Tax Senior Jobs in Iowa
Tax Senior jobs in Iowa are concentrated in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport, where regional accounting firms, large insurance carriers, and financial services companies maintain steady hiring pipelines for experienced tax professionals. Employers like Principal Financial Group, Collins Aerospace, and RSM U.S. regularly seek tax seniors with expertise in corporate tax compliance, partnership returns, and multistate apportionment. Demand is strong across both public accounting and industry, with openings at the supervisor-track and senior-specialist levels. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
Find Tax Senior JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 12+ Tax Senior jobs
Legacy Financial Group's Tax and Accounting division is seeking an experienced CPA to lead our tax department in Des Moines. This is a succession-track leadership role: you'll work alongside our current Tax Director during a planned transition period, taking on full department leadership by spring 2027. You'll oversee tax strategy, staff, and client relationships for a well-established, growing practice that's part of a larger, respected financial services organization — with a genuine path toward equity/partnership in the business for the right person.
Essential Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the tax and accounting department, including staff development, workflow, and quality control.
- Serve as lead CPA for complex individual, business, and entity returns within the firm's client base.
- Work with advisors to create tax planning strategy for clients across the firm's advisory base.
- Drive growth of the department's business-client base by expanding bookkeeping and payroll service offerings.
- Represent clients in IRS and state agency correspondence and audits.
- Oversee accounting services delivery — financial statements, reconciliations, bookkeeping support.
- Partner with firm leadership and advisory staff to ensure coordinated service for shared clients.
- Monitor tax law changes and translate them into proactive planning opportunities firm-wide.
- Manage departmental capacity planning, especially through busy season.
- Special projects and firm initiatives as they arise.
Qualifications
- Active CPA license (Iowa) required.
- 7+ years of public accounting experience, including prior supervisory or department-leadership experience.
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required; Master's degree a plus.
- Strong knowledge of individual and business tax preparation and planning.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a team and client book simultaneously.
- Business-development mindset, with experience growing bookkeeping, payroll, or related service lines a plus.
- Comfortable operating in a fully in-person, client-facing environment.
Pay: $135,000.00 - $160,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Experience:
- CPA: 7 years (Preferred)
- Supervisory: 3 years (Preferred)
License/Certification:
- CPA (Required)
Work Location: In person
Legacy Financial Group's Tax and Accounting division is seeking an experienced CPA to lead our tax department in Des Moines. This is a succession-track leadership role: you'll work alongside our current Tax Director during a planned transition period, taking on full department leadership by spring 2027. You'll oversee tax strategy, staff, and client relationships for a well-established, growing practice that's part of a larger, respected financial services organization — with a genuine path toward equity/partnership in the business for the right person.
Essential Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the tax and accounting department, including staff development, workflow, and quality control.
- Serve as lead CPA for complex individual, business, and entity returns within the firm's client base.
- Work with advisors to create tax planning strategy for clients across the firm's advisory base.
- Drive growth of the department's business-client base by expanding bookkeeping and payroll service offerings.
- Represent clients in IRS and state agency correspondence and audits.
- Oversee accounting services delivery — financial statements, reconciliations, bookkeeping support.
- Partner with firm leadership and advisory staff to ensure coordinated service for shared clients.
- Monitor tax law changes and translate them into proactive planning opportunities firm-wide.
- Manage departmental capacity planning, especially through busy season.
- Special projects and firm initiatives as they arise.
Qualifications
- Active CPA license (Iowa) required.
- 7+ years of public accounting experience, including prior supervisory or department-leadership experience.
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required; Master's degree a plus.
- Strong knowledge of individual and business tax preparation and planning.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a team and client book simultaneously.
- Business-development mindset, with experience growing bookkeeping, payroll, or related service lines a plus.
- Comfortable operating in a fully in-person, client-facing environment.
Pay: $135,000.00 - $160,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Experience:
- CPA: 7 years (Preferred)
- Supervisory: 3 years (Preferred)
License/Certification:
- CPA (Required)
Work Location: In person
See All 12 Tax Senior Jobs in Iowa
Find roles in Iowa that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Tax Senior JobsTax Senior Jobs by City in Iowa
Where Iowa roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Tax Senior Job Market in Iowa
A snapshot from current Iowa openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Manufacturing
What Iowa Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in tax senior jobs across Iowa.
- Active CPA license issued or recognized by the Iowa Accountancy Examining Board required
- Three or more years of public accounting or corporate tax experience in a senior capacity
- Demonstrated expertise in federal and state income tax compliance and reporting
- Proficiency with tax software such as CCH Axcess, GoSystem, or Thomson Reuters UltraTax
- Experience reviewing and preparing complex returns for corporate, partnership, or individual clients
- Strong working knowledge of ASC 740 income tax accounting and deferred tax calculations
Tax Senior Jobs in Iowa: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a tax senior in Iowa?
The standard path in Iowa is earning a bachelor's degree in accounting or a closely related field, then passing the CPA exam and obtaining licensure through the Iowa Accountancy Examining Board. Most tax seniors spend several years in staff or associate tax roles before advancing. A CPA license is the credential that employers consistently treat as the baseline for senior-level consideration in both public accounting firms and corporate tax departments across the state.
How much do tax seniors make in Iowa?
Tax seniors in Iowa earn a median of about $77,440 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $51,420 for the lowest 10% to over $123,700 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire tax seniors in Iowa?
Iowa tax senior roles are posted by Honkamp, UHY LLP, and Purple Cow Recruiting and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Iowa's mix of insurance headquarters, regional public accounting firms, and large manufacturing companies creates a consistent and varied hiring market for tax professionals at the senior level.
Which Iowa cities have the most tax senior jobs?
Waverly, Muscatine, and Des Moines have the most tax senior openings in Iowa. Des Moines drives the largest share of demand as the state's financial and insurance hub, home to major corporate headquarters and the largest concentration of public accounting offices, while Cedar Rapids and Davenport contribute openings through manufacturing, regional firms, and corporate tax departments anchored in those metro areas.
Are there remote tax senior jobs in Iowa?
Yes, and more than most fields. Tax senior work is largely analytical and document-driven, making it well suited to remote arrangements. About 67% of tax senior openings tied to Iowa are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting broader flexibility across the profession. Compliance review, return preparation, and tax research are the functions most commonly performed fully off-site.
How can I get hired as a tax senior in Iowa with little or no experience?
The most realistic path is starting in a staff tax associate role at one of Iowa's regional public accounting firms, where structured advancement to senior typically happens within a few years of consistent performance. Firms like KCOE Isom and Eide Bailly, which have Iowa offices, hire new graduates into tax practices and promote from within. Sitting for the CPA exam while in a staff role and gaining exposure to multistate returns or partnership returns accelerates the transition to senior-level consideration.
Where can I find and apply to tax senior jobs in Iowa?
You can find and apply to tax senior jobs in Iowa on Migrate Mate, which lists current Iowa openings from employers actively hiring right now. Search for roles that match your experience level and specialization, then apply directly to the ones that fit. No signup is needed to see the listings.
See All 12 Tax Senior Jobs in Iowa
Find roles in Iowa that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Tax Senior Jobs