Job Title: Principal Tax Advisor
Job Description
The Principal Tax & Business Advisor serves as a high-level, client-facing trusted advisor to entrepreneurs, business owners, investors, and closely held businesses. This role owns key client relationships, leads strategic tax planning, and delivers comprehensive business and financial advisory services throughout the year. The position focuses on proactive guidance, helping clients make informed tax and financial decisions before they occur, rather than providing traditional, compliance-only tax services.
Responsibilities
Serve as a trusted advisor and primary point of contact for an assigned portfolio of clients, including business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors.
Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with clients by understanding their business model, financial position, goals, and challenges.
Lead client meetings and proactively bring ideas, questions, and recommendations that drive value and deepen the advisory relationship.
Translate complex tax and financial concepts into clear, practical, and actionable advice tailored to each client.
Coordinate with external professionals such as attorneys, financial advisors, lenders, and other specialists to support integrated client solutions.
Lead proactive tax planning throughout the year, rather than only during filing season.
Develop and implement tax strategies aligned with each clients business and personal financial goals.
Analyze the tax impact of business and investment decisions before they occur and advise clients accordingly.
Advise clients on entity structure, acquisitions and dispositions, owner compensation, depreciation, real estate strategies, estimated taxes, multi-state issues, and other tax planning opportunities.
Prepare and/or oversee tax projections and planning analyses to help clients anticipate and manage their tax obligations.
Stay current on tax law changes and identify new opportunities and risks for clients based on evolving legislation and regulations.
Review complex individual and business tax returns and related work prepared by others to ensure accuracy and identify planning opportunities.
Identify additional planning and advisory opportunities through the tax compliance process and client interactions.
Analyze client financial information to identify trends, risks, and opportunities related to cash flow, profitability, and overall financial health.
Participate in forecasting, budgeting, cash-flow analysis, profitability reviews, and other business advisory projects.
Connect clients financial performance and key metrics to their broader business and tax strategies, ensuring alignment with long-term goals.
Ensure clients receive meaningful insights and actionable recommendations, not just reports or deliverables.
Manage assigned client engagements from planning through completion, ensuring quality and timeliness.
Manage priorities, timelines, deliverables, and client expectations across multiple concurrent engagements.
Coordinate with internal team members to ensure work is completed accurately, efficiently, and on schedule.
Monitor client needs and communicate proactively when priorities, scope, or circumstances change.
Take ownership of client issues and follow them through to resolution, ensuring a high level of client satisfaction.
Identify opportunities to expand services based on client needs, including transitioning from traditional compliance to ongoing advisory relationships.
Participate in proposals, discovery meetings, scoping discussions, and pricing conversations with prospective or existing clients.
Help transition appropriate clients from traditional compliance-focused relationships into more strategic, advisory-driven engagements.
Contribute ideas that improve the firms advisory processes, technology usage, and overall client experience.
Serve as a technical resource to colleagues when complex tax or advisory questions arise, supporting knowledge sharing within the team.
Actively engage in relationship-building activities such as client events, social outings, and informal meetings that strengthen client trust and rapport.
Maintain a strong focus on professional growth and business development, especially in markets where the firm is expanding.
Essential Skills
Active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license.
35+ years of public accounting experience with strong knowledge of federal taxation and pass-through entities.
Proven experience in tax planning and advisory services for business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors.
Strong tax planning and analytical skills, including the ability to evaluate complex scenarios and propose effective strategies.
Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple client relationships, engagements, and priorities.
Proven client relationship management skills, including the ability to build trust and long-term partnerships.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex tax and financial concepts in practical, understandable terms.
Strong organizational, problem-solving, and project management skills, including managing timelines and deliverables.
Experience with business advisory services such as cash flow projections, budgeting, forecasting, and profitability analysis.
Ability and desire to work in a client-facing, advisory-focused role rather than a purely compliance-focused tax position.
Comfort engaging frequently with clients through meetings and discussions, and leaning into relationship-building responsibilities.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
Experience working in a small to mid-sized public accounting or advisory firm environment.
Experience supporting small business owners, real estate investors, real estate agents, restaurant owners, franchises, or similar closely held businesses.
Interest in or experience with business development, particularly in growing or less-established markets.
Ability to identify and articulate opportunities to expand services and deepen advisory relationships.
Comfort participating in discovery meetings, proposals, and scoping and pricing discussions.
Strong interest in continuous learning and staying current with tax law changes and best practices in advisory services.
Ability to contribute to process improvements, technology adoption, and enhancements to the client experience.
Desire to work in a collaborative environment where you serve as a technical resource to colleagues on complex tax and advisory matters.
Job Type & Location
This is a Permanent position based out of Minneapolis, MN.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $135000.00 - $160000.00/yr.
Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.
Can send details as needed.
Job Type & Location
This is a Permanent position based out of Minneapolis, MN.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Nov 21, 2026.
Workplace Type
This is a hybrid position in Minneapolis,MN.
About Aston Carter
Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email astoncarteraccommodation@astoncarter.com (%20astoncarteraccommodation@astoncarter.com) for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.
