Tax Principal

WithumSmith+Brown PC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

WithumSmith+Brown, PC in Lincolnshire, IL, seeks a Tax Principal to lead the firm’s tax practice strategy, market expansion, and service delivery. You’ll guide a cross‑regional team, shape national tax accounts, and collaborate with leadership to win new business and deepen client relationships.

The ideal candidate has a CPA or JD/ Master’s in Taxation, 15+ years of professional services sales experience, 8+ years industry experience, and proven leadership, process design, and communications

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or related field with CPA/Juris Doctor or tax-master credentials preferred.
• Minimum 15+ years of professional services sales experience.
• Minimum of 8 years of industry experience.
• Demonstrated strategic leadership and ability to define market opportunities and plans.
• Strong verbal and written communication, and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Achieving booked revenue targets in designated markets as defined with leadership.
• Opening, tracking, and closing opportunities in CRM and reporting results to leadership.
• Collaborating with regional tax partners to expand market reach and client coverage.
• Leading a cross-functional team to pursue all aspects of tax client relationships and growth initiatives.
• Providing strategic insight into the tax landscape and differentiating services for the firm.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Leadership

Presentation skills

Project management

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting

CPA license

JD

Master’s in Taxation

Tools

CRM

Job description

Job Description

Withum is a place where talent thrives - where who you are matters. It’s a place of endless opportunities for growth. A place where entrepreneurial energy plus inclusive teamwork equals exponential results. Explore different industries. Learn new skills. Connect with our diverse teams of professionals to gain insight into the career you envision. Your Career Starts with You. Experience the Transformative Power of Withum Plus You - that’s the Power in the Plus!

Withum’s Tax Services Group is made up of a brilliant team of tax specialists that work to ensure tax reporting obligations are met in an accurate and timely manner and minimize or defer the payment of taxes. Their comprehensive understanding of international, US federal, state, and local regulations, counting our affiliation with HLB international, allows them to help develop economical tax strategies anywhere. Their services include Business, Individual, State Local tax, R&D Tax Credit, as well as International and Private Client services. This Tax Principal role will be based out of our Lincolnshire IL office.

You’ll work alongside an integrated team of seasoned, well-known CPAs and industry leaders. In this position, you have an opportunity to build a strong team. This individual will serve as a strategic leader and tactical manager of the firm for market strategy, services and support.

This leader will be directly responsible for their team and continued growth of the firm. This person will be responsible for collaborating with region, industry and national leadership for the creation of prioritized Tax account coverage in designated geographic markets. This individual will coordinate with numerous firm resources to develop and execute a national business development market growth strategy ensuring their team has the services, strategy, tactics, training and resources to meet the growth objective.

This role will fully understand all aspects of tax, firm’s tax strategy, resources and tools. This role will create best of breed processes in order for the firm and tax team members to achieve their goals in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

How You’ll Spend Your Time

• Individual Growth: Achieving booked revenue of up to a predetermined amount annually. The booked revenue goal is defined as a range since your level of involvement with National and Regional tax strategy and National coaching will vary annually, affecting the booked revenue goal accordingly.
• Opening, tracking, and closing opportunities in CRM or tracking by other means and providing closed-won report to Director of Markets. On approval, this report will be submitted to the NSO so that booked revenue may be entered and tracked as a contributing component of your incentive compensation.
• Collaborating, coordinating and communicating opportunities with geographic Tax partners to position the firm for the highest probability of success.
• Identifying and leading a coordinated, cross functional team to pursue all aspects of those Tax relationships where you are Client Service Leader or BD Driving overall expansion and penetration of priority Tax clients and targets.
• Thought Leadership: Providing routine insight into the Tax landscape and devising competitive differentiated strategies and services for the firm and Tax team to deploy in targeted markets.
• Attracting, hiring and retaining top Tax-oriented business development talent and training them on Withum, its services, resources and competitive positioning.
• Creating and deploying common processes for the Tax team to follow to ensure they are best positioned for success.
• Completing mid-year and annual reviews.
• Creating a process of accountability and responsibility in ensuring Tax team members communicate, coordinate and collaborate to ensure the highest probability of success for the firm.
• Actively participating in and contributing to the National and Regional Tax and National and regional service line leadership and industry leadership providing perspective and commentary on areas of opportunity and challenge presented to Withum in the Tax marketplace.

The Kinds of People We Want to Talk to Have Many of the Following

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting CPA license, JD or Master’s in Science in Taxation is required.
• Minimum of 15+ years of professional services sales experience required.
• Minimum of 8 years of industry experience.
• Demonstrated strategic leadership. Defining market opportunities, creating a strategic plan, process and deployment capabilities.
• Demonstrated process creation. Create, modify and train team members on appropriate processes based on best of breed practices.
• Strong verbal communication and writing skills.
• Strong presentation skills. Must possess ability to organize and lead meetings with senior firm executives.
• Strong leadership skills. Demonstrate ability to set strategy and lead a team of professionals in a variety of capacities and different position responsibilities.
• Project management. Candidate must demonstrate ability to manage time, multi-task, and meet deadlines for themselves and their team.
• Candidate must demonstrate experience in working as a productive member of a team.
• Tangible and demonstrated experience in formal sales process deployment, use and training.

Successful Candidates Will Likely Have Many of the Following

• Ability to set the tone for the team.
• Ability to be a resource to other team members on the firm, tax, overall strategy and tactics.
• Ability to create an environment of accountability and responsibility and be unwavering in addressing breaches of either.
• Ability to constructively monitor, formally (CRM) and informally (personal interaction) individual and team performance.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to present information clearly and concisely.
• Creative problem solving & conflict resolution.
• Attentiveness to detail.
• Strong organizational skills, need to be able to prioritize in a multi-task environment and be outcome oriented.
• Outstanding relationship management skills and personal networking skills are essential.

This Role Collaborates with

• West, Central, Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest office and industry Leaders
• National service line leaders

Equal Opportunity Employer

WithumSmith+Brown, PC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against otherwise qualified applicants on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, age, sex, (including pregnancy), genetic information, marital status, domestic partnership status, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, national origin, disability or handicap, veteran status, weight, height, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law.

Withum is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and an accessible recruiting experience for all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to search for a position, complete an application, participate in the interview process, or otherwise engage in any part of the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us for assistance. We will work with qualified individuals to provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws and our commitment to an inclusive workplace.