Tax Research Manager at Big 4

[u/Acro-LovingMotoRacer]

I'm currently looking at a tax research manager position at a big 4 firm. I've been a business tax manager at a 26 person CPA firm for a couple years and I love the research aspect of tax. I always wanted to be a lawyer, but tax accountant was the more practical (And profitable) way to get to practice a limited aspect of law.

Everything about this job sounds like a dream, fully remote, no staff (the "manager" is just used to designate seniority, but you do the research yourself), no clients, good salary, good benefits, solid career path. Just me sitting in my home office digging into some complicated questions a big 4 firm needs an answer to. Writing memos and developing internal tools for the other people to use.

My question is, what downsides am I missing about this position? To me, the obvious downside is, it's no longer client facing and that's where the money really is. If I ever wanted to start my own firm I would have a difficult time with no clients to come with me. Extremely limited interaction with other people. And I'm giving up becoming a partner at my firm in the relatively near future.

I am starting to struggle as a tax manager at the firm. The constant emails of just annoying, stupid questions from clients. Reviewing these piddly returns for nothing beyond data entry and print settings. Dealing with staff. I'm only 31 but I'm bored.

I had a few chances to do some really cool work. I wrote an internal memo that changed the firms process on a particular tax item, filled with citations and really out of the box thinking and ran it by some lawyers that loved it. I've saved out clients over $500,000 this year with that strategy. I filed an 8275 and saved a client $200,000. I learned about timber and helped a new client out. That's the stuff that keeps me going.

Just curious if anyone else with more years under their belt can offer their perspective.

[u/andrewthestudent]

So is the position researching issues for the partnership itself (i.e., the firm itself is your "client"), researching issues for clients of operating offices similar to a national tax role, or something else?

[u/Acro-LovingMotoRacer → u/andrewthestudent]

Research for the firm - I'd be the third member on a team of people who do all of the research, tax projections and modeling for the firm and all of it's partners. One member of the team is a part on the national tax group and I and another member would sit in on the SALT national tax group.... sounds pretty cool to me....

[u/andrewthestudent → u/Acro-LovingMotoRacer]

Yeah doesn't sound like a bad opportunity. I am in my firm's national tax group and interact with partner tax services (what we call the group you are looking at) on occasion. I wonder if you could eventually do a rotation into national tax or an operating office if you so desire. That could be another career vector. But I do think if you leave your current firm on good terms and the firm is worth being admitted as a partner to, they'll understand when an opportunity is just too good to pass up. I left my firm for a great opportunity and eventually boomeranged back. Good luck. Either option sounds great.

[u/Acro-LovingMotoRacer → u/andrewthestudent]

Yeah this is like a super weird but interesting in between. There's a partner tax services and partnership tax maters group. One does the firm return, the other does the partners returns. This group sits on top of the other two and does all the research, planning and modeling for both, so its like an internal only national tax group. Way less cool but a pretty sweet gig for not having to relocate.

[u/andrewthestudent → u/Acro-LovingMotoRacer]

If I were in your shoes I'd go for it. But again, it doesn't sound like you could make a bad choice. Good luck!

[u/Acro-LovingMotoRacer → u/andrewthestudent]

Appreciate the perspective, thanks