Head of Tax

Published: 6/14/2022

Job Description

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Head of Tax is the subject matter expert and accountable leader for Arcadia's tax practice, responsible for the technical quality, day-to-day execution, people leadership, workflow discipline, and client delivery of the function. Executive leadership establishes the broader strategic direction for Tax; the Head of Tax reports to the Director of Operations and brings the tax-practice expertise required to execute that direction, operate the function, develop the team, and maintain a high standard of technical and operational performance.
Arcadia's tax practice is primarily focused on individual income tax returns, with a smaller volume of small-business and related entity returns. Most returns are intermediate in complexity, with a limited number of more complex matters. The Head of Tax must have substantial hands-on tax preparation and review experience and enough depth to independently resolve technical questions, review complex work, and step into preparation when necessary. This position partners closely with Arcadia's Financial Planners, who own the broader advisory relationship and proactive client tax-planning process. Tax provides preparation, technical expertise, execution, and collaboration on strategies developed with Planning.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Tax Practice Ownership & Filing-Season Execution

Own the day-to-day operation of the tax practice, including workflow, return status, deadlines, extensions, client assignments, reviewer capacity, and escalation of risks.
Establish clear operating expectations, process discipline, documentation standards, and accountability across the tax team.
Maintain visibility into workload, capacity, open items, client commitments, and filing requirements and surface concerns early.
Own successful filing-season execution and ensure the department is prepared, organized, and appropriately resourced throughout peak periods.

Technical Tax Knowledge & Quality Control

Serve as Arcadia's primary tax subject matter expert for the preparation and review of individual and small-business tax returns.
Review returns for technical accuracy, completeness, consistency, and compliance; prepare returns directly when needed to support bandwidth, resolve difficult matters, or maintain technical involvement.
Research and resolve federal and state tax questions and provide practical technical guidance to team members and clients.
Establish and maintain effective review and quality-control standards; identify recurring errors or root causes and translate findings into process or training improvements.

People Leadership & Team Development

Lead, coach, develop, and hold tax team members accountable for quality, productivity, communication, deadlines, and follow-through.
Assess technical capabilities and skill gaps, provide timely feedback, and coordinate training and development to strengthen the team's performance over time.
Delegate work based on complexity, experience, and capacity while maintaining clear ownership and review expectations.
Address performance or execution concerns directly and partner with the Director of Operations and People team when additional support or formal accountability is needed.

Client Experience & Cross-Functional Partnership

Communicate confidently and professionally with tax clients, including difficult, disappointing, or technically complex conversations.
Serve as a senior escalation point for client questions, notices, errors, or service concerns and ensure issues are resolved with appropriate urgency and ownership.
Collaborate with Arcadia's Financial Planners, who own the client advisory relationship and proactive tax-planning process, by providing technical tax expertise and execution support.
Evaluate AFG-generated tax referrals and prospective client inquiries for fit and service needs; support appropriate onboarding and assignment of accepted clients.

Practice Performance & Continuous Improvement

Recommend and implement operational improvements within the established strategic direction of the department.
Support a scalable and financially sound tax operation through disciplined workflow, appropriate delegation, strong quality control, and thoughtful use of resources.
Remain current on relevant tax law and filing changes and ensure the team is prepared to apply them accurately and consistently.

QUALIFICATIONS

Extensive progressive experience in tax preparation and review, with deep practical knowledge of individual income tax and meaningful experience with small-business and related entity returns.
Demonstrated experience operating within a tax practice and managing the demands of filing season, including workflow, deadlines, review, client communication, and competing priorities.
CPA strongly preferred; Enrolled Agent required or comparable technical depth and demonstrated tax expertise may be considered based on overall experience.
Demonstrated people-leadership capability. A lengthy management tenure is not required; candidates with a few years of direct management or meaningful team-leadership experience may be considered when paired with exceptional tax-practice expertise, judgment, accountability, and leadership potential.
Strong technical research, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to independently resolve tax questions and make sound decisions.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain tax matters clearly and navigate difficult client or team conversations.
High level of ownership, follow-through, process discipline, attention to detail, and willingness to surface risks or problems early.
Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field preferred.

SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

The tax practice is technically reliable, organized, and prepared for filing season, with clear ownership and visibility into work at every stage.
Returns are reviewed consistently and recurring errors, bottlenecks, and quality concerns are identified and addressed at the root-cause level.
Tax team members understand expectations, receive meaningful technical coaching, and are held accountable for quality, communication, deadlines, and follow-through.
Client issues and difficult conversations are handled confidently, promptly, and with appropriate ownership.
Financial Planners have a trusted tax subject matter expert who can evaluate technical questions and support the accurate execution of client tax strategies.
Executive and operational leadership receive early visibility into capacity, client, quality, or process risks rather than learning about issues after deadlines or service failures.
The Head of Tax becomes operationally independent in the function while executing within Arcadia's established strategic direction.

Benefits:

We believe in taking care of the people who take care of our clients. Our benefits are designed to support your well-being, growth, and work-life balance, including:

Annual salary range $140,000-$160,000 depending on experience
employer-premium paid health, dental, and vision insurance
Unlimited paid time off (PTO) and flexible scheduling
Short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance — fully covered
401(k) retirement plan with 4% company match
Quarterly clothing allowance to look and feel your best
Professional development and continuing education opportunities
Collaborative, people-first culture that values innovation and accountability
Engaging workplace perks, including team events, community-focused volunteer initiatives and more