Tax Managing Director, Private Client Services

BDO USA•Pittsburgh, PA

1d•$150,000 - $350,000

About The Position

Private Client Services at BDO is a boutique practice within our firm. Offering a high touch approach, we have extensive experience serving high net-worth individuals, their families, family offices, C-Suite executives, athletes, entertainers, as well as other people with complicated tax and financial structures. The Private Client Services Practice is experienced in all aspects of estate, income, gift, and trust tax consulting and compliance; charitable giving and philanthropic foundations; executive compensation; and cash-flow, retirement, and life insurance planning. A Tax Managing Director, Private Client Services (PCS) is responsible for utilizing their educational background and professional experience as well as their communication, time management, leadership, technical, business development, and people skills to provide tax compliance and consulting services to their high net-worth clients. They are a critical member of the office/region leadership team. Leads tax and consulting engagements and teaches their team the skills needed to identify and address client needs, tax planning, and consulting opportunities Provides Executive presence and acts as the primary client contact for preparation and presentation of issues and resolution to clients Reviews complex individual, trust, estate, S-Corp, foundation, partnership, and gift tax returns and provides written and verbal feedback to preparers Directs communication with government agencies for matters of the highest complexity Identifies technical issues, conducts advanced tax research, and develops sound recommendations for PCS leadership, clients, and advisors Expands their in-depth understanding of tax concepts and knowledge through client engagements and current tax developments Prioritizes and reviews work to keep engagements on track Utilizes strong analytical, research and critical thinking skills as well as decision-making skills to assist with client needs regarding individual and business decisions Assists with PCS/firm contribution responsibilities including billing, recruiting, attendance, and participation in CPE activities and training Builds new relationships and maintains existing relationships with BDO professionals and external sources

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, required; major in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or Statistics, preferred
Master’s degree in Accountancy or Taxation, preferred
Ten (10) or more years prior experience in accounting, finance, or law, required
Expertise in the private client service area, required
Prior supervisory experience, required
Certified Public Accountant credential, Internal Revenue Service Enrolled Agent (“EA”) credential, Attorney (admitted to practice in a U.S. jurisdiction), or the equivalent of one of these designations, required
Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Suite (specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat, required
Initiative
Owns their own career and technical development; demonstrates self-awareness, actively pursues projects and learning experiences to fill in their technical knowledge gaps
Takes joint responsibility for the success of the practice
Expresses themselves effectively verbally and in writing; takes complex thoughts, synthesizes them into works using clear, concise language, and presents a cohesive narrative
Communicates status to the client in line with the frequencies the client desires; Resolves client service issues in a timely and acceptable manner
Manages and monitors key performance indicators (KPI’s) as established by the business line
Internally, behaves as part of the practice leadership group and is actively involved in practice matters such as recruitment, staff learning and development, scheduling, and retention
Develops an in-depth understanding of the technical and practical issues and opportunities for high net-worth individuals and their families; Has expert knowledge of application of standards; Recognized as industry expert in specialized field of taxation; Use expertise to advise clients on tax implications and recommend alternative courses of action and identify different methods of compliance
Introduces and develops new or improved ideas to improve the position of clients, the Firm, or Firm personnel, e.g., by reducing taxes or expenses or providing non-tax benefits; May be required to present complex strategies to clients and prospective clients
Spends time developing their network of key financial decision makers, referral sources, and recruits
Seizes opportunities for new professional contacts when presented; Actively networks professionally outside of BDO
Supervises, develops and trains employees
Acts as a Career Advisor; meets regularly with advisees, adding/updating goals as appropriate
Delivers holistic feedback to others and advisees about their job performance and career growth; coaches others and advisees to help them develop their careers

Nice To Haves

Experience working in public accounting, preferred
Possession of other professional degrees or certifications applicable to role, preferred
Experience with tax compliance process software (GoSystems, BNA Tax Planner, GoFileRoom, SurePrep), preferred
Experience with tax research tools (BNA Portfolio, CCH IntelliConnect, Checkpoint and Lexis Nexis), preferred

Responsibilities

Leads tax and consulting engagements and teaches their team the skills needed to identify and address client needs, tax planning, and consulting opportunities
Provides Executive presence and acts as the primary client contact for preparation and presentation of issues and resolution to clients
Reviews complex individual, trust, estate, S-Corp, foundation, partnership, and gift tax returns and provides written and verbal feedback to preparers
Directs communication with government agencies for matters of the highest complexity
Identifies technical issues, conducts advanced tax research, and develops sound recommendations for PCS leadership, clients, and advisors
Expands their in-depth understanding of tax concepts and knowledge through client engagements and current tax developments
Prioritizes and reviews work to keep engagements on track
Utilizes strong analytical, research and critical thinking skills as well as decision-making skills to assist with client needs regarding individual and business decisions
Assists with PCS/firm contribution responsibilities including billing, recruiting, attendance, and participation in CPE activities and training
Builds new relationships and maintains existing relationships with BDO professionals and external sources