R&D Tax Incentives Assistant Manager
Eide Bailly LLP · 17 hours ago
Who We Are
Eide Bailly is one of the top business advisory firms in the nation. We have over 40 offices in 15 states across the Midwest and western United States and offer our staff and Partners the opportunity to serve a variety of industries. In 2019, we extended our operations to Mumbai, India, and desire toexpand our shared services segment there. Founded in 1917, our culture is the foundation of who we are, and we pride ourselves on supporting our employees to help them achieve their goals and pursue their interests both in the office and at home. At Eide Bailly we are passionate about the clients we serve, the work we do, and most importantly, having fun while we do it!
Why You'll Love Working Here
At Eide Bailly we believe respect is how to treat everyone, not just those you want to impress. Our culture focuses on collaboration to achieve career growth. Innovation is highly encouraged, which is where programs like our EB Xchange originate. This program allows interested tax and audit employees to complete a rotation into a specialty area. We promote happy employees by making work/life balance a priority along with being actively involved in our communities. Our dedication to service can be seen through the Firm's decision to match charitable donations made by employees, as well as providing opportunities to volunteer throughout the year. Most importantly, we like to have fun! We offer a professional and fun work environment with frequent lunch and learns, socials, contests, outings and other events.
We are seeking an experienced Assistant Manager to join our India team in delivering comprehensive R&D Tax Credit services to clients in the United States. This is primarily a reviewer and day-to-day engagement coordination role, requiring strong practical knowledge of Section 41 R&D tax credits, including the Section 41(d) four-part test and QRE identification.
As an Assistant Manager, you will perform the quality and technical accuracy review of deliverables, review the work of Associates and Senior Associates, provide coaching and technical guidance, and partner with onshore and offshore project leads to manage engagements from data collection through final calculations, documentation, and reporting.
Key Responsibilities
● R&D Calculation Review and Technical Ownership
Serve as the primary offshore reviewer of R&D Tax Credit calculations and workpapers. Assess technical accuracy, compliance with established firm guidance and support for qualification conclusions. Apply the four-part test to validate qualifying research activities and qualified research expenditures (QREs), critically assess wages, supplies, and contract research, and confirm that findings are properly supported and defensible for inclusion in R&D Tax Credit claims. Resolve routine review matters and escalate material, novel or judgmental issues to the Manager or onshore project lead or owner. Provide clear, constructive review comments and technical directions to preparers.
● Data Analysis
Review the primary analyses supporting the credit including General Ledger (GL) analysis, Time Tracking (TT) analysis, and QRE mapping. Confirm that source data is accurately processed, classifications are reasonable and allocations follow approved methodologies. Research and document open items, resolving routine issues and escalating complex matters as necessary.
Data analysis can include identifying and classifying qualified accounts and expenditures, analyzing TT/hours-keeping data to substantiate qualified wages and allocations, and overseeing data flattening and manipulation of source files. Ensuring accuracy and compliance with relevant tax regulations and guidelines, and resolve complex or ambiguous items, escalating to onshore leads where appropriate.
● Documentation
Review detailed documentation of research activities and expenditures to confirm that all eligible R&D expenses are properly captured, substantiated, and audit ready. Ensure documentation adheres to established firm standards and IRS expectations, strengthening the accuracy and defensibility of R&D Tax Credit claims and improving templates and standard operating procedures over time.
● Communication
Serve as a primary day-to-day contact between the offshore delivery team, the offshore manager, and onshore project teams. This includes addressing technical inquiries, raising and resolving open items, and providing status updates on the progress of R&D Tax Credit engagements. Maintain clear, professional communication and manage expectations to ensure client satisfaction and confidence in the services provided.
● Quality Assurance
Review R&D Tax Credit deliverables, verifying accuracy, consistency, and completeness against prior-year workpapers and firm standards. Identify and resolve discrepancies, establish review checklists and controls, and ensure the integrity and defensibility of final deliverables before they are released to onshore teams.
● Special Tax Projects
Support R&D-related special projects, process improvements, data initiatives and other tax projects under the direction of the Manager or onshore leads. Coordinate assigned workstreams, guide team members and monitor completion against agreed-upon expectations and deadlines.
● Team Leadership and Development
Mentor, coach, and train Associates and Senior Associates, building their technical R&D expertise and reviewer capabilities. Delegate and review work, provide timely and constructive feedback, and support onboarding and performance development. Stay abreast of changes in tax laws, regulations, and industry trends related to Section 41 R&D Tax Credits. Contribute to process improvement, standardization, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
● Project Management and Leadership
Coordinate the offshore execution of multiple R&D Tax Credit engagements or assigned workstreams within the engagement plans established by the offshore Manager or onshore leads. Develop detailed workplans, assign tasks, monitor hours and deadlines, identify risks or bottlenecks, and provide timely status updates. Keep onshore leads informed with regular status updates and ensure projects are delivered on time and to quality standards. Escalate material scope, staffing, timing, or quality issues for resolution.
● Decision Making and Judgment
Exercise sound professional judgment on technical and engagement matters, including qualification determinations, treatment of borderline QREs, and appropriate allocation and estimation approaches. Make informed decisions on prioritization, resourcing, and risk, know when to apply firm precedent versus escalate to onshore leads or the Manager, and document the rationale behind key positions to support a defensible, consistent approach.
● Success Metrics and KPIs
Monitor and report engagement-level indicators such as review turnaround time, error and rework trends, budget-to-actual hours, and deadline performance. Monitor performance against these metrics, identify trends, and implement corrective actions to continuously improve quality and efficiency.
● Strategic Insight
Maintains awareness of general business trends and issues and applies that knowledge to client issues and solutions.
● Reporting Line and Span of Control
Reports to the Manager, R&D Tax Incentives, and typically guide a team of 3-5 Associates and Senior Associates, providing direction, review, and day-to-day supervision.
● Work Schedule
Maintains sufficient overlap hours with US onshore teams to support real-time collaboration, reviews, and status updates, with some flexibility required during peak periods and filing deadlines.
Education & Experience
- 6-8 years of experience with R&D tax credit work and related incentives required, including significant experience in a review capacity.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Data Analytics, Business, or a related field required.
- CPA, EA, CA, or equivalent certification preferred.
Skills
- Strong practical knowledge of Section 41 R&D tax credits, the four-part test, QRE identification (wages, supplies, contract research), and related IRS regulations, guidance, and audit considerations.
- Proven experience reviewing R&D tax credit calculations and workpapers, including GL analysis, TT/time-tracking analysis, and QRE mapping, with strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret and challenge financial and technical data and make sound decisions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop team members and to collaborate effectively with onshore stakeholders.
- Strong attention to detail and the ability to coordinate multiple engagements and review the work of multiple preparers simultaneously, setting priorities and meeting deadlines across concurrent projects.
- Working knowledge of US tax regulations is strongly preferred; prior experience in an offshore-onshore delivery model is an advantage.
- Proficiency in the overall Microsoft Office Suite, including Word and PowerPoint.
- Ideally a power user of Excel.