CPA Business Tax Manager - Chicago

Confidential Search | Top-10 Illinois Public Accounting Firm | Chicago Area (Hybrid)

Posted by Sidebar on behalf of our client.

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About the Role

We're conducting a confidential search on behalf of our client, a well-established public accounting, tax, and advisory firm, for an experienced Business Tax Manager or Senior Manager to lead entity and business tax engagements for a middle-market client base. This is a technical, client-facing leadership role: you will review and sign complex corporate and pass-through returns, manage the economics of your own book of business, and develop the staff underneath you. It's a strong fit for someone who wants ownership over engagements and a clear path to Director/Partner, without sacrificing a reasonable schedule outside of peak season.

What You'll Actually Be Doing

Tax Compliance & Technical Review

• Serve as the primary or final technical reviewer on complex federal and multi-state business returns, including Forms 1120 (C-corp), 1120-S (S-corp), 1065 (partnership/LLC), and associated schedules (K-1s, M-1/M-3, state apportionment and composite filings).
• Review consolidated and multi-entity structures, including intercompany transactions, tax basis calculations, and book-to-tax adjustments.
• Calculate and review quarterly estimated tax payments and extensions, and monitor filing deadlines across the client portfolio.
• Research technical issues using the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations, and case law, and draft or review technical memoranda supporting return positions.
• Respond to and resolve IRS and state taxing authority notices, audits, and information requests on behalf of clients.

Tax Planning & Advisory

• Identify and lead planning opportunities for business clients: entity structuring and choice-of-entity analysis, multi-state nexus and apportionment issues, tax credits and incentives, depreciation/cost segregation strategies, and transaction-related tax considerations (M&A, restructuring).
• Model the tax impact of proposed transactions or legislative changes and translate the analysis into practical recommendations clients can act on.
• Monitor federal and state tax law developments and proactively flag relevant changes to clients and engagement teams.

Engagement & Practice Management

• Own the full engagement lifecycle for an assigned client portfolio: scoping, staffing, budgeting, work-in-process (WIP) management, billing, and collections.
• Set and manage realization and profitability targets for engagements, escalating scope or fee issues as needed.
• Coordinate with Directors and Partners on engagement strategy, client risk, and staffing across busy season.
• Leverage tax technology (e.g., CCH Axcess, GoSystem, or comparable compliance and research software) and identify opportunities to automate recurring internal and client workflows.

People Leadership

• Supervise, coach, and evaluate Seniors and Staff Accountants: delegate assignments, review work product, and provide specific, actionable feedback rather than just sign-off.
• Support technical training and on-the-job development of junior team members, and participate in formal performance review cycles.
• Act as a day-to-day point of contact for clients — managing expectations, communicating on technical matters, and identifying opportunities for additional services.

Business Development

• Participate in proposal development, networking, and relationship-building that supports growth of the firm's business tax practice.
• Build internal relationships across service lines (assurance, advisory, outsourced accounting) to identify cross-service opportunities for existing clients.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related discipline; Master's in Taxation a plus.
• Active CPA license required.
• Manager: 5+ years of progressive tax experience in public accounting, including 2+ years in a supervisory or engagement-management role. Senior Manager: 7-10+ years, with a track record of managing multiple engagement teams and a book of business.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience preparing and reviewing Forms 1120, 1120-S, and 1065, including multi-state filings, for middle-market clients (not just large single-entity corporate returns).
• Working knowledge of pass-through entity taxation, state and local tax (SALT) issues, and general business tax planning concepts.
• Proficiency with tax compliance and research software (CCH Axcess, GoSystem RS, Thomson Reuters Checkpoint, BNA/Bloomberg Tax, or similar).
• Proven experience managing engagement budgets, billing, and client relationships — not just technical review.
• Experience directly supervising, training, and evaluating staff.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical tax issues into clear client guidance.

About Our Client

Our client is a top-10…