Business Relationship Manager | Assurance

CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) • Charlotte, NC

10d • Onsite

About The Position

CLA is a top 10 national professional services firm focused on creating opportunities for clients, people, and communities through wealth advisory, digital, audit, tax, consulting, and outsourcing services. CLA is seeking a Business Relationship Manager responsible for maintaining consultative and collaborative relationships with Assurance, Tax, Outsourcing, and/or other designated service leadership to understand and manage their strategic technology needs.

Requirements

• 7 (Seven) years of relevant experience required.
• Accounting and/or IT experience working with Assurance, Tax, and/or Outsourcing software applications.
• Strong understanding of business technology strategy and technology enablement.
• Ability to evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to create business value.
• Experience implementing and supporting business applications and digital platforms.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate complex business and technology challenges.
• Ability to assess business processes and identify opportunities for improvement through technology.
• Experience collaborating across technical and business teams to deliver successful outcomes.
• Exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder management abilities.
• Strong executive presence and consultative approach.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to influence decision-making and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Bachelor's degree required.
• A combination of relevant education, training, and experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting professional services, assurance, tax, outsourcing, or similar business functions preferred
• Demonstrated ability to monitor, evaluate, and interpret emerging technology trends and assess their strategic impact on business operations.
• Working knowledge of software applications and digital platforms supporting assurance, tax, and outsourcing functions (e.g., audit workflow tools, tax compliance systems, client portal technologies, practice management, client-facing applications).
• Advanced capability to analyze complex business-technology challenges, identify root causes, and design scalable, data-informed solutions.
• Proven experience in coordinating across IT and business units to implement technology solutions that align with multi-departmental goals and constraints.
• Ability to assess existing workflows and recommend technology-driven improvements that enhance efficiency, compliance, and user experience.
• Ability to effectively negotiate with and/or foster engagement of key stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with stakeholders, including Assurance, Tax, Outsourcing, and/or other designated service groups.
• Facilitate ongoing dialogue to understand business priorities, pain points, and strategic goals.
• Translate business needs into actionable IT initiatives and ensure alignment with enterprise technology strategy.
• Monitor emerging technology trends and assess their relevance to service line operations.
• Proactively identify opportunities for innovation, automation, and digital transformation.
• Present strategic recommendations to leadership for adoption and integration of new technologies.
• Represent the business perspective throughout the technology initiative lifecycle, from pre-intake and discovery through prioritization, implementation, and closeout.
• Collaborate with IT portfolio, infrastructure, security, and enterprise architecture teams on Solutions initiatives.
• Ensure Solutions initiatives support service line objectives and timelines.
• Serve as a conduit for feedback between business units and Solutions teams to optimize execution.
• Oversee relationships with existing technology vendors supporting Assurance, Tax, Outsourcing, and/or other designated service group functions.
• Evaluate vendor performance against SLAs, compliance standards, and strategic fit.
• Participate in contract renewals, negotiations, and vendor selection processes.
• Continuously scan the marketplace for emerging technologies and competitive capabilities.
• Provide strategic insights and recommendations for adoption of external solutions.
• Establish and nurture relationships with external firms, consultants, and technology providers to expand organizational capacity.

Benefits

• health, dental, vision, 401k and much more

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level