Tax Scheduling & Planning Manager

Who We Are

About Ascend

Backed by private equity from people-focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a dynamic platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent while accessing the resources of a Top 25 firm to help them grow. Ascend provides access to growth capital, robust talent acquisition and training, leading quality management resources, best-of-breed technology, AI tools, an offshore captive, shared back-office services, a catalytic leadership system, and modernized equity incentives so that firms can surmount today’s industry challenges to reach their full potential. For more information, visit www.ascendtogether.com .

About Lucas Horsfall

Have you dreamt about a career in public accounting with work-life balance? Enjoying the diversity of clients and the challenging work public accounting offers with the added benefits of professional growth and opportunity for advancement? Have you experienced a culture that is fun and diverse offering an authentic family feel with people that truly care about you and your professional development? Lucas Horsfall is that CPA firm. Celebrating our 68th year anniversary in 2025, we attribute our exceptional growth and low turnover to our appreciation of our people and clients.

The Role

At Lucas Horsfall, a Tax Scheduling Planning Manager oversees the day-to-day operational workflow of the tax department, with primary responsibility for staff scheduling, workload distribution, and process efficiency during peak filing seasons and year-round engagements. This is a senior-level role combining hands-on project operational management with strategic planning to ensure the department meets client deadlines, regulatory due dates, and internal capacity targets.This role will be performed in a hybrid environment out of our Pasadena, CA office location.

Key Responsibilities

Scheduling Capacity Management

Develop and manage the master scheduling system for all tax preparers, reviewers, and support staff across tax season and off-season periods

Coordinate staffing against engagements across offices tax service lines (individual, business, trust estate, international)

Allocate client engagements based on staff capacity, expertise, and certification levels (e.g., CPA, EA)

Monitor real-time workload distribution and rebalance assignments to prevent bottlenecks or burnout

Resolve scheduling conflicts and escalated staffing requests quickly, professionally, and with sound judgment.

Lead weekly staffing calls; communicate assignment decisions clearly and ensure all changes are reflected in the scheduling and practice-management systems.

Operations Management

In Partnership with Head of Tax, design and refine departmental workflows, including document intake, review cycles, and e-filing processes across offices to improve turnaround and throughput.

Establish and track key metrics of projects such as turnaround time, return accuracy, and on-time filing rates to Identify recurring bottlenecks and create efficiency

Coordination Reporting

Coordinate with Tax Professionals, Directors/Partners on resource allocation for complex or high-priority engagements

Facilitate communication between preparers, reviewers, and client-facing staff to keep engagements on track

Prepare, review and monitor regular operational and utilization reports for department leadership; maintain accurate records of engagement status and deadline compliance.

Client Stakeholder Coordination

Serve as the single point of contact for scheduling and capacity questions from the professional staff and partners.

Oversee deadline tracking across the client portfolio to ensure no filings are missed

Coordinate extension filings across offices and triage urgent or escalated client requests

Serve as a liaison between the tax team and other departments (audit, advisory, admin) on shared resources

Compliance Reporting

Maintain accurate records of staff hours, engagement status, and deadline compliance

Prepare regular operational reports for department leadership

Ensure scheduling practices align with firm policies and applicable labor regulations

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, or related field

5+ years of experience in operations, scheduling, or practice management, ideally within an accounting/tax/professional services environment

Proven experience managing projects and complex scheduling systems

Strong proficiency in scheduling/practice management software (e.g., CCH Axcess, Karbon, ProSystem fx, or similar) and Microsoft Office/Excel

Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage competing deadlines under pressure

Preferred Qualifications

Experience specifically within a CPA firm or corporate tax department

Familiarity with accounting, tax season cycles, IRS deadlines, and e-filing requirements

Comfort working with utilization and capacity data to inform resourcing decisions.

An awareness of staf…