Tax at Distinct | North Wood Dale, Illinois

Tax Manager (or Experienced Senior)

Chicago - Downtown | Hybrid

You're the person clients trust with the bigger picture. But maybe you're not quite getting enough ownership, enough planning work, or enough say in the conversations yet or the support to get there. That's where this role changes things. This independent Chicago firm has been growing and they are building their next layer of talent because of it. This is a growth hire, with a clear path for someone who wants more client ownership, more advisory work, and genuine progression.

The client base is where things get interesting. You'll work with a mix of closely held businesses, high net worth individuals, trusts, and real estate related clients, giving you broad exposure rather than being pushed into one niche area. A lot of the firm's clients have real estate investments or property portfolios as part of their wider financial picture, so if you have some exposure to real estate entities, property investments, or related tax matters, that will certainly help. But this is very much a generalist tax role at its core.

The firm brings accounting, real estate, and insurance expertise together under one roof, which means clients come to you for more than just compliance. You'll be involved in planning, strategy, and day to day advisory conversations, helping business owners and high net worth individuals make better decisions across the bigger picture. You'll manage a varied portfolio covering both compliance and advisory work. One day that might mean planning for a closely held business owner, the next reviewing individual and entity returns, supporting a high net worth client, or advising on the tax implications of a property investment.

What matters most is that you enjoy working with people. You'll be in front of clients, leading conversations, building relationships, and spotting opportunities to add value beyond the return itself. The technical side matters, but how you communicate matters just as much.

The team is around 25 people. It has that smaller firm feel where people know each other, but with real momentum behind it. People take ownership, support one another, and grow with the business.

A few practical bits so you know what day to day looks like:

• Hybrid setup
• Fridays off through the summer
• Real estate exposure is valuable given the client base, but you do not need to be a real estate specialist
• CPA or EA preferred, especially if progression matters to you

If you want more ownership, more planning work, and more direct involvement with clients without losing that close knit firm feel, this could be a really strong next step.

Not sure you meet all the qualifications? Think you only have 70% of the required experience? Perfect - apply anyway. The CPA firms we partner with want diverse, interesting people, not corporate clones stamped from the same tedious mould. Don't overthink it. The worst outcome is a pleasant conversation about your career. The best? Well, that's where it gets rather exciting.