Copy of Senior Manager, Tax Operations

Who We Are

About Sweeney Conrad

At Sweeney Conrad our foundation of people first begins with our employeesbecause we know the success of our firm stems from the relationships within it. We consider our employees family and foster a positive work culture encouraging a healthy balance between work and life; building a career over having a job; continuing education and skill development; and being actively involved in the Puget Sound community where we live work and play.

Were proud of our employees and our culture and have been recognized by Accounting Todayas one of the Best Accounting Firms to Work For and byPuget Sound Business Journal as one of Washingtons Best more information visit .

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 resourcesbest-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 todays industry challenges to reach their full potential. For more information visit .

Senior Manager Tax Operations

The Senior Manager Tax Operations will lead our tax administrative team. This role blends people leadership workflow ownership process improvement and technology enablement. The right person will bring confidence sound judgment and a practical mindsetsomeone who can improve how the department works while building strong relationships with managers team leaders and the Tax Practice Leader.

This role also serves as a member of the Tax Management Team which includes the Tax Practice Leader and the tax team leaders. That means direct access to decision-makers and meaningful influence on department priorities process changes staffing decisions and operational strategy. This position reports directly to the Tax Practice Leader of the Tax Department and is based in Kirkland Washington with an on-site work schedule.

Specific Duties Will Include

• Lead coach and develop the tax administrative team; clarify roles set expectations build accountability create growth and cross-training opportunities and lead the tax intern coaching program
• Own performance management for tax administrative staff including coaching performance reviews compensation decisions and development planning
• Partner with the Tax Practice Leader tax team leaders managers and firm operations leaders to improve the day-to-day effectiveness of the tax department
• Recommend implement document and monitor process improvements across the tax service delivery lifecycle including onboarding organizers engagement letters document flow scanning return assembly and delivery e-filing and other core administrative processes
• Champion change by proactively identifying opportunities to use technology automation workflow tools and AI to improve efficiency consistency visibility and service quality
• Help improve the quality accuracy and reliability of tax department data by ensuring key software systems and databases are properly maintained kept up to date and used consistently across the team
• Drive improvements in tax workflow and scheduling to improve visibility balance workloads and reduce bottlenecks during busy season and throughout the year
• Help reduce administrative burden on tax leaders so they can spend more time on client service technical work staff development and business development
• Support hiring and onboarding within the team including first-day readiness role clarity training coordination and integration into the department
• Identify department-wide and individual training needs and partner with internal and external resources to improve adoption of tax processes systems and best practices
• Lead or support the management of tax technology platforms and vendors including optimization of current tools evaluation of new solutions contract coordination invoice review and better utilization of existing systems
• Help oversee outsourcing processes and support consistent execution across internal and external resources.
• Maintain reporting dashboards and operational tracking tools so leaders can make informed decisions about workload staffing deadlines and process priorities
• Contribute as an active member of the Tax Management Team and help turn strategic priorities into practical executable plans
• Perform other duties as assigned by the department managers

The successful candidate will have

• Bachelors degree in accounting business operations or a related field preferred
• 7 years of leadership operations practice management or tax administration experience in public accounting tax operations or a comparable professional services environment
• Experience with tax workflow document management scheduling e-filing return delivery or practice management tools
• Direct people-management experience including coaching performance reviews and compensation decisions
• Experience overseeing workflow scheduling and resource coordination in a deadline-driven setting
• Demonstrated success improving processes leading change and implementing more efficient ways of working
• Strong people skills sound judgment and the ability to work effectively with managers senior leaders and a wide range of personalities
• A genuine interest in technology automation and AI along with the confidence to evaluate opportunities and help lead adoption
• Effective communication project management and organizational skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook Word Excel PowerPoint and SharePoint
• Demonstrated experience in managing multiple tasks and in organizing and prioritizing work assignments and ongoing duties
• Ability to communicate effectively and timely in writing and verbally with colleagues clients and other external partners
• Ability to work effectively in a diverse team environment

While not required the following skills would be considered an asset

• Certifications: CPA or EA
• Education: MBA or other advanced degree

Benefits:

The pay range for this role is $125000 - $175000 per year. This range includes the anticipated low and high end of the pay range for this position. Actual compensation may vary based on various factors including experience education and/or skill level.

For employees working 30 or more hours per week we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical dental and vision coverage as well as dependent coverage; Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts; and employer-paid life and disability insurance; and a 401(k) plan with employer match. We also provide flexible time off (PTO) and 12 paid holidays.

At Ascend we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all candidates regardless of race color religion national origin gender pregnancy sexual orientation gender identity/expression age marital status disability or any other legally protected characteristic. Ascend hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.