Senior Tax Manager - Partner Track

You're the one holding it together. The reviews land on your desk, the client relationships run through you, and somewhere along the way the "manager" in your title started meaning "everything no one else can do." You've earned a partner conversation but you're not having one.

Or you're at a firm that got bought by PE, and the autonomy you were promised quietly disappeared into someone else's reporting line and making partner is looking less likely.

If that sounds familiar, I'm working with a multi-office independent, non-PE-backed CPA firm in San Diego that's looking for an experienced Tax Manager or Senior Manager to run engagements end-to-end - real client contact and ownership from day one, not back-office review work funnelled through a partner.

What makes it different:

• A genuine partner track. The partner you'd work alongside is planning his own transition over the next five years. There's a real book of business and a real succession path for someone who wants to grow into it.
• Actual autonomy. Hybrid on paper, flexible in practice - the partner's view is that you can't fake this work for more than six months, so he doesn't micromanage. At all. Remote-friendly for the right person, as long as you're in Southern California.
• A book worth inheriting. Multinational and multi-state business returns, real estate partnerships, high-net-worth individuals - varied, technical, and a long way from churning standalone 1040s.
• Saner hours. A real middle-market firm with big clients and a small-firm feel. Peak busy season tops out around 60–65 hours; the rest of the year is a standard week.
• Independence as a strategy. No private equity sitting over the top of partner decisions and the firm is deliberately staying that way.

What they're looking for: a CPA with around 10 years in tax, strong on business returns, partnerships (real estate exposure is a real plus) and HNWIs, settled in Southern California, and genuinely motivated by the idea of building toward partnership rather than just landing the next job.

If that's you - or close enough to be worth a conversation - apply or message me directly. No resume needed to start, just a discussion to see if it's a strong fit or not.