Senior Tax Specialist

Senior Tax Specialist

Senior Tax Specialist opportunity in the San Francisco Bay Area with a highly trusted, discreet family-office environment known for stability and long-term relationships. This is an ideal fit for a Senior Tax Accountant or Tax Accountant who enjoys owning Individual Tax and Partnership Tax work end to end, especially with High-Wealth clients, trusts, and Private Equity K-1 complexity. If you come from Big 4 or a strong public accounting background and want variety, autonomy, and a team that values quality, the Senior Tax Specialist role will feel like a true upgrade.

In this family-office setting, the Senior Tax Specialist supports a growing tax function within an organization that manages sophisticated tax matters for high-net-worth families and related entities. The work is governance-driven and deadline-sensitive, with a strong focus on compliance, technical research, and proactive planning across Individual Tax, trusts, and pass-through structures that generate K-1 reporting, including Private Equity activity. Reporting is straightforward: the Senior Tax Specialist reports directly to the Manager of Accounting and collaborates closely with accounting staff, external advisors, and third parties to gather source data, reconcile details, and deliver accurate federal and state filings. The Senior Tax Specialist also partners cross-functionally to keep workflows organized, elevate review quality, and ensure the tax calendar stays predictable for clients and the internal team.

Picture a place where your career as a Tax Accounting Specialist can grow alongside an economy that rewards financial talent, innovation, and professional networks. Your weekends can include coastal hikes, iconic food scenes, museums and live music, and easy access to wine country and national parks. The area also offers top-tier universities, continuing education, and a deep bench of CPA and finance communities that make it easy to keep learning and stay connected. For a Senior Tax Specialist who values both career momentum and lifestyle, it is hard to beat the balance of opportunity and everyday quality of life.

Primary Responsibilities

• Drive the full Individual Tax and entity compliance calendar, coordinating estimated payments, extensions, and timely filings across federal and multi-state requirements.
• Prepare and, as experience grows, review complex returns for individuals, trusts, and partnerships, including pass-through reporting and Private Equity K-1 tie-outs.
• Translate messy source data into clean, audit-ready workpapers, collaborating with accounting staff and outside parties to obtain complete and accurate tax packages.
• Lead tax notice resolution by communicating with taxing authorities, drafting responses, and documenting outcomes with crisp, client-ready correspondence.
• Research technical issues, summarize implications, and propose practical resolutions that balance compliance, risk management, and client objectives.
• Strengthen the tax function's operating rhythm by improving checklists, standard work, documentation, and internal controls around recurring deliverables.
• Support team capacity planning during peak cycles by prioritizing workloads, coordinating filing logistics, and helping the group deliver consistently high-quality output.
• Build trusted relationships through clear communication, proactive follow-up, and a service mindset that elevates the Senior Tax Specialist as a key advisor.

Preferred Experience and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field, with a Master's and/or CPA credential strongly valued for the Senior Tax Specialist track.
• 2+ years of public accounting experience in a Senior Tax Accountant or Tax Accountant capacity, with comfort owning deliverables and juggling deadlines.
• Hands-on exposure to Individual Tax, trust filings, and Partnership Tax work, including pass-through entities and at least some experience working with K-1 detail.
• Familiarity with High-Wealth and complex client profiles, including Private Equity K-1 packages, multi-state considerations, and nuanced document gathering.
• Strong technical curiosity and research habits, with the ability to turn tax rules into clear recommendations and defensible positions.
• Confidence working independently while also collaborating smoothly, especially when coordinating information across clients, internal accounting, and third parties.
• Comfort with modern tax workflows and tools, ideally including CCH Axcess, Planner CS, Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Office, plus the ability to learn new systems quickly.
• A quality-first mindset: you spot issues early, keep workpapers organized, and elevate the Senior Tax Specialist standard for accuracy and client experience.

Benefits and Compensation

• Competitive salary for the Senior Tax Specialist, aligned to education, credentials, and prior tax experience.
• Robust paid time off program that supports vacation, sick time, and consistent recharge throughout the year for the Senior Tax Specialist.
• Comprehensive holidays schedule to help the Senior Tax Specialist plan time away with confidence.
• Medical and dental coverage with 100% of employee premiums paid, plus meaningful support toward spouse and dependent coverage.
• Employer-funded Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) to offset qualified medical expenses such as premiums, copays, and deductibles.
• Pension plan that rewards tenure, with full vesting after five years of service for the Senior Tax Specialist.
• 401(k) plan available for self-directed investing and long-term planning.
• Flexible daily start time and short Fridays most weeks, with a clear seasonal ramp in the autumn busy period that the Senior Tax Specialist can plan around.