulting on R&D credits and related capitalization rules.

You will interview clients, draft narratives, and scope projects while collaborating with industry teams to produce accurate credit calculations and reports.

Qualifications

• Experience with IRC Section 41 research credits.
• Understanding software development concepts and architectures.
• Ability to conduct technical interviews and draft project narratives.

Responsibilities

• Provide tax consulting related to the Research and Development Tax Credit.
• Conduct technical interviews to assess qualifying activities.
• Draft project narratives documenting Section 41 compliance.
• Scope R&D tax credits studies and interact with clients across industries.

Skills

R&D tax credits

Software development concepts

Technical interviewing

Project narratives

Costing models

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering/IT/Accounting/Finance

Job description

Ranked among the largest accounting and consulting firms in the country and consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work, Cherry Bekaert delivers innovative advisory, assurance and tax services to our clients. We are proud to foster a collaborative environment focused on enabling your career growth and continuous professional development.

Our Tax Credits & Incentives Advisory team is looking for an R&D Senior Associate with a background in R&D Tax Credit consulting services. The R&D Senior Associate will have the opportunity to work hybrid from any of our office locations or remotely from within the United States.

As an R&D Senior Associate, you will:

• Provide tax consulting services as it relates to the Research and Development Tax Credit and the capitalization and amortization rules under IRC Section 174.
• Understand common software development methodologies, programing concepts, architectural design patterns, and popular computer software terms, such as programming languages, backend database schema, messaging que and techniques, etc.
• Conduct technical interviews, within the context of Section 41 to gather qualitative details as to how client’s work meets the definition of qualifying research activities.
• Review technical documentation to draft project narratives to document how client projects meet Section 41 guidelines.
• Work with team members to scope Research Tax Credit benefits, conduct Research Tax Credit studies, perform tax technical research, and interact with clients in a wide range of industries.
• Create and update costing models in which the business expenditures are tracked and the credits and capitalization amounts are calculated.
• Understand the value of employer time tracking and how it can be integrated into a project.

What you bring to the role:

• Prior experience from an accounting firm working with clients and the IRC Section 41 research credit.
• Recent industry experience in software development, consulting, or engineering preferable.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Engineering, Technology, Information Systems, Accounting or Finance.
• Knowledge of common computer infrastructure concepts, web-based or n-tiered architectures, performance tuning of databases and middleware.
• Written and verbal communication skills adequate to conduct technical interviews with technical management, solution architects, and product owners to gather qualitative details and write up project narratives to summarize findings.
• Strong writing skills to accurately capture and articulate information provided from subject matter experts in a technical interview (and reference related technical documentation).
• An inquisitive mind such that you, on your own, continue to educate yourself in your specialty area.

What you can expect from us:

• Our shared values that foster inclusion and belonging including uncompromising integrity, collaboration, trust, and mutual respect.
• The opportunity to innovate and do work that motivates and engages you.
• A collaborative environment focused on enabling you to further your career growth and continuous professional development.
• Competitive compensation and a total rewards package that focuses on all aspects of your wellbeing.
• Flexibility to do impactful work and the time to enjoy your life outside of work.
• Opportunities to connect and learn from professionals from different backgrounds and with different cultures.

Benefits Information:

Cherry Bekaert cares about our people. We offer competitive compensation packages based on performance that recognize the value our people bring to our clients and our Firm. The salary range for this position is included below. Individual salaries within this range are determined by a variety of factors including but not limited to the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education, knowledge, skills, and geographic location. In addition, we offer a comprehensive, high-quality benefits program which includes annual bonus, medical, dental, and vision care; disability and life insurance; generous Paid Time Off; retirement plans; Paid Care Leave; and other programs that are dedicated to enhancing your personal and work life and providing you and your family with a measure of financial protection.

Pay Range: $83,700 - $135,400

About Cherry Bekaert

Cherry Bekaert, ranked among the largest assurance, tax and advisory firms in the U.S., serves clients across industries in all 50 U.S. states and internationally. For more details, visit https://www.cbh.com/disclosure/ Cherry Bekaert provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, citizenship status, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. https://careers.cbh.com/legal-disclosures/ contains further information regarding the firm's compliance with federal, state and local recruitment and hiring laws.

This role is expected to accept applications for at least five calendar days and may continue to be posted until a qualified applicant is selected or the position has been cancelled.

Candidates must demonstrate eligibility to work in the United States. Cherry Bekaert will not provide work sponsorship for this position.

Cherry Bekaert LLP and Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC are members of Allinial Global, an accountancy and business advisory global association. Visit us at https://careers.cbh.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. © 2026 Cherry Bekaert. All Rights Reserved. At Cherry Bekaert, your career is about you. With growing industry expertise, a strong support system, and our team’s shared values, we encourage you to choose your path. Join the Firm that acknowledges and recognizes the power of the individual.