Tax Principal - Dealer Services

Baker Tilly•Seattle, WA

About The Position

Baker Tilly is hiring a Tax Principal for its Dealer Services practice to help grow the Seattle and broader Pacific Northwest market. The role provides federal tax compliance and consulting services to dealership owners, dealer groups, and related businesses, while building client relationships and expanding the practice. The principal will work with firm leadership and associates, serve as a business advisor, and mentor and coach staff. Baker Tilly’s Dealer Services practice serves more than 1,500 dealership clients and is supported by over 90 dedicated professionals with more than 100 years of industry experience. Its focus includes automotive, motorcycle, recreational vehicle, trucking, powersports, heavy equipment, and marine dealerships. The position will leverage this national platform and its multidisciplinary resources to expand dealership-focused tax services throughout the Pacific Northwest. The role includes advising dealership clients on federal tax compliance and planning, technical tax matters, business transactions, entity structuring, succession planning, and operational improvements. The principal will also manage engagement staffing and profitability, develop new business, contribute to practice strategy and market positioning, collaborate with other service lines, and support the professional development and recruitment of team members. Work location requirements should be discussed with a Baker Tilly talent acquisition professional.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
CPA or JD required.
15 or more years of experience providing federal tax compliance and consulting services in a professional services firm; relevant industry experience is considered.
Significant experience serving automotive dealerships, dealership groups, or related dealer services businesses, with strong understanding of their tax and business considerations.
Five or more years of supervisory experience, including mentoring and counseling associates.
Demonstrated success developing new business, expanding client relationships, and contributing to tax practice growth.
Strong technical knowledge of federal taxation for corporations, partnerships, S corporations, and closely held businesses, including dealership-specific planning involving inventory accounting, LIFO, accounting methods, depreciation, and entity structuring.
Demonstrated management, analytical, organizational, interpersonal, project management, and communication skills.
Ability to lead and supervise others, provide exceptional client service, maintain current knowledge, understand both strategic context and details, demonstrate ethical commitment, and ensure quality and timely project completion.
Ability to serve as a trusted advisor to dealership owners and senior executives and translate complex tax matters into practical business recommendations.
Strong professional presence, established industry credibility, and ability to represent Baker Tilly effectively in the dealership community.
Highly developed software and Microsoft Suite skills.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or advanced degree.
Established relationships with dealership owners, dealer groups, industry executives, and professional referral networks in Seattle or the broader Pacific Northwest.
Experience advising dealership clients on mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, ownership transitions, and complex tax planning matters.

Responsibilities

Lead client relationships and provide federal tax compliance and consulting services to dealership owners, dealer groups, and related businesses throughout Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.
Advise dealership clients on day-to-day tax matters, including corporate and flow-through taxation, accounting methods, inventory accounting, LIFO, capitalization policies, depreciation, and fixed assets.
Research tax matters, respond to IRS and other tax authority inquiries, and make recommendations to clients.
Coordinate with specialty tax practices on state and local, high-net-worth, international, research and development, credits, and incentives matters.
Oversee federal and individual tax planning and review complex tax research related to business transactions, including dealership acquisitions, dispositions, restructurings, and ownership transitions.
Advise dealership owners and management teams on entity structuring, succession planning, shareholder transactions, wealth transfer, and other strategic tax matters.
Recommend business and process improvements using knowledge of client operations, objectives, dealership benchmarking, and advisory resources.
Manage engagement staffing, billings and collections, and client profitability targets.
Network and build internal and external relationships to acquire clients, projects, and revenue; participate in proposals and expand the Dealer Services practice in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.
Participate with service-line leadership in developing tax market positioning, branding, strategy, and messaging, collaborating with Seattle leadership and the national Dealer Services team.
Develop relationships with dealership owners, dealer groups, industry executives, referral sources, and dealership industry associations to identify business opportunities.
Collaborate with assurance, transaction advisory, state and local tax, risk advisory, cybersecurity, and other specialty professionals to deliver integrated client solutions.
Support dealership clients through mergers and acquisitions, ownership transitions, and other significant business transactions in coordination with transaction advisory and specialty tax professionals.
Invest in professional development through individual efforts and firm-wide learning and development programs.
Support team-member growth under Baker Tilly’s Care and Teach philosophy, help associates meet professional goals, and support recruitment.
Demonstrate leadership, initiative, teamwork, and high ethical standards.
Represent the firm at community events, firm functions, meetings, dealership industry conferences, professional associations, and networking events throughout the Pacific Northwest.