Acena Consulting | Thousand Oaks, CA | Remote
Compensation: $50K – $75K base salary + commission
Acena Consulting is a fast-growing, privately held professional services firm specializing in the calculation, documentation, and defense of U.S. tax incentives, including the Research & Development (R&D) tax credit and Cost Segregation tax credit. Our team is composed of CPAs, engineers, tax associates, technical writers, and support professionals who work together to deliver exceptional results for our clients.
Our culture is open, dynamic, team-oriented, and fun. We call our employees “team members” because we mean it — our people are enthusiastic, resourceful, and genuinely supportive of one another. We hold ourselves to high standards of accountability, transparency, collaboration, and growth, and we’re looking for people whose values align with ours.
The Senior Manager, Business Developer reports to our Head Coach & Founder, Randall Eickhoff, and owns the Discovery process from first lead contact through scheduling kickoff with our production team. In this role, you’ll be the first face of Acena for prospective clients — learning their business, showing them what the R&D tax credit or Cost Segregation tax credit could mean for them, and turning that conversation into a signed engagement.
Your work doesn’t stop at the close. You’ll build long-term client relationships, stay connected through delivery, and present final reports to clients — which makes you central to both new business and repeat engagements year over year.
- Own the full Discovery process: qualify inbound and outbound leads, run discovery conversations, and guide prospects from first contact to a signed engagement.
- Prepare Tax Credit Utilization analyses and walk prospects through how the R&D credit applies to their business and tax position.
- Prepare, submit, and follow through on proposals and engagement letters.
- Schedule and hand off new engagements to the production team, making sure kickoff starts with complete, accurate client information.
- Deliver final reports to clients and use that conversation to strengthen the relationship and identify future opportunities.
- Generate new business through your existing network, client referrals, and proactive outreach.
- Work closely with the Project Manager, acting as the liaison between clients and the Project Manager, to keep deliverables on track with proposed timelines.
- Keep pipeline status, account notes, and client files up to date in company systems, and report account and deal status to the Founder.
- Represent Acena professionally at client meetings, trade association events, and trade shows.
- Build working knowledge of the R&D tax credit and Cost Segregation tax credit so you can confidently answer clients’ questions about our services.
- Support company marketing efforts and share ideas to improve our sales process and grow sustainable revenue.
- 2–4 years of sales experience at a payroll, HR, or PEO provider — or experience selling complex professional services.
- A genuine interest in what we do: helping businesses uncover and claim the tax incentives they’ve earned.
- A proven track record of building a pipeline, managing it independently, and closing business.
- The ability to explain financial and technical concepts clearly to business owners, CFOs, and controllers.
- Strong verbal, written, and organizational skills, with excellent follow-through.
- Strong networking skills and ability to leverage existing professional relationships.
- A relationship-first approach paired with confidence, humility, and a team-oriented mindset.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
- Background in accounting or tax is a plus, but not required.
- Base salary plus commission, with earnings that grow as you build your book of business.
- Warm lead opportunities from referral partners, inbound inquiries, and business development — you won’t be starting from zero.
- Repeat revenue: R&D tax credits can be claimed every year, so the client relationships you build renew year over year.
- Real room to grow: Acena is a small but mighty firm that’s growing fast, an A player in this seat will have the opportunity to grow into sales leadership as we scale.
- A positive, supportive, and collaborative culture — non-political, with a genuine team where people show up for one another.
- Direct access to company leadership — you’ll work alongside our Founder every day.
- A voice in a company that’s actively growing and improving — your ideas matter here.
- Quarterly team incentive programs that make hitting goals fun.
- Company health benefit plans with 100% of premiums covered.
- 401(k) plan opportunities.
- Remote work, paid time off, and paid holidays.
Acena Consulting is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members.