Senior Tax Associate

Job Description

Job Description

About BW&O CPAs

Beebout, Williams & Olds CPAs is a growing, tech-forward, and mission-driven public accounting firm serving individuals and a range of businesses. We value innovation, team collaboration, and meaningful work.

We're obsessed with:

• Delivering exceptional client service
• Building a team culture of critical and analytical thinking with a growth mindset
• Leveraging technology to work smarter and keep up with the rapidly changing industry

Why this role exists

Our tax practice runs on pods: small teams led by a Tax Manager, senior associates and associates, including members of our global team, each serving a defined group of clients. Seniors are the engine of a pod. You produce the work clients count on, you're the first line of quality, and you're the person associates learn from day to day.

We're growing, and we need senior associates who take real ownership of their returns, their deadlines, their own development, and the people coming up behind them. In return, you get direct on-the-job coaching from your manager, firmwide learning and development programs, and a clear runway toward review and management responsibilities.

This is the role where you grow from preparing returns into shaping them: planning ideas, research, client relationships, and mentoring. If that's the career step you're looking for, keep reading.

One thing to know up front: every technical role at BW&O is on a path to licensure, and stepping into the manager track requires a CPA or EA. Not licensed yet? We'll back you — exam fees reimbursed, bonus when you pass — but you'll have a real timeline, not a someday plan.

Not a task list. Real ownership:

• Prepare returns that hold up. Individual, S corporation, partnership, exempt organizations, and trust returns, prepared accurately and ahead of deadline, with workpapers your reviewer can trust and compliance risk minimized.
• Turn numbers into ideas. Interpret financial data, monitor client trends, and flag tax planning and optimization opportunities for your manager and clients. The best ideas here don't die in a email or meeting — they become paid planning engagements, and you'll see yours get there.
• Do real research. Dig into changes in tax legislation and what they mean for clients, contribute to research projects, and help draft responses to the IRS and other tax authorities.
• Mentor the associates around you. Be the first stop for associate’s questions and help them build their compliance and strategy instincts.
• Build client relationships. Communicate clearly and professionally, anticipate needs, and deliver service that makes clients feel looked after.
• Own your workload. Manage concurrent deadlines and shifting priorities in Karbon, and hit internal firm deadlines (time entry, billing) without being chased. Your numbers — on-time delivery, review notes per return, response times — are visible in Karbon, and you own them.

Your first 90 days

• Weeks 1–2: Get inside our systems: Karbon workflows, prep and review standards, and communication standards. Meet your pod and take your first returns into production.
• By day 30: Carry a full prep workload. Your workpapers are clean, your self-review catches issues before your reviewer does, and your deadlines are tracked in Karbon.
• By day 60: Take on more complex returns, complete your first research project or tax authority response draft, and start fielding questions from junior preparers.
• By day 90: Be trusted with some of your pod's more complex work, actively mentor at least one junior preparer, and have clients who recognize you as a responsive point of contact.

And by month 12:

• Your returns move through review with fewer notes each season
• You're the go-to for associates day-to-day questions
• You've surfaced planning ideas that made it to clients
• You're building the review and leadership skills that point toward the manager track
• You've begun first-pass reviews of associate-prepared returns — the first concrete step on the manager track

Who thrives here

• Intellectually curious. You want to know why, not just which box to check, and you enjoy digging into new legislation and gray areas.
• Accurate and efficient. Strong attention to detail, disciplined self-review, and work that's both right and on time.
• Organized under pressure. You prioritize a fast-paced, varied workload and keep concurrent, shifting deadlines moving without dropping anything.
• Coachable. You take constructive feedback well and visibly act on it. That's how you'll grow here.
• Team-first and professional. You collaborate, keep a professional demeanor with coworkers and clients, and make your pod a better place to work.
• Entrepreneurial. You build relationships naturally, inside the firm and with clients, and you take initiative rather than waiting for direction.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in accounting or finance
• 3–5 years of experience providing tax compliance and consulting services in public accounting, or an appropriate balance of education and work experience
• Eligible to sit for the CPA exam and actively working toward a CPA or EA license
• Strong understanding of accounting and tax rules
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Available to work evenings and weekends during peak tax season on an as-needed basis

Bonus points

• CPA license, EA, or law license
• Advanced degree in tax or accounting
• Intuit Lacerte tax software experience
• Experience with any of the following: affordable housing, Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), HUD, real estate and developers, partnerships, housing authorities, exempt organizations, trusts, or high-net-worth individuals and family groups.

Don't meet every single qualification?

After reviewing this job posting, are you hesitating to apply because you don't meet all the listed requirements? At BW&O CPAs, we are dedicated to building a workplace supported by unique perspectives and experiences, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may still be the right candidate for this or one of our other roles.

• Hybrid schedule anchored to our El Dorado Hills, CA office
• Competitive base salary of $70,000–$140,000, depending on experience. Non-Exempt classification with paid overtime during peak season. 
• Paid time off, holidays, and comprehensive benefits including healthcare, dental, vision, and IRA with employer match
• Direct on-the-job coaching and mentoring, plus firmwide learning and development programs
• Still finishing your CPA or EA? Exam fees reimbursed, plus a bonus when you pass
• A pod structure that gives you real ownership early, with a visible path toward review and management

How to apply

Send your resume and a brief note to View email address on ziprecruiter.com with the subject line "Senior Tax Associate – [Your Name]" . In your note, tell us the types of returns you prepare and give us a specific example of a tax issue you researched and how you resolved it. We read every note, and it's the fastest way to stand out.

About the interview

We move quickly. Our process is two conversations, then a decision.

• Video interview with our COO and Owner. We hit the ground running: an in-depth conversation about our firm, our leadership, and our goals for this position, along with a deeper look at your experience and career goals.
• Second interview with our COO, Owner, and tax managers. We go deeper on your technical expertise and work through situational questions, and you'll meet some of the people you'd work alongside.
• Offer. From there, we're ready to move.

Compensation: $70,000.00 – $140,000.00 per year