Tax Supervisor

Ascend; New Boston (MA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Walter Shuffain is seeking a Tax Supervisor to lead a broad, generalist client base, split between books and tax returns. This hands-on role is based in our Worcester office, with candidates in the Boston area also considered, and requires guiding junior staff while owning the engagement’s final quality.

The position is part of Ascend, backed by Alpine Investors, offering a collaborative environment within a growing platform for regional firms and access to resources that support client service

Qualifications

• 5+ years of public accounting experience with a generalist tax background.
• Experience in a smaller-firm environment with both books and tax work is preferred.
• Hands-on proficiency in general ledger, reconciliations, and adjusting entries is helpful.
• Bachelor’s in Accounting; CPA preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and review individual, business, and fiduciary tax returns across a broad range of industries and client types.
• Perform cleanup work and ensure books are reliable before each engagement.
• Serve as a generalist across compliance, write-up, and advisory work as client needs require.
• Plan, coordinate, and supervise engagement phases; own the end product.
• Train, mentor, and evaluate junior staff; provide guidance for growth.
• Work directly with clients throughout engagements; participate in meetings and maintain relationships.
• Communicate effectively with clients to understand needs and deliver exceptional service.
• Maintain high technical and professional standards.
• Oversee multiple client engagements across industries with timely, high-quality deliverables.
• Stay current on industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices.
• Provide performance feedback and assist in staff evaluations.
• Promote a collaborative and inclusive work environment.

Skills

Public accounting

Generalist tax

Leadership

Communication

CPA

Education

Bachelor's in Accounting

CPA Certification

Job description

Walter Shuffain is looking to bring on a Tax Supervisor to serve a broad, generalist base of clients. This is a hands‑on role for someone equally comfortable in the books and in the return — a professional who can get into general ledger, work through the debits and credits of a cleanup, and carry the engagement through to a filed return. Supervisors at Walter Shuffain are the heart of our team. They carry engagements with little supervision, direct and review the work of staff accountants, and own the quality of the end product.

This position is based in our Worcester office, with candidates in the Boston area also considered. The work is hands‑on and the role carries day‑to‑day guidance for junior staff, so it is an in‑office position.

About Walter Shuffain

Established in 1994, WS Advisors is a Boston‑based advisory and accounting firm dedicated to delivering thoughtful tax, financial, and business guidance that helps clients make confident, forward‑looking decisions. We pride ourselves on a collaborative culture rooted in accountability, respect, responsiveness, and continuous learning, where diverse perspectives are welcomed and individual growth is encouraged.

Recognized for excellence, innovation, and a supportive work environment, WS Advisors has been named an IPA Top 200 Firm, an IPA Fastest Growing Firm, an IPA Best of the Best Firm, and one of Accounting Today’s Best Firms to Work For. We invest in our people and foster meaningful careers built on teamwork, integrity, and shared success.

About Ascend

Backed by private equity from people‑focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a dynamic platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent while accessing the resources of a Top 25 firm to help them grow. Ascend provides access to growth capital, robust talent acquisition and training, leading quality management resources, best‑of‑breed technology, AI tools, an offshore captive, shared back‑office services, a catalytic leadership system, and modernized equity incentives so that firms can surmount today’s industry challenges to reach their full potential. For more information, visit www.ascendtogether.com.

Essential Functions

• Prepare and review individual, business, and fiduciary tax returns across a broad range of industries and client types.
• When necessary, perform clean‑up work for a base of clients — review of general ledger accounts, correcting client records, and posting adjusting entries — so each engagement starts from a reliable set of books.
• Serve as a generalist across the client base, moving between compliance, write‑up, and advisory work as client needs require.
• Plan, coordinate, and supervise the phases of assigned engagements and assume responsibility for the end work product.
• Train, mentor, and evaluate junior staff members, providing guidance and support to enhance their professional growth.
• Work directly with clients throughout the engagement, including participation in client meetings, and foster client relationships throughout the year.
• Communicate effectively with clients to understand their needs and deliver exceptional service.
• Maintain the highest technical and professional standards.
• Oversee multiple client engagements across industries, ensuring timely and high‑quality deliverables.
• Stay current on industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices.
• Provide performance feedback and assist in staff evaluations.
• Promote a collaborative and inclusive work environment.

Education, Skills And Experience

• 5+ years of public accounting experience with a generalist tax background.
• Experience in a smaller‑firm environment where the role spanned both the books and the return is strongly preferred; a mix of smaller‑firm and larger‑firm experience is ideal.
• Hands‑on proficiency in general leader, including cleanup work, reconciliations, and adjusting entries is nice to have.
• Bachelor’s in Accounting; CPA Certification preferred.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, practices, and tax regulations.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Must be a team player as well as be able to supervise junior staff.

The annual base salary range for this role is $100,000-120,000. This range includes the anticipated low and high end of Walter Shuffain’s salary range for this position. Actual compensation may vary based on various factors, including experience, education and/or skill level.