Lead, Special Projects

Cynch AI · Santa Cruz · $95,000–$125,000 (stated in the posting)

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At Aardvark Tax Advisors, the client comes first. We’re a full-service tax, accounting, and advisory firm serving small businesses and entrepreneurs. Our people are uniquely enabled to spend more of their time understanding clients, solving complex problems, and building lasting relationships.

Technology helps make that possible. As the accounting and client services practice of Cynch AI, we use proprietary AI to reduce routine tasks and free up time for higher-value client work. Our tools support the work. Our people remain accountable for the outcome.

We’re building an expanding practice with clear paths for career advancement. We're a fast-growing practice with clear paths for advancement. We grow organically and through strategic acquisitions, and as we grow so does our team's scope of responsibility. Each level has defined expectations and advancement criteria, with performance-based opportunities for greater responsibility and equity over time.

What You'll Do

The role

Reporting to the Managing Director and supporting the executive team, you’ll help keep the practice running smoothly by taking ownership of problems, driving them through to resolution, and freeing up leadership to focus on their priorities. The role combines the broad perspective of a chief of staff with a strong emphasis on hands-on execution.

The work changes week to week. One week you're untangling an insurance renewal; the next you're building a diligence checklist for an acquisition, then mapping out what the practice needs to be ready for tax season. You won't be an expert on day one, and that's the point. We want someone who runs toward the unfamiliar, figures it out, and leaves behind a process so it's easier next time.

• Build long-term plans. Turn team priorities into written plans with owners, milestones, and budgets, such as season-readiness work-back plans, hiring plans, and integration roadmaps. Then track them so they actually happen.
• Dig into practice needs. Investigate where the practice is stretched: capacity, staffing, systems, workflow, client experience. Gather data, talk to the team, and bring back a clear recommendation.
• Run the operating rhythm. Prepare agendas and pre-reads, capture decisions and action items, and follow up until they’re done.
• Be a force multiplier for the team. Work with the practice managers to unblock projects and turn one-off fixes into documented, repeatable processes.
• Take on special projects. If it matters to the business and nobody owns it yet, you might. Examples include practice acquisitions, data analysis, vendor contracts, licensing and registrations, and policy and procedure development.

What Success Looks Like

• First 30 days: You know the team, the systems, and the open issues. You own a running list of priorities and have closed out at least two lingering items, such as an insurance question or a vendor problem.
• First 90 days: You can independently help manage projects. The team comes to you to get things unstuck.
• First 6 months: You can manage a meaningful share of operational items, written processes for recurring work, and lead long-term planning efforts end to end.

Requirements

Who You Are

Attitude matters more than a specific background here. You are:

• Driven. You don’t wait to be told the next step, and you’re uncomfortable leaving loose ends.
• Organized. You keep many threads moving at once without dropping any, and people trust your notes, trackers, and follow-ups.
• Drawn to the unfamiliar. “I’ve never done that” makes you curious, not nervous. You learn fast and ask good questions.
• Resourceful. You know how to find the right person, document, or answer, and you’re comfortable picking up the phone.
• A clear communicator. You write tight summaries and give straight answers, including when the news is bad.
• Discreet. You’ll see confidential deal, client, and company information, and you handle it carefully.

Core qualifications

• 3–7 years in a fast-paced role such as operations, consulting, banking, a startup, or a professional services firm.
• A track record of owning messy, ambiguous projects from start to finish.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort using AI tools in day-to-day work.
• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

Helpful additions

• Experience at a CPA, tax, or accounting firm.
• Exposure to M&A, due diligence, or post-acquisition integration.
• Experience with business insurance, vendor management, or HR operations.

Work Environment

• Reports to: Peter Saber, Managing Director, Aardvark Tax Advisors.
• Hybrid: Cupertino, Santa Cruz, or Pleasanton, CA.
• Full-time.

Preliminary California salary range: $95k–$125k

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k)
• Life Insurance (Basic)
• Paid Time Off (Unlimited Vacation, plus Sick & Public Holidays)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Work From Home (Hybrid)
• Stock Option Plan

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