Tax Director (Rochester)

Location: Rochester, NY / Walnut Creek, California (Onsite)

About Elevate: Elevate LLC is a next-generation professional services platform built to partner with entrepreneurial, growth-focused accounting, tax, and advisory firms. Our mission is to empower firms and their leaders by providing capital, operational support, technology, and strategic guidance to help them scale while preserving their independence and culture. A partner firm of Elevate with offices in Rochester, NY and Walnut Creek, California is seeking an experienced Tax Director with a focus on individual and business entity returns. This role will work alongside the firm's Tax Partners to lead and grow the practice within Elevate's broader national platform. This is a high-impact leadership role offering the opportunity to shape the future of the firm's tax strategy, client service, and team development. The ideal candidate has a generalist tax background and is comfortable with tax consulting work in addition to compliance.

Key Responsibilities: Lead and expand the individual and pass-through tax practice, with responsibility for growth, client service, and team leadership. Deliver high-quality tax advisory and compliance services to high-net-worth individuals, family offices, founders, executives, and pass-through entities (partnerships, S-Corps, LLCs).Review complex individual returns (Form 1040), including equity compensation (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs), multi-state filings, and K-1 reporting for founders and investors. Oversee preparation and review of pass-through entity returns (Forms 1065/1120S), partner/shareholder allocations, and capital account maintenance. Advise clients in construction, real estate, professional services, and closely held businesses on complex tax planning, entity structuring, and transaction-related matters. Respond to client inquiries on compliance matters including individual income tax, pass-through entity tax, state residency/nexus issues, and equity compensation tax treatment. Conduct intermediate to advanced tax and accounting research on individual and pass-through issues, including §199A, self-rental rules, and qualified small business stock (QSBS) planning. Develop budgets and pricing, select staff, assign workloads, and prepare management reports. Drive practice growth through expansion of services to existing clients and proactive business development within the firm's core markets, including construction, real estate, professional services, and high-net-worth individuals. Serve as a trusted advisor to individuals and closely held businesses on complex tax issues, wealth transfer, and exit planning. Collaborate with Elevate's leadership team and shared services to leverage technology, innovation, and best practices across the platform.

Qualifications: Active CPA license required.10+ years of progressive experience in individual and pass-through entity taxation, ideally with a Big 4, large national, or regional firm. Demonstrated expertise in pass-through entity compliance (1065/1120S) and complex individual returns for high-net-worth clients. Experience serving construction, real estate, professional services, closely held businesses, and high-net-worth clients strongly preferred. Strong client relationship skills and reputation for delivering exceptional service to entrepreneurs, founders, and high-net-worth individuals.

Work Environment & Hybrid Opportunity: This position is primarily in-office, allowing you to work closely with our team, build strong relationships, and receive the hands-on support and training you need to be successful. We value collaboration and believe that being together in the office is especially important as you learn our technical processes and become familiar with the role. As you establish yourself in the position and demonstrate a strong track record of reliability, performance, productivity, and the ability to work independently, there may be an opportunity to transition to a consistent hybrid work schedule. We're happy to offer flexibility when it works well for both the employee and the needs of the firm.

Compensation & Benefits: Compensation for this role is based on experience and is aligned with market rates. We value our team members and are committed to their success and well-being. As part of our comprehensive benefits and compensation package, we offer:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision plans 401(k) plan
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Firm Holidays
• Discretionary Performance Bonus