Tax Director
Collyde, Alpharetta, GA, United States
About the role
Blue Trust’s Family Office is seeking a Tax Director to lead advanced tax planning for UHNW clients and families. You’ll design and implement sophisticated tax strategies, support complex transactions, and act as a key technical resource for advisors—while working in a faith-based environment that integrates biblical financial principles into client counsel.
This is a senior, highly consultative role focused on strategy, modeling, and coordination , not production-level tax prep, though a strong background in compliance is essential.
What you’ll do
Client strategy & advisory
- Provide proactive guidance on tax implications of investment decisions, business transactions, and philanthropic initiatives .
- Develop and implement sophisticated tax strategies for UHNW clients and entities (trusts, partnerships, family offices).
- Advise on income, estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax planning.
- Integrate tax planning with broader investment, charitable, and estate strategies to deliver holistic wealth solutions.
Business development support
- Partner with Senior Advisors and senior sales professionals in prospect meetings to articulate tax planning value .
- Serve as a technical differentiator in competitive situations, helping secure new client relationships.
- Develop and deliver educational content (presentations, memos, training) for clients, prospects, and internal teams on advanced tax topics.
Technical leadership & execution
- Lead internal training to elevate tax knowledge across advisory teams.
- Stay current on federal and state tax laws, regulations, and emerging planning techniques .
- Act as an internal resource on complex tax matters; build and maintain relationships with:
- Internal tax compliance team
- External tax counsel and accounting firms
- Support and refine tax planning processes and workflows, including:
- Tax planning intake, annual calendar, deliverables, and review cadence
- Family office tax calendar: estimates, extensions, K-1 tracking, notices, entity deadlines
- Use of tax projection software, client data gathering, and secure document flow
- Provide transaction modeling and scenario analysis for:
- Business sales, recapitalizations, equity compensation events
- Real estate transactions and charitable structuring
- Liquidity planning, withholding/estimates coordination
- Review and help create internal standards:
- Memos/templates, strategy playbooks, checklists
- Return review standards and consistent review memos for external CPA work
- Coordinate with external CPA firms on behalf of clients; identify planning opportunities from returns (carryovers, elections, missed deductions/credits, entity alignment).
- Assist with IRS and state notice triage and coordination.
- Coordinate with estate counsel/trust officers on fiduciary income tax, trust distribution planning, grantor/non-grantor considerations, and elections.
- Integrate entity structuring (FLPs, LLCs, etc.) with investment and estate strategy.
Governance & compliance
- Ensure all tax strategies adhere to ethical, fiduciary, and regulatory standards .
- Contribute to risk management and oversight processes.
- Maintain the highest compliance standards by following firm policies and industry regulations.
- Ensure strategies are well documented, including assumptions, risks, and client decision records.
- Partner with legal/compliance on scope-of-services language and maintain an approved list and standards for external CPAs/tax counsel.
Conduct & faith integration
- Approach work, interactions, and relationships in a manner consistent with the company’s Core Values .
- Seek to continually increase knowledge of biblical financial principles and relevant scripture , integrating biblical wisdom into client counsel in a way consistent with Blue Trust’s approach.
What we’re looking for
Technical & domain expertise
- Deep knowledge of estate planning, charitable strategies, and multi-generational wealth transfer .
- Significant experience in tax planning and compliance for UHNW individuals, including:
- Form 1040 (individual)
- Form 1065 (partnership)
- Form 1041 (fiduciary)
- Broad exposure to other filing types and complex planning issues beyond those forms.
- Experience with SALT deduction and multi-state planning coordination , even if filings are outsourced.
Skills & competencies
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills; able to simplify complex tax concepts for clients and advisors.
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple high-priority projects .
- Proven ability to work collaboratively in a team-oriented, client-first environment .
- High personal integrity and ability to handle confidential data discreetly .
- Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of relevant biblical passages on money and finances and can integrate that understanding into client counsel.
- Desire to serve clients and co-workers with excellence .
- Ability to exercise independent judgment while also taking direction when appropriate.
- Strong technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills; proactive and responsive to urgent needs.
Education & experience
- Bachelor’s degree required , preferably in accounting, finance, or a related field.
- Advanced degree in taxation or law strongly preferred (e.g., MTax, JD, LLM in Tax).
- Minimum 10+ years in tax consulting for UHNW clients, ideally in a family office, private wealth, or Big 4 environment.
- Experience advising UHNW clients within a Family Office or private wealth setting strongly preferred.
Certifications & licenses
- CPA, JD, or LLM in Taxation required .
- CFP® or other advanced planning credentials preferred.
Other requirements
- Ability and willingness to travel (approximately 25% of overall work time) by car, air, or other reasonable means, depending on client base and territory.