Senior Tax Manager

• →Lead the practice day to day — the hardest files, the team and the standard of the work
• →Be in the room where decisions get made — founders deciding whether to sell, valuators defending a number, lawyers and US advisors working the structure with us
• →Complex advisory work — reorganizations, s.55(2), amalgamations and wind-ups, cross-border, M&A, tax modelling and CRA disputes
• →Help build what comes next — the team, the standards, and how the practice grows
• →Four weeks' vacation, plus a December break — the office closes for the second half of December

Cedar Consulting Group is a boutique tax, legal and valuation advisory firm in Oakville, Ontario, founded in 2020. We advise entrepreneurs, high-net-worth families, family offices and larger businesses — up to $800M companies and publicly traded REITs — on reorganizations, estate and succession planning, M&A, CRA disputes, cross-border structuring and valuations.

We're a team of 17 across tax, legal, valuation and US cross-border, and the practice is growing: more cross-border work, larger transactions, and the hard problems other accounting firms bring to us when they're stuck. Tax, legal and valuation sit at the same table, and most of our best work happens there.

We're hiring a Senior Tax Manager to lead our Oakville tax practice day to day — the hardest files, the team, and the standard of the work.

Our team is strong and growing, with associates who are hungry to learn and new managers joining. What they need is a senior person in the room every day: someone who sets the standard, reviews the hardest work, and makes the calls that keep files moving.

Our Tax Principal sets the strategy on every file and signs off before anything goes to a client. You'd lead everything in between across the practice: second review of the managers' work, the hard technical and judgment calls, the closing calendar, and the working relationships with clients' lawyers and accountants. When the facts change partway through, you work out what it means and bring the Tax Principal a recommendation.

The work is broad. Reorganizations and estate freezes, s.55(2) and safe income, amalgamations and wind-ups, inbound and outbound cross-border planning, M&A from due diligence to closing, tax modelling, CRA disputes, and second opinions for other accounting firms. You'll know most of it already, and where you don't, you'll know how to get to a defensible answer.

What we don't do: accounting, bookkeeping or tax return preparation as a service — our clients' accountants handle that. What we do is stay with the planning we put in place: after a reorganization, many clients keep us on to maintain it.

Here's what's different. At a larger firm, a senior manager usually owns one slice of a deal. Here you'll be in the room when a founder decides whether to sell, when the valuator defends the number, and when our lawyers and US tax team work through the structure with us — and you'll help shape the answer, working directly with our Tax Principal.

A word on the pace. The work is mentally demanding: several complex files at once, real deadlines, and stakes that matter to the families and businesses we advise. Most reorganizations run to dates we agree with the client, and we track them against a monthly closing target. M&A runs on the deal's clock: when a deal is live, it can take over the week, and the other files still have to keep moving. Some clients are in other time zones, so the occasional early or late call comes with the job. Unlike most tax practices, there's no January-to-April crunch. The busy weeks follow the deals, not the calendar. It suits someone who enjoys the juggle and likes the push when a deal is closing.

Not everyone arrives ready for all of it, and that's fine. For an exceptional candidate, we'd rather start you in the role and close the gaps with a clear 90-day plan and real support than wait for a perfect resume. What we can't teach is temperament: steady under pressure, comfortable making the call, and owning the result.

• →Lead the complex files — Lead our most complex reorganizations and transactions from steps to closing, under the Tax Principal's strategy and sign-off
• →Second review — Review the managers' and associates' work for technical soundness and defensibility before it goes to the Tax Principal
• →Make the hard calls — Be the escalation point for technical and judgment questions, so the team isn't waiting on the Tax Principal for routine decisions
• →Own the closing calendar — Own the closing calendar for our reorganizations. Admin support and our tracking tools handle the logistics and follow-ups; you run a short weekly status with the team, spot the files at risk early, and make the calls that keep the monthly closing targets on track
• →Lead and develop the team — Set clear expectations for managers and associates, give feedback that sticks, and help us hire and keep good people
• →Coordinate the outside team — Work with clients' lawyers, valuators and accountants so the legal documents, the elections and the books match the plan
• →Client relationships — Be a senior point of contact for key clients and their advisors, and handle the difficult conversations calmly
• →Raise the standard — Own our review standards, templates and checklists so quality doesn't depend on who's on the file

• →CPA designation (CA, CGA, or CMA legacy accepted)
• →8+ years in Canadian tax, most of it planning and advisory work
• →CPA In-Depth Tax Course completed, or a Master of Taxation (MTax)
• →Strong command of the reorganization and planning rules: s.85, s.86, s.51, s.87 and s.88 (including the bump), s.84.1 and s.84(3), s.55(2) and safe income, PUC and ACB, QSBC and the capital gains exemption, the CDA and RDTOH, s.7 stock options, and estate freezes and trusts — attribution, TOSI and the 21-year rule
• →You can work through a fact pattern you haven't seen before and land on a defensible answer. No two of our files are alike, and the rules rarely come one at a time
• →Hands-on M&A experience — tax due diligence, pre-sale reorganizations, deal structuring. Exposure to foreign affiliates and surplus is a strong asset
• →Experience leading a team — reviewing their work, developing them, and owning their output
• →Strong project management across a portfolio — you keep many files moving toward firm deadlines and communicate status before anyone has to ask
• →An owner's mindset: steady and self-directed — you own outcomes, make decisions, and raise issues early
• →Clear, calm communicator who can hold a room with clients, lawyers and valuators
• →In the office every day. Our office isn't reachable by transit, so a valid driver's licence and your own vehicle are required. Open to candidates relocating closer to Oakville

• →Four weeks' vacation, plus a December break — the office closes for the second half of December (usually about two clear weeks with the statutory holidays)
• →Performance bonus, plus a team bonus tied to closings
• →CPA dues and professional development paid
• →Health Spending Account for medical and dental expenses
• →Free on-site parking
• →Work directly with our Tax Principal
• →No January-to-April tax-season crunch
• →Build professional visibility through The Advisors Table podcast and YouTube channel

Where this role goes — defined roles, not vague promises.

1. 1Senior Tax Manager — You lead the team day to day, own review standards across the practice, and take on key client relationships.
2. 2Firm leadership — As the firm grows, a path into firm leadership — and for the right person, partnership — set out case by case.

We'll agree what success looks like in your first 90 days. Beyond that, the role grows as the firm does.

1. 1Resume review — within two business days
2. 2In-person interview — at our Oakville office, about two hours — meet the team and work through a short review exercise with us
3. 3Offer — within two business days of the interview. Employment is with Sankalp Jaggi Professional Corporation (SJPC), through which Cedar Group provides its tax services
4. 4References and checks — once you've signed: two professional references, including someone who has supervised your work, and a criminal record and background check. The offer is final when these are complete