Lead, Special Projects

Cynch AI•Santa Cruz, CA

3d•$95,000 - $125,000•Hybrid

About The Position

At Aardvark Tax Advisors, the client comes first. The firm provides tax, accounting, and advisory services to small businesses and entrepreneurs. As the accounting and client services practice of Cynch AI, Aardvark uses proprietary AI to reduce routine tasks so employees can focus on higher-value client work, while remaining accountable for outcomes. Reporting to the Managing Director and supporting the executive team, the Lead, Special Projects helps keep the practice running smoothly by taking ownership of problems, driving them through resolution, and freeing leadership to focus on its priorities. The role combines a broad, chief-of-staff perspective with hands-on execution. Work varies week to week and may involve insurance renewals, acquisition diligence, or preparing the practice for tax season. The successful candidate is expected to tackle unfamiliar problems, find solutions, and create processes that make recurring work easier. The practice is growing organically and through strategic acquisitions, with defined expectations and advancement criteria at each level. Performance-based opportunities for greater responsibility and equity are available over time.

Requirements

3–7 years of experience in a fast-paced role such as operations, consulting, banking, a startup, or a professional services firm.
A track record of owning messy, ambiguous projects from start to finish.
Strong analytical skills and comfort using AI tools in day-to-day work.
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
Ability to take initiative, stay organized while managing multiple threads, learn quickly, ask good questions, find needed people or information, and communicate clearly.
Ability to handle confidential deal, client, and company information discreetly.

Nice To Haves

Experience at a CPA, tax, or accounting firm.
Exposure to M&A, due diligence, or post-acquisition integration.
Experience with business insurance, vendor management, or HR operations.

Responsibilities

Translate team priorities into written long-term plans with owners, milestones, and budgets, such as season-readiness work-back plans, hiring plans, and integration roadmaps, and track progress.
Investigate practice needs related to capacity, staffing, systems, workflow, and client experience; gather data and input from the team and develop clear recommendations.
Run the operating rhythm by preparing agendas and pre-reads, capturing decisions and action items, and following up until they are completed.
Work with practice managers to unblock projects and turn one-off fixes into documented, repeatable processes.
Take ownership of special projects without an existing owner, which may include acquisitions, data analysis, vendor contracts, licensing and registrations, and policy and procedure development.
Own a running list of priorities, resolve lingering issues, and help the team manage projects and operational items.