Summary:
This individual will review individual, corporate, partnership, fiduciary and estate tax returns including supporting the Firm’s tax research activities. Interview individual and small business tax clients in order to properly plan and complete their annual tax returns. Assist in the organization, planning, evaluation and implementation of estate planning engagements for existing and new clients. Supervise tax personnel and related work flow including estate projects and performance management.
A successful applicant for this position will interact effectively with co-workers throughout the firm. Responsibilities for the Tax & Estate Specialist include:
Research tax issues 20%:
- Electronically research tax issue and prepare position memos to be used during partner/client/IRS review.
- Maintain knowledge of tax code changes, and of accounting procedures and theory in order to properly evaluate financial information.
- Research unique issues and act as a resource for the partners.
- Consult and prepare written analysis of client transactions for tax filing requirements and income tax impact.
- Review staff prepared research memos/letters.
- Develop into Firm expert on Firm tax research software (Checkpoint) including promoting utilization of the Practice Aids to interested users.
- Develop and maintain an internal research document retrieval/storage system for referencing and firm-wide use.
Review tax returns and audit preparation 25%
- Review individual, corporate, partnership, fiduciary and estate tax returns prepared by staff in coordination with existing tax department supervisor.
- Review tax accrual and deferred tax calculations prepared by Accounting and Audit staff.
- Review filed tax returns in order to determine whether claimed tax credits and deductions are allowed by law.
- Review selected tax returns in order to determine the nature and extent of audits to be performed on them.
- Conduct independent field audits and investigations of income tax returns in order to verify information and/or to amend tax liabilities.
Project Management Duties 10%
- Supervise workflow in tax department including delegation of assignments to balance staff workload and related reporting to a partner.
- Organize and develop guidelines, systems for communication and filing documentation practices, a coding referencing system, and systematic checklist procedures. .
- Be a staff mentor and provide staff with a resource for questions including technical, procedural and professional issues.
- Conduct orientation sessions and arrange on-the-job training for new hires and training and personal development classes for staff members in coordination with existing tax department supervisor.
- Supervise tax filing deadlines and assure proper extension preparation including a monthly reporting to the partners of extensions.
- Assist in developing/implementing/monitoring tax quality control policies and procedures.
Interview and compile information for tax returns 10%
- Prepare more complex individual, corporate, partnership, fiduciary and estate tax returns.
- Collect tax information from individuals or businesses according to prescribed laws and regulations during a tax interview to properly prepare the tax file for tax preparation.
- Confer with taxpayers or their representatives in order to discuss the issues, laws, and regulations involved in returns, and to resolve problems with returns.
- Contact taxpayers by mail or telephone in order to address discrepancies and to request supporting documentation.
Communications and tax department growth 10%
- Create and deliver tax presentations to partners, clients and staff.
- Facilitate briefing of tax and A&A staff to keep Firm abreast of new tax issues.
- Help maintain the Firm’s corporate image and identity inside and outside the Firm to increase sales for the tax department.
Estate Planning and Financial Advisor Assistance 25%
- Coordinate and provide assistance to the Firm’s estate planning consultant and project manager.
- Meet with prospective clients to evaluate their estate planning needs.
- Assist in development of an estate planning strategy that meets the client’s objectives in the most tax advantageous means possible.
- Collect tax information from individuals or businesses according to prescribed laws and regulations during a tax interview to properly prepare the tax file for tax preparation in accordance with the estate plan.
Education/Experience:
- Four year accounting degree with active CPA licensure preferred with a Master’s of Taxation degree a plus.
- Minimum five years of experience in taxation with knowledge in developing departmental systems and managing people.
Knowledge:
- Law and Government: Knowledge of tax laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process, especially in high level corporate taxation, partnership taxation, and unique tax issues for multiple state filers.
- Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar
- Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra statistics, and their applications.
- Software: Knowledge of tax research software and tax preparation software.
- Clerical: Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology including use of Microsoft Office Suite of products
Abilities:
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Oral & Written Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences and presented in writing.
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Speech Clarity & Recognition: The ability to communicate information and ideas clearly so others can understand you and identify and understand the speech of another person.
Skills
- Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
- Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
- Sales: Ability to sell yourself and to sell the firm to others in order to generate sales for the tax department
Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Office setting, telecommuting and flexible work environment potential.
This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.
Are you progressive and forward thinking? Review our current positions available and submit your resume to [email protected] .
