Senior Tax Associate

• →Transition from compliance into complex tax advisory — reorgs, estate freezes, butterfly transactions, M&A exits, CRA disputes
• →Be in the room for deal economics and deal-making conversations with clients — not just preparing the work, but shaping the advice
• →Defined path to Manager, with Senior Manager beyond
• →Work across tax, legal, valuation, and US cross-border teams on integrated engagements
• →No traditional busy season — advisory work, not return volume
• →An AI-forward firm that invests in modern tools and workflows

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, working in person in Oakville with a flat structure. When we're working on a deal, the tax team, legal team and valuators are often in the same room solving the problem together.

We're looking for a Senior Tax Associate with a solid compliance background who wants to build advisory depth and grow into a Tax Manager.

If you're a senior associate at a mid-size or large firm and you've been looking for a way into advisory work — this role is built for that transition. You already know how to prepare returns, manage files, and meet deadlines. What we'll add is the advisory layer: how to structure a reorganization, how to think through an estate freeze, how to advise a client through an M&A exit.

To be clear: we don't do accounting, bookkeeping or tax return preparation as a service — our clients' accountants handle that. We keep a small number of returns tied to our planning, and that's where your compliance foundation keeps paying off.

You'll start by preparing — drafting tax planning memos, building technical schedules, preparing steps memos for reorganization transactions. You'll learn new areas of the ITA that compliance work doesn't typically touch, and you'll develop the advisory judgment that comes from working on live transactions. As you grow, you'll take on more responsibility: running files, reviewing junior work, and eventually managing engagements end-to-end.

This is not a step backward. It's a domain transfer into work that compliance doesn't offer, with a concrete path to the title you want — backed by the advisory skills to actually hold it.

What sets this role apart: you'll be part of deal-making conversations. When we sit down with clients behind closed doors to discuss the economics of a transaction — what makes sense, what doesn't, what the real numbers look like — you'll be at the table. You won't just prepare the memo someone else presents. You'll understand why the advice matters, and over time, you'll contribute to shaping it. That kind of access is what most tax professionals at larger firms never get.

You're reliable and thorough — your returns are clean, your files are organized, and you can manage a portfolio of engagements without things falling through the cracks. But you're restless in compliance. You don't need to come in knowing the advisory side of the ITA; we'll teach that through hands-on work. What you bring is the compliance foundation, strong project management, and the hunger to learn something new. You're ready to mentor people more junior than you, and comfortable being mentored yourself on the advisory work that's new to you. Ego doesn't get in the way of learning.

• →Advisory preparation — Prepare tax planning memos, steps memos, and technical schedules for reorganization and advisory engagements — learning the advisory approach by building the work product
• →Cross-disciplinary work — Work across our legal, valuation, and US cross-border teams on integrated planning engagements — you'll see how tax, law, and valuation interact on a deal
• →Deal-making & client strategy — Participate in deal economics discussions and client strategy meetings — understanding the commercial context behind the tax advice
• →Project management — Manage multiple engagement files, timelines, and deliverables simultaneously — coordinating across teams, tracking deadlines, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks
• →Technical problem-solving — Work through the accounting side of reorganization transactions — the journal entries for each step and the issues that come up — and coordinate with clients' external accountants so the books match the plan
• →Tax modeling — Prepare and build tax models — QSBC, CDA, RDTOH/GRIP, safe income, PUC/ACB — developing an understanding of planning implications beyond the compliance calculations
• →Progressive file ownership — Run advisory files with increasing independence as you develop — estate freezes, corporate restructurings, holdco setups, LCGE planning, income splitting structures
• →Team development — Supervise and mentor junior associates as you grow — reviewing their work, providing feedback, training them on technical fundamentals
• →CRA disputes — Support CRA audit defence — drafting responses, organizing documentation, developing strategy with the Tax Principal
• →Practice building — Help build and refine the firm's SOPs, workflow templates, quality control processes, and training materials

• →CPA designation (CA, CGA, or CMA legacy accepted)
• →3–4 years of experience in Canadian tax compliance — returns, reviews, client management
• →Strong project management skills — you can manage multiple files, deadlines, and teams simultaneously
• →In-Depth Tax Course completed, or finishing Year 2 at minimum — we sponsor the remaining years
• →Working knowledge of the Income Tax Act from a compliance perspective — we'll build the advisory interpretation skills together
• →Experience preparing and reviewing T1, T2, and T3 returns and information returns
• →Comfortable with the accounting for complex corporate structures — holding companies, multi-entity groups
• →Ability to review others' work and provide clear, constructive feedback
• →Experience with Taxprep, QBO or Xero, and Microsoft 365
• →Clear communicator — can coordinate with clients, accountants, and team members across practice areas
• →Organized and reliable — you don't drop things and you keep people informed
• →Willing to learn new areas of the ITA and develop advisory judgment — curiosity and humility matter more than existing advisory experience
• →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

• →Defined career path: Manager → Senior Manager — not a waiting game
• →Be in the room for deal-making — not just preparing the work, but shaping the advice
• →Work across tax, legal, valuation, and US teams on integrated engagements
• →Advisory environment — no traditional busy season
• →Direct mentorship from our Tax Principal on advisory work
• →Two weeks' vacation, plus a December break — the office closes for the second half of December (usually about two clear weeks with the statutory holidays)
• →CPA dues and professional development paid
• →In-Depth Tax Course — we sponsor the remaining years if you're partway through
• →Health Spending Account for medical and dental expenses
• →Free on-site parking
• →An AI-forward firm with modern tools and technology
• →Build professional visibility through The Advisors Table podcast and YouTube channel

This is what growth looks like at Cedar — defined roles, not vague promises.

1. 1Senior Associate — You'll prepare tax planning memos, steps memos, and technical schedules with guidance. You'll learn how advisory files are structured, start participating in deal discussions, and work across the legal, valuation, and US teams.
2. 2Manager — You're running advisory files with increasing independence, reviewing junior work, managing client relationships, and contributing to business development.
3. 3Senior Manager — You're leading complex multi-disciplinary engagements, mentoring managers, and playing a significant role in the firm's growth and direction.

The timeline to Manager is performance-based — typically 12–18 months. If you're ready at 12 months, it happens at 12 months. The seat is open and it's yours to earn.

1. 1Resume review — the full team reads every application together
2. 2Phone screen — 15–20 minutes, if there's a fit
3. 3In-person interview — at our Oakville office
4. 4Offer — employment is with Sankalp Jaggi Professional Corporation (SJPC), through which Cedar Group provides its tax services
5. 5References 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