Head of Tax

The role

Partnerships and Investment Structuring

• Oversee the tax aspects of family partnerships and investment vehicles with complex economic arrangements, including special allocations,

Section 704(b) and 704(c) matters.

• Review incoming K-1s from fund and direct investments for accuracy, state and foreign filing obligations, and planning opportunities.
• Oversee investment structuring from a tax perspective: evaluate entity selection, holding structures, blocker considerations, UBTI exposure for charitable vehicles, multi-state and New York sourcing, and international reporting, working with senior leadership and the principal’s investment management firm.
• Review subscription documents, operating agreements, and transaction documents for tax provisions and consequences.

Tax Compliance: Ownership and Oversight

• Serve as the individual ultimately accountable for the accurate and timely filing of all federal, state, local, and foreign tax returns and information filings for the principal, family members, trusts, partnerships, and private foundations, including income, gift and GST, and foundation returns.
• Manage the relationship with the Big Four advisor: define scope, set expectations, oversee timelines and deliverables, hold the engagement team to a high quality standard, and evaluate fees and service.
• Direct internal resources in assembling and delivering complete, timely information to the preparers, and own the master tax calendar.
• Perform substantive review of returns and projections before filing: issue-spot, challenge positions, and resolve open items rather than accepting work product as delivered.
• Oversee quarterly and year-end tax projections, estimated payments, extensions.
• Manage responses to notices, inquiries, and examinations from taxing authorities.

Estate and Wealth Transfer Planning

• Serve as the tax lead on estate and wealth transfer planning alongside in-house counsel and outside trusts and estates attorneys, including grantor and non-grantor trusts, GRATs, intentionally defective grantor trusts, GST exemption allocation, annual exclusion gifting, and Crummey administration.
• Model the income, gift, and estate tax consequences of proposed plans and transactions, and translate the analysis into clear recommendations for the principal.
• Oversee trust administration matters with tax consequences, including distributions, loans to beneficiaries, and insurance structures held within the family’s planning.
• Oversee compliance for the family’s private foundation(s), including Form 990-PF, the excise tax on net investment income, minimum distribution requirements, and the self-dealing, excess business holdings, jeopardizing investment, and taxable expenditure rules.

Strategy, Controls, and Leadership

• Proactively identify planning opportunities and risks; monitor federal, state, and international legislative and regulatory developments and assess their impact on the family.
• Advise on residency and multi-jurisdictional matters, including New York State and City exposure and holdings outside the United States.
• Build documented processes, checklists, and internal controls so the tax function is reliable year over year and not dependent on any one person’s memory.
• Supervise and develop the internal team member supporting the function.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, presenting complex tax issues in clear, decision-ready terms.

What you bring

• 10–20+ years of tax experience, with meaningful time at a Big Four or national accounting firm, the tax or private client practice of a leading law firm, a family office, or a private investment firm.
• CPA, JD/LL.M. in Taxation, or equivalent credentials.
• Deep technical knowledge of partnership taxation (including complex allocations), trust and estate income tax, gift, estate, and GST tax, and private foundation rules.
• Experience advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families with complex, multi-entity ownership structures and alternative investment portfolios.
• A track record of directing and critically reviewing the work of outside advisors, including Big Four engagement teams.
• NYS/NYC, multi-state and international tax exposure is a strong plus.
• Strong analytical and modeling skills; comfortable building and reviewing tax projections and planning models in Excel.

Meet most of these but not every one? Apply anyway. A recruiter looks at your whole background.

The package

• Base salary: $250K-$400K
• Annual bonus

The firm

This is a confidential search, so the firm is described rather than named. JSB shares the name in a first conversation.

Ultra High Net Worth Single Family Office