Tax Principal - Financial Services Group

CliftonLarsonAllen LLP; Colonial Village (PA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

CLA is seeking a Financial Services Tax Principal to lead a national team and shape performance across accounting, advisory, and compliance for major clients. This role focuses on strategic growth, technical excellence, and proactive planning, with a focus on cross-market collaboration and delivery quality.

You will mentor professionals, drive client success, and ensure rigorous standards while guiding a dispersed team to meet ambitious business objectives and sustain growth across the financial

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in accounting, taxation, or related field.
• Current CPA required; JD or EA may be accepted in lieu of CPA.
• 10+ years of public accounting or professional services tax experience.
• Deep understanding of tax issues affecting banks, insurance companies, investment funds, and specialty finance entities.
• Strong technical knowledge of ASC 740, partnership taxation, REITs, and financial instruments.
• Demonstrated success leading geographically dispersed teams and translating strategy into clear priorities and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a national financial services tax team delivering advisory, consulting, and compliance services while helping professionals build a deep understanding of each client's business and needs.
• Serve as the industry tax leader and partner with leadership to grow the financial services tax practice nationally, align priorities, support consistent execution across markets, and advance the practice's strategic growth goals.
• Set clear expectations, provide timely coaching and feedback, recognize contributions, support career development, and build a high-performing, collaborative team with role clarity and accountability.
• Manage workforce deployment and capacity planning across the national practice, balancing skills, workloads, deadlines, and development needs while supporting year-round planning, advisory work, and proactive client communication beyond peak filing periods.
• Drive accountability for client service, technical quality, staffing leverage, workload balance, portfolio health, practice standards, and practice economics.
• Protect client relationships by identifying risks early, ensuring strong communication, and supporting effective escalation.
• Strengthen client relationships, expand services, develop pipeline opportunities, activate referrals and priority markets, and increase national recognition of the financial services tax practice.
• Lead change with transparency and sound judgment, partnering with leaders to implement practice improvements, communicate decisions appropriately, and maintain team stability and client confidence.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Client relationship management

Tax technical knowledge

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in accounting/ taxation

CPA certification

Job description

CLA is a top 10 national professional services firm where our purpose is to create opportunities every day, for our clients, our people, and our communities through industry-focused wealth advisory, digital, audit, tax, consulting, and outsourcing services. Even with more than 8,500 people, 130 U.S. locations, and a global reach, we promise to know you and help you. CLA is dedicated to building a culture that invites different beliefs and perspectives to the table, so we can truly know and help our clients, communities, and each other.

CLA is seeking a Financial Services Tax Principal to join our Financial Services team. This leader will provide national tax leadership, support client advisory and relationship development, and lead an approximately 20-person financial services tax team across all career levels. The Principal will help shape practice priorities, strengthen delivery quality, and create opportunities for clients and team members through proactive planning, sound judgment, and strong execution.

How you will create opportunities in this role:

• Lead and mentor a national financial services tax team delivering advisory, consulting, and compliance services while helping professionals build a deep understanding of each client's business and needs.
• Serve as the industry tax leader and partner with leadership to grow the financial services tax practice nationally, align priorities, support consistent execution across markets, and advance the practice's strategic growth goals.
• Set clear expectations, provide timely coaching and feedback, recognize contributions, support career development, and build a high-performing, collaborative team with role clarity and accountability.
• Manage workforce deployment and capacity planning across the national practice, balancing skills, workloads, deadlines, and development needs while supporting year-round planning, advisory work, and proactive client communication beyond peak filing periods.
• Drive accountability for client service, technical quality, staffing leverage, workload balance, portfolio health, practice standards, and practice economics.
• Protect client relationships by identifying risks early, ensuring strong communication, and supporting effective escalation.
• Strengthen client relationships, expand services, develop pipeline opportunities, activate referrals and priority markets, and increase national recognition of the financial services tax practice.
• Lead change with transparency and sound judgment, partnering with leaders to implement practice improvements, communicate decisions appropriately, and maintain team stability and client confidence.

What you will need:

• Bachelor's or master's degree in accounting, taxation, or a related field.
• Current CPA required; JD or EA may be accepted in lieu of CPA.
• 10+ years of public accounting or professional services tax experience.
• Deep understanding of tax issues affecting banks, insurance companies, investment funds, and specialty finance entities.
• Strong technical knowledge of ASC 740, partnership taxation, REITs, and financial instruments.
• Demonstrated success leading geographically dispersed teams and translating strategy into clear priorities and accountability.

Our approach to compensation emphasizes collaboration and career growth. We pay competitive wages and view compensation as an investment in our people. Factors such as geography, experience, education, skills and knowledge may impact position of pay within the range.

The compensation range for this position in California is: $165,000.00 - $400,000.00

The compensation range for this position in Colorado is: $190,000.00 - $300,000.00

The compensation range for this position in Illinois is: $140,000.00 - $300,000.00

The compensation range for this position in Massachusetts is: $165,000.00 - $300,000.00

The compensation range for this position in Minnesota is: $130,000.00 - $400,000.00

The compensation range for this position in New York is: $340,000.00 - $400,000.00

The compensation range for this position in Virginia is: $200,000.00 - $400,000.00

The compensation range for this position in Washington is $150,000.00 - $400,000.00

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

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Wellness at CLA

To support our CLA family members, we focus on their physical, financial, social, and emotional well-being and offer comprehensive benefit options that include health, dental, vision, 401k and much more.

To view a complete list of benefits, click here.