Firm Operation Manager

Skills: Experience managing workflow in a CPA firm or tax preparation environment. · Experience with tax season deadline management. · Experience supervising administrative or professional staff. · Experience with client onboarding and engagement letter processes. · Experience with billing, accounts receivable, work-in-process, or budget tracking. · Experience implementing or improving practice management software. · Experience working with AI tools and automation tools.

1. Workflow Management and Production Oversight

· Oversee firm workflow across individual tax preparation, business tax returns, bookkeeping/accounting services, tax resolution, and tax notice response work.

· Maintain visibility over all active client engagements, including status, assigned staff, due dates, internal deadlines, budgets, open items, review status, billing status, and completion status.

· Assign, monitor, and update internal due dates, milestones, and staff responsibilities for client engagements.

· Work with firm leadership and department leaders to balance workloads, identify capacity issues, and reassign work as needed.

· Monitor firm output compared to statutory deadlines, internal target dates, assigned budgets, and client expectations.

· Identify workflow bottlenecks and proactively recommend solutions before deadlines are at risk.

· Coordinate regular workflow meetings with staff and firm leadership.

· Prepare weekly and seasonal production reports for partners and managers.

· Assist in developing workflow checklists, status codes, project templates, routing rules, and deadline tracking systems.

2. Process Improvement, Controls, and Efficiency

· Evaluate existing administrative and production processes and recommend practical improvements.

· Create, implement, and monitor internal controls over client intake, document collection, workflow routing, review readiness, e-file authorization, billing, and project closeout.

· Standardize procedures to reduce rework, missed steps, delays, and partner-level administrative involvement.

· Develop methods to track realization, turnaround time, budget-to-actual performance, missing information delays, and staff capacity.

· Assist firm leadership in improving tax season procedures, extension procedures, bookkeeping workflows, and notice response tracking.

· Help design repeatable workflows for recurring services such as monthly bookkeeping, quarterly estimates, business tax returns, and annual individual tax preparation.

3. Technology, IT Systems, and AI Workflow Coordination

· Serve as a key internal liaison for the firm’s practice management software, tax software, client portal, document management system, e-signature tools, communication platforms, and related applications.

· Coordinate with outside IT providers and software vendors to resolve operational issues and improve system usage.

· Assist with implementation, testing, and refinement of technology tools that support client workflow and firm operations.

· Help maintain templates, automated task lists, recurring workflows, dashboards, reports, and system permissions.

· Work with firm leadership to integrate AI agents and automation tools into appropriate administrative and workflow processes.

· Monitor AI-enabled workflows to ensure proper human review, data privacy, accuracy, and adherence to firm procedures.

· Identify opportunities to use automation and AI tools to reduce manual follow-up, improve document intake, summarize client communications, monitor due dates, and create management reporting.

· Train staff on appropriate use of firm systems, workflow tools, portals, and automation processes.

4. Staff Coordination and Administrative Leadership

· Supervise and coordinate administrative staff responsible for client communications, document collection, engagement letters, billing support, collections, tax season preparation, scanning, portal activity, and other office functions.

· Help establish clear responsibilities and accountability for administrative team members.

· Coordinate staff schedules, workload assignments, and recurring administrative deadlines.

· Assist with onboarding and training of administrative personnel.

· Facilitate internal staff meetings and follow up on assigned action items.

· Serve as a liaison between professional staff, administrative staff, firm leadership, outside vendors, and IT providers.

· Promote a culture of accountability, responsiveness, organization, and continuous improvement.

5. Client Onboarding and Service Coordination

· Oversee the new client onboarding process from initial acceptance through setup in firm systems.

· Ensure that engagement letters, client information, prior-year records, portal access, billing arrangements, and service expectations are properly established.

· Coordinate annual tax season preparation, including organizer distribution, engagement letter tracking, client document requests, and follow-up procedures.

· Monitor missing client information and ensure timely follow-up.

· Assist with client communication procedures, including standard email templates, deadline reminders, document request notices, and status updates.

· Help ensure a consistent and professional client experience across all firm service lines.

6. Billing, Collections, and Engagement Budget Monitoring

· Coordinate with firm leadership and administrative staff to ensure timely billing of completed work.

· Monitor engagement budgets and compare budgeted time or fee expectations to work status and completion.

· Assist with tracking work-in-process, completed-but-unbilled projects, unpaid invoices, and past-due balances.

· Support procedures requiring payment before release of returns or final deliverables, where applicable.

· Provide reporting to firm leadership regarding billing status, collections issues, and budget overruns