Tax Manager

Tax Manager
Frederick, MD (Hybrid) | Full-Time | $125,000–$150,000 + bonuses
Before you apply, please read: This role requires US work authorization (we do not sponsor visas) and 3 days per week in our Frederick, MD office for your first 90 days . The final interview is in person. You also need an EA or CPA certification and 5+ years of hands-on US tax experience at a US CPA, EA, or boutique firm .

Who We Are
Spark Tax Services is a boutique proactive tax advisory firm serving high-net-worth clients — W-2 professionals and business owners with $500K+ in income. We don’t file taxes and send a bill. We build strategies, implement them, and stay in our clients’ corner year-round.
Our clients pay us because we save them significantly more than we cost.
We are a lean, remote-first team with members across the US, Perú, and Nepal. We move fast, take ownership, and hold a high standard. We are growing and we need a Tax Manager who is ready to own the tax function — not learn it.

This Role Is Not for Everyone
If you want to review returns and hand them up the chain, this is not the right fit.
If you have 5–7+ years of experience, you know the work inside and out, and you’re ready to run a tax department without someone looking over your shoulder — keep reading.
You will have real ownership here. The founder trusts you with the clients, the team, and the process. That’s not something most firms offer. It’s something you earn here from day one.

The Opportunity
You will own the entire tax function at Spark. That means the prep process, the review process, the client experience, and the team that makes it all happen. The founder steps out of fulfillment entirely — you step in.
This is not a role where you manage a process someone else designed. You will shape how tax is done at Spark, improve it, and scale it as the firm grows.

What Success Looks Like
We hire for outcomes. Here is what you will be accountable for — not a list of tasks, but results.
Phase 1 First 6–9 Months Own the tax prep and review process
✓ Completely own the tax prep process end to end — individual and business returns, managed and delivered without founder involvement
✓ Tax associates report through you — you manage their work quality, deadlines, and professional development
✓ Review comments are clear, actionable, and developmental — zero repeat errors on previously flagged items
✓ Loom video summaries recorded for every delivered return — clients feel informed and valued, not just filed
✓ Quarterly and after-strategy tax projections reviewed and approved within 3 business days
✓ Client tax inquiries researched and resolved — staff drafts, you approve, founder is not in the loop on routine matters
✓ Tax research memos produced independently — clients get clear, actionable answers on complex questions
✓ Tax prep process documented, systematized, and running efficiently — the machine works without you manually pushing it
Phase 1 boundary: client-facing advisory meetings and agency calls remain with the founder while trust is established. This is intentional — not a limitation on your authority.
Phase 2 Months 9+ — Full Ownership Client-facing and strategic
✓ Advisory meetings owned and run independently — founder is not in the room unless he chooses to be
✓ Tax plans created, reviewed, and presented to clients — you handle the full strategy presentation from start to finish
✓ Agency calls handled independently — IRS, state agencies, transcript requests, abatements, elections, notices
✓ Full tax assessment process owned — onboarding call, strategy review, results presentation to the client
✓ Tax department runs as a fully independent function
✓ Year-over-year measurable improvement in prep efficiency, review quality, and client satisfaction
Phase 2 is where this role becomes what it was designed to be. The founder’s goal is to remove himself from fulfillment entirely.
You make that possible.

What You Bring
5–7 years of tax experience in a regional, boutique, or independent CPA firm — you have owned your work, not passed it up a chain
Deep technical knowledge of individual and business returns — 1040, 1120S, 1065, 1120
Experience reviewing staff work and developing junior tax professionals
Comfortable with tax projections, after-strategy modeling, and technical research memos
Experience presenting tax strategies and plans to clients directly — or ready and confident to do so
CPA or EA credential required
Strong communicator in writing and on video — clients will hear from you regularly
You bring solutions. You don’t wait to be told what to do.
We are not looking for Big 4 or national firm experience. Small and mid-size firm candidates consistently outperform here — they own their work from start to finish and know how to figure things out without a support structure doing it for them.

The Role
Reports to: Firm founder
Location: Frederick, MD — hybrid (3 days in office / 2 days remote for first 90 days, then fully remote)
Hours: Full-time, Monday–Friday, US Eastern hours
Tools: ProConnect Tax, TaxDome, Microsoft 365, Loom
Team: You will lead tax associates and collaborate with client success, operations, and bookkeeping team members across the US, Perú, and Nepal

Compensation & Benefits
Salary: $125,000–$150,000 depending on experience
Performance bonuses: tax season bonus paid in April and holiday bonus paid in December, both based on firm performance — new client acquisition, client retention, and strategies implemented
Health reimbursement: $500/month QSEHRA
Paid time off and paid holidays
Paid continuing education and CPA/EA licensing support
Path to full remote after initial 90-day hybrid period

How to Apply
Send your resume and a brief note (3–5 sentences) on why this role fits where you are in your career right now to .
Subject line: Tax Manager — (Your Name)
Shortlisted candidates will complete a brief Loom video screening before any live interviews. Final interview is in-person at our Frederick, MD office

Pay: $125,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year
Benefits:
401(k)
401(k) matching
Continuing education credits
Dental insurance
Flexible schedule
Health insurance
License reimbursement
Life insurance
Opportunities for advancement
Paid sick time
Paid time off
Paid training
Professional development assistance
Vision insurance
Work from home
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Frederick, MD 21704