What does a Senior Tax Manager do?
A senior tax manager is responsible for overseeing an organization's tax responsibilities and ensuring that the accounting processes adhere to the state regulations and local procedures. Senior tax managers evaluate tax documents and prepare tax returns timely and efficiently. They assess the accuracy of tax provisions and implement strategic methods to resolve taxation issues by conducting research on existing tax laws and obligations. A senior tax manager must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in coordinating with clients to inform them of their tax updates and completion.
Senior tax manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior tax manager resumes:
- Prepare and review returns, assist accounting in establishing practices, manage SOX compliance and controls.
- Manage information requests from IRS audit team and participate in discussions regarding audit procedures, propose adjustments and issue resolutions.
- Experience on Onesource, Gosystem and Corptax
- Review all ASC 740/FIN 48 reporting for office.
- Implement OneSource tax compliance software, improving various process initiatives.
- Involve in all aspects of tax accounting: monthly close process, tax provision per ASC 740 and journal entries.
- Handle treasury functions, FX and hedging, divestiture of non-core business assets for resources and mining targets and buyers.
- Participate in development of automate in-house tax provision process which books current and defer taxes to GAAP books automatically each month.
- Perform analysis of the balance sheet of French entities to validate historical defer tax assets/liabilities in consolidate accounts under U.S. GAAP.
- Provide clients with both taxation and acquisition advisory services.
- Create and coordinate an in-house education program regarding corporate taxation.
- Provide tax controversy services by representing clients under IRS examination.
- Perform property inspections of commercial properties and create inspection reports illustrating the physical characteristics of say properties for assessment appeals purposes.
- Conduct tax technical research using databases such as CCH and RIA.
- Research of various insurance and non-insurance tax topics using services such as CCH, RIA, and BNA.
Senior tax manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Senior Tax Managers are proficient in CPA, Client Relationships, and Taxation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Senior Tax Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CPA, 18%
Coordinate and assist in the preparation of Amtrak's Federal Income Tax Return with Amtrak's outside CPA Firm.
- Client Relationships, 7%
Developed and enhanced client relationships.
- Taxation, 5%
Created and coordinated an in-house education program regarding corporate taxation.
- Tax Research, 5%
Supervised federal and state tax research function and managed international tax research function with local counsel/consultants.
- Tax Issues, 5%
Coordinated, researched, analyzed, and prepared memorandums of law on technical federal and international tax issues regularly.
- Excellent Client, 4%
Tax Manager Developed and sustained excellent client service to four accounts, representing $400 thousand in revenues.
"cpa," "client relationships," and "taxation" are among the most common skills that senior tax managers use at work. You can find even more senior tax manager responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior tax manager to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what senior tax managers do because "to assist executives in making decisions, financial managers need to evaluate data and information that affects their organization." Additionally, a senior tax manager resume shows how senior tax managers use analytical skills: "analyzed international distribution operation to minimize subpart f exposures resulting in tax savings of several million dollars per year. "
Communication skills. Many senior tax manager duties rely on communication skills. "financial managers must be able to explain and justify complex financial transactions.," so a senior tax manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways senior tax manager responsibilities rely on communication skills: "prepared and reviewed federal and state income tax and information returns including tax research and planning providing written communication to clients. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for senior tax managers to perform their duties. For an example of how senior tax manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "in preparing and analyzing reports, such as balance sheets and income statements, financial managers must be precise and attentive to their work in order to avoid errors." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior tax manager: "managed detailed review of international tax compliance, including forms 5471, 8858, 8865 and 1118. ".
Math skills. A big part of what senior tax managers do relies on "math skills." You can see how essential it is to senior tax manager responsibilities because "financial managers need strong skills in certain branches of mathematics, including algebra." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical senior tax manager tasks: "developed methods for clients to use software for quantitative tax planning and analysis. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for senior tax manager responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of senior tax managers all the time, as "because financial managers deal with a range of information and documents, they must have structures in place to be effective in their work." An excerpt from a real senior tax manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a senior tax manager does: "prepare leasing tax records documentation and researched local tax entities for accuracy for organizational electronic tax filings and paperless applications. "
The three companies that hire the most senior tax managers are:
- DDeloitte1,026 senior tax managers jobs
- KKPMG LLP407 senior tax managers jobs
- PPwc378 senior tax managers jobs
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Compare different senior tax managers
Senior tax manager vs. Tax consultant
Tax consultants are experts in providing commercially centered tax advice and tax services to wide-ranging clients who function in all sectors of the economy. The work they do involves devising tax-efficient strategies for international and domestic-based clients in various business situations, including takeovers, company merges, and corporate reconstructions. They work continually to help clients ensure that the best business decisions are met. They also monitor and get ahead of possible changes concerning tax legislation and responding fast with guidance specific to their clients' tax requirements.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, senior tax manager responsibilities require skills like "client relationships," "excellent client," "business development," and "state income." Meanwhile a typical tax consultant has skills in areas such as "tax planning," "tax compliance," "strong analytical," and "tax provision." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Tax consultants really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $73,553. Comparatively, senior tax managers tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $100,284.On average, tax consultants reach lower levels of education than senior tax managers. Tax consultants are 8.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior tax manager vs. Tax accountant
A tax accountant is an individual who works with clients to produce tax return documents that follow tax laws and regulations while keeping them updated on their return information. Tax accountants must determine tax strategies for their clients that may minimize or eliminate tax payments while arranging audits with taxation authorities. They prepare tax documents for different clients, including private companies, non-profit organizations, and private individuals. Tax accountants are also required to obtain a bachelor's degree in accounting and should understand business concepts.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that senior tax manager responsibilities requires skills like "client relationships," "excellent client," "business development," and "tax services." But a tax accountant might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "tax audits," "tax compliance," "tax planning," and "local tax returns."
Tax accountants earn a lower average salary than senior tax managers. But tax accountants earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $69,369. Additionally, senior tax managers earn the highest salaries in the finance with average pay of $100,284 annually.tax accountants earn lower levels of education than senior tax managers in general. They're 9.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Senior Tax Managers in the next 3-5 years?
Joseph D. Haley Ph.D.
Professor, Saint Cloud State University
The second item to discuss here, the developing area known as 'insuretech.' Insuretech can be described as the technology being developed to make insurance methods more efficient. For example, maybe Uber and Lyft drivers can buy insurance on a per-ride basis. If developed, such transactions might take place multiple times a day. The coverage purchased more closely matches the exposure. Another example, which is already found a place in the market, is devices installed in cars to monitor insureds driving habits. I think smartphones can be used for this as well. The purpose is, again, to more closely match exposure risk to price. I suspect there are many insuretech ideas out there that I haven't even heard of.
Senior tax manager vs. Investments manager
The job of investment managers or fund managers is to help clients grow their money and achieve their financial and personal goals in life. Investment managers have a variety of responsibilities that often include handling all activities associated with managing client portfolios, monitoring performance measurement and transaction settlement, and determining the best strategy for investments. Also, you will be responsible for providing advice on investments and handling investments and investor decisions with discretion. As an investment manager, you are also expected to offer recommendations about investments.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from senior tax manager resumes include skills like "cpa," "client relationships," "tax research," and "tax issues," whereas an investments manager is more likely to list skills in "private equity," "investor relations," "asset management," and "investment management. "
Investments managers earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $126,046. Senior tax managers earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $100,284.investments managers typically earn similar educational levels compared to senior tax managers. Specifically, they're 2.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior tax manager vs. Finance manager
A finance manager is responsible for monitoring the financial system of a company. Their tasks include handling their organization's financial status, generating cost estimates and budget goals, identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and profitability, improving financial strategies, reducing costs, analyzing account statements, processing invoice as needed, analyzing market trends, searching potential partnerships, and presenting reports. A finance manager must have excellent analytical skills and knowledge of the accounting and financial industry. They are responsible for providing the best recommendations for the organization's growth.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior tax managers and finance managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior tax manager might have more use for skills like "client relationships," "tax research," "tax issues," and "excellent client." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of finance managers require skills like "financial analysis," "customer service," "financial models," and "strong analytical. "
In general, finance managers earn the most working in the finance industry, with an average salary of $118,926. The highest-paying industry for a senior tax manager is the finance industry.finance managers reach lower levels of education compared to senior tax managers, in general. The difference is that they're 7.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of senior tax manager
Updated January 8, 2025
