The Practice Area Manager serves as the embedded operational business partner to an assigned Tax Practice Area Leader. This role uses financial and operational information to drive disciplined execution, remove obstacles, coordinate resources, and ensure timely follow-through across the practice area. The Practice Area Leader owns business results and partner performance; the Practice Area Manager owns operational monitoring, first- and second-level follow-up, hands-on support, and escalation.
This is an operating role, not executive administrative support. The successful candidate will bring public accounting credibility, strong business judgment, financial fluency, discretion, and the ability to influence partners and senior leaders without direct authority.
Job Responsibilities
- Monitor key operating and financial measures, including time entry, billing, work in process, accounts receivable, realization, write-downs, utilization, leverage, capacity, and performance against budget.
- Turn dashboards and reporting prepared by Business Performance & Insights and Finance into clear priorities, practical recommendations, and documented follow-up for Practice Area Leaders, Cluster Leaders, partners, and Project Delivery Leads.
- Conduct first- and second-level follow-up on operational expectations; identify barriers, coordinate hands-on assistance, track commitments, and escalate persistent or material issues to the Practice Area Leader.
- Coach partners and Project Delivery Leads on administrative and operational expectations while preserving formal performance management for the Practice Area Leader.
- Maintain a weekly operating cadence with the Practice Area Leader and provide office- or cluster-level reporting and feedback where applicable.
- Coordinate with Resource Management to execute workforce strategy, address scheduling friction, monitor capacity and leverage, and escalate unresolved staffing or deployment issues.
- Partner with Billing Operations, Finance, Practice Support, Learning & Development, Marketing, Communications, merger integration teams, and other shared services to clarify ownership and drive issues through resolution.
- Support merger integration, partner and employee onboarding, leave and return-to-work visibility, employee support plans, and other practice-area operational priorities.
- Organize and support the Practice Area Leaders communication rhythm, including partner and team meetings, without functioning as an executive assistant.
- Identify recurring training, process, or service needs and coordinate with the appropriate functional owner to improve execution and meet deadlines.
- Use Microsoft Copilot and other approved AI tools to improve analysis, communication, follow-up, workflow efficiency, and agent-enabled processes.
- Handle confidential personnel, financial, client, and practice information with sound judgment and discretion.
- Collaborate with other Practice Area Managers to promote consistent standards while accommodating legitimate differences among practice areas.
Requirements
- Bachelors degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Minimum of 6 years of public accounting or comparable professional services experience, including experience at the Tax Manager level or above.
- Working knowledge of public accounting economics and operating metrics, including billing, WIP, realization, write-downs, AR, utilization, leverage, capacity, and budgets.
- Demonstrated ability to work credibly with partners and senior leaders, influence without direct authority, and address sensitive issues professionally.
- Strong analytical, organizational, project management, communication, and follow-through skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365, financial and operational dashboards, and approved AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot; ability to learn or develop agent-enabled workflows.
- Ability to manage confidential information and exercise sound judgment.
Preferred Qualifications
- CPA, EA, or other relevant professional credential.
- Experience as a Tax Senior Manager, Tax Director, Tax Managing Director, or equivalent.
- Experience in practice operations, workforce planning, resource management, change management, project management, merger integration, or partner transitions.
- Experience working across multiple offices, geographies, shared service teams, or acquired practices.
Certain states require us to disclose the pay range and benefits summary for job openings; the compensation range for this position is $150,000-$200,000. Compensation may vary based on skills, role, and location. Eligible employees at certain levels can participate in a discretionary long-term financial incentive plan, subject to plan participation rules.
Armanino has a robust offering of benefits, including:
- Medical, dental, vision
- Generous PTO plan and paid sick time
- Flexible work arrangements
- 401K with Profit Sharing
- Wellness program
- Generous parental leave
- 11 paid holidays
For positions based in San Francisco, consistent with the SF Fair Chance Ordinance, an arrest and conviction record will not automatically disqualify a qualified applicant from consideration.
For Individuals who would be working within the City of Los Angeles, Armanino will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance
