Tax Manager — Remote, California | Pacific Executive Search

Tax Manager

(Job ID: 1920)

Remote, California

Off-Site

Direct Hire

Public Accounting

$120,000 – $160,000 base

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Overview

As a Tax Manager, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the tax strategy and compliance framework of our organization. This position offers an exciting opportunity to drive impactful decisions that enhance business performance while fostering your professional growth in a collaborative and innovative environment. We value flexibility and encourage a culture of continuous learning, ensuring that you have the resources and support to excel in your career.

Responsibilities

Lead the preparation and review of federal, state, and local tax returns, ensuring compliance with all regulations and deadlines.
Develop and implement tax strategies that optimize the organization’s tax position and minimize liabilities.
Manage tax audits and inquiries, providing clear and effective communication with tax authorities.
Oversee the integration of tax considerations in mergers and acquisitions, ensuring seamless compliance and reporting.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to provide tax guidance on business initiatives and operational changes.
Monitor changes in tax legislation and assess their impact on the organization, advising stakeholders accordingly.
Mentor and develop junior tax staff, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and professional growth.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
- CPA certification or equivalent professional qualification.
- 5+ years of experience in tax compliance and planning, with a strong understanding of federal and state tax regulations.
- Proficiency in tax software and ERP systems, such as SAP or NetSuite.
- Experience with revenue recognition principles, including ASC-740.
Nice-to-Have:
- Master’s degree in Taxation or related field.
- Experience with international tax issues and transfer pricing.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across departments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Accounting Manager hires fail?
Because companies hire for close execution when the real need is issue ownership and team leadership. Many candidates can manage a checklist. Far fewer can stabilize the function under pressure, improve weak processes, coach staff, and hold the line during audit, turnover, or reporting stress.
What are strong Accounting Manager candidates evaluating during the interview process?
They are usually trying to understand whether they are walking into a stable environment, a cleanup situation, or an under-resourced function. Strong candidates do not just evaluate title and compensation. They assess whether success is realistically achievable and whether leadership understands what the accounting team actually needs.
Why are SaaS accounting and finance roles different from general corporate roles?
Because recurring revenue models create different pressure points around revenue recognition, deferred revenue, forecasting, metrics, and scale. Even strong general accounting or finance candidates can struggle if they have not operated in an environment where recurring revenue and growth-stage process discipline matter.
Why does ERP experience matter so much in roles like this?
Because many accounting and finance roles are really process-and-systems roles disguised as job titles. A candidate may know the accounting, but if they cannot operate effectively inside the company's environment, ramp time becomes risk. Exact system match is not always mandatory, but comparable complexity often is.
How do strong candidates typically evaluate opportunities like this?
Strong candidates rarely evaluate a role based on title alone. They look at what the position actually owns, how the function is viewed internally, whether the environment is stable or in transition, and what success will realistically look like in the first 6 to 12 months. Many first discover a role through a posting, but the strongest career decisions usually come from understanding the context behind the opportunity, not just the job description. In accounting and finance hiring, that level of context is often what separates a lateral move from a meaningful one. Learn more about how strategic accounting and finance searches differ from transactional recruiting.
Is the CPA really required for roles like this?
Sometimes yes, and often functionally yes even when the posting says "preferred." At leadership levels especially, the CPA frequently acts as a credibility signal for hiring managers, auditors, lenders, investors, or boards. There are exceptions, but in many accounting searches it remains one of the clearest markers of technical foundation.