Tax Manager

R.D. Barnett • Seattle, WA

4d • Remote

About The Position

Good tax managers connect the details to the bigger picture. They understand the return, recognize what matters to the client, and help their team deliver work they can stand behind. We’re looking for a Tax Manager who enjoys that combination. You’ll lead engagements, build client relationships, review technical work, and coach staff. You’ll also help us improve the processes and systems behind the work. Interested in business development? There’s room for that. Prefer to focus on client service, technical work, and leading delivery? We value that, too. We’ll discuss how your strengths and interests fit the role, with clear expectations about what you’ll own. RDB is growing. You’ll have opportunities to shape how we work, contribute ideas, and take on new responsibilities as your skills and interests develop.

Requirements

• At least five years of public accounting experience, including tax return preparation and review.
• A CPA license, EA credential, or CPA eligibility.
• A bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, economics, or a related field, and/or an advanced degree in accounting or taxation.
• Experience reviewing and/or approving tax returns and supporting workpapers.
• Experience managing client relationships and coordinating multiple engagements.
• Experience developing staff and providing useful technical feedback.
• Experience with client billing, time tracking, engagement budgets, and explaining the value of services.
• A secure, professional remote workspace, dependable internet, and availability for Pacific Time collaboration during agreed working hours.
• Professional references from prior employers, supervisors, or clients.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with UltraTax CS is helpful; strong experience with a comparable professional platform is welcome.
• Comfortable learning and using systems such as Practice CS, Workpapers CS, SurePrep, SafeSend, SharePoint, Notion, Missive, QuickBooks, and Double.

Responsibilities

• Lead the tax work and the client relationship
• Own your engagements. Manage tax compliance and planning for individuals and closely held businesses, with trust, estate, real estate, and other assignments appropriate to your experience.
• Review with purpose. Review returns and workpapers for accuracy, completeness, and sound technical conclusions. Complete complex preparation when needed and give staff clear, actionable feedback.
• Follow the financial trail. Understand how related entities and owner returns connect. Review financial statements, reconciliations, journal entries, basis, fixed assets, and other book-to-tax items. Recognize when the accounting needs attention before the return can move forward.
• Bring recommendations. Research unusual issues, document the facts and authority, and explain your conclusions. Know when a significant position or unresolved question needs partner input.
• Make the client experience better. Explain tax results, planning opportunities, and information requests clearly. Help clients understand what matters and what happens next.
• Manage scope and fees. Monitor engagement budgets, identify additional services, and coordinate approval before making new commitments about work, fees, or timing. Handle billing responsibilities for assigned engagements under firm procedures.
• See the process through. Coordinate with accounting, advisory, and client-service teammates on information gathering, extensions, estimates, e-filing, secure delivery, and outstanding items.
• Develop people and keep projects moving
• Delegate thoughtfully. Match assignments to experience and capacity, explain expectations, and give people enough context to do the work well.
• Make review useful. Explain the reasoning behind your notes, recognize patterns, and help staff become more capable and independent.
• Keep the work visible. Maintain clear project status, ownership, deadlines, and open questions. Raise capacity concerns before the team is in a deadline-day scramble.
• Contribute to the team’s growth. Participate in hiring, onboarding, training, and performance discussions in coordination with firm leadership.
• Improve how we operate. Help document processes, strengthen review standards, and prioritize practical improvements alongside client responsibilities.
• Use technology like you mean it. Make Excel earn its keep. Build and review traceable workpapers, analyze financial information, and use formulas, lookups, pivot tables, and data cleanup appropriately.
• Know what went into the software. Understand and validate current-year activity, carryforwards, fixed assets, and other tax data. Experience with UltraTax CS is helpful; strong experience with a comparable professional platform is welcome.
• Learn the broader workflow. Our work involves systems such as Practice CS, Workpapers CS, SurePrep, SafeSend, SharePoint, Notion, Missive, QuickBooks, and Double. You don’t need to arrive knowing every platform. You do need to be comfortable learning and using them.
• Use AI thoughtfully. Look for responsible ways to improve research, documentation, analysis, and repetitive workflows. Use firm-approved tools, protect client information, verify outputs, and remain accountable for the final work.
• Help others adopt better methods. Test practical improvements, document what works, and coach the team on using tools effectively without weakening accuracy or controls.
• Communicate before people have to ask. Clients and colleagues know where things stand. You surface missing information, risks, scope changes, and deadline concerns early.
• Be inquisitive with a purpose. Ask why, trace issues to their source, and turn what you learn into a practical recommendation.
• Own your work. Mistakes happen. Speak up, correct them, and apply what you learn to the next engagement. Set that example for your team.
• Combine technical depth with practical judgment. Care about the right answer and its implications. Weigh risk, effort, and value when recommending a path forward.
• Care about service and teamwork. Follow through, pitch in when needed, and recognize that making teammates chase you is nobody’s love language.
• Take feedback seriously. Managers keep learning, too. Ask thoughtful questions, apply coaching, and give others direct, respectful feedback.
• Handle change constructively. Processes evolve, technology moves, and the perfect workflow may not exist yet. Help build something better.

Benefits

• Salary of $110,000–$175,000, based on experience, credentials, and agreed responsibilities.
• Remote work within approved U.S. states and localities, with a casual Seattle office option.
• Firm-provided computer and standard technology equipment.
• 22 vacation days per calendar year, prorated based on your start date and subject to applicable firm policy and scheduling requirements.
• 10 paid holidays: six scheduled and four floating.
• Paid sick and safe time using Seattle’s requirements as the firm’s minimum standard, with more protective requirements applied where applicable.
• Two paid volunteer days.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits, with the firm currently paying 100% of employee premiums. Dependent coverage is available at the employee’s cost. Coverage begins the first day of the month following your start date, subject to plan terms.
• A 401(k) match up to 3% of eligible pay, subject to plan terms.
• Continuing education and growth opportunities, including reimbursement for approved certification, licensing, and professional membership expenses.
• Optional participation in the firm’s cell-phone plan under firm policy.
• Personal tax preparation software access and reasonable guidance from firm principals, subject to firm policy.

What This Job Offers

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