Head of Tax Planning

Come join us at Appara - an early stage, hyper-growth technology company!

ABOUT US

Appara’s all-in-one platform—entity management, workflow automation and AI-powered document generation—frees legal and accounting professionals from repetitive work so they can focus on higher-value advice. Our mission is “to be an intuitive, trustworthy ecosystem for modern legal professionals,” powered by the core values of Ownership, Urgency, Grit & Humility.

Tax planning is the next frontier in that ecosystem. We’re looking for a rising star who wants to build a national-scale solution—and accelerate their own career in the process.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

We are a small, tight-knit team with strong collaboration, healthy competition, and a work environment that is challenging and rewarding.

As the Head of Tax Planning, you’ll be the product owner and subject-matter lead for Canadian private-company tax workflows. You’ll translate legislation and precedent into practical automations that help accounting firms and law firms deliver reorganizations, estate freezes, rollovers and other planning projects faster and with total confidence. Because this is an early-career leadership role, you’ll where multiple hats and work closely with senior external advisors and Appara’s legal-tech veterans while growing into full ownership of the function.

Our office is in downtown Vancouver, and we support flexible working options like working from home.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Product & Research – Prioritize and spec tax-planning use cases (e.g., s. 85 rollover, pipeline planning, s. 55 safe-income calc). Draft logic flows, data models and document templates for Engineering and Design.
• Content & Compliance – Create interpretation notes, checklists and QA tests to keep automations CRA-compliant as laws evolve.
• Enablement & Thought Leadership – Write blog posts, present webinars and brief Customer Success so our clients understand the “why” behind each workflow.
• Collaboration – Coordinate with external tax specialists for peer review; gather feedback from pilot firms and iterate quickly.
• Road-mapping – Track legislative changes and client pain-points to build a rolling 12-month roadmap for new features.
• Act as Customer Success to create and support high standards of customer interaction and improve the overall quality of support materials/approaches.
• Work with Sales and demo the Solution to potential clients, and where possible provide warm introductions to your industry network.
• Work with Marketing to align efforts with target audience and through own efforts (e.g., webinars, conferences, etc…) increase the industry awareness/presence of Appara.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Education:

• May have a Degree in Business or Accounting, or another related field

Minimum Experience:

• CPA (Canada) or JD/LLB with tax-course concentration
• 3-6 years practising Canadian private-company tax (reorgs, freezes, trust & estate work)
• Demonstrated ability to turn legislation into memos, checklists or precedents
• Strong written communication—able to explain complex rules to non-experts

Bonus Points:

• Experience in a tax-tech, legal-tech or Big 4 digital-tax team
• Hands-on coding of document automations or low-code tools
• Presentation experience at CPA Canada, CTF or local bar/CBA events
• Bilingual (English/French)

WHO YOU ARE:

• Curious, product-oriented problem-solver who loves processes as much as policy.
• Comfortable wearing multiple hats in a fast-moving start-up.
• Self-starter who lives our values of Ownership, Urgency, Grit & Humility.
• You have a strong energy, drive, and need to finish. You don’t give up.
• You are results orientated. You consistently meet or exceed targets and challenge yourself and others around you to deliver results.
• You are flexible. You can cope with change and handle a fast-paced work environment.
• You can collaborate effectively with others to deliver results and prioritize group needs over individual needs.
• You have a strong attention for details and an applied curiosity for business routines.
• You share our core values of innovation and impact, ownership, teamwork, grit and humility, and continued learning.

WHY JOIN APPARA

• Accelerated Growth – A “Head-of” title early in your career and the chance to build a marquee product line.
• Competitive Comp & Equity – Salary calibrated to early-career leadership plus stock options and annual L&D budget.
• Flex-First Culture – Work from our downtown-Vancouver HQ or anywhere in Canada; quarterly in-person summits.
• Mission-Driven Team – Join ~100 builders transforming professional services with cutting-edge tech.

SUMMARY:

We believe in a meritocracy – one in which the quality of your actions dictates what work and responsibilities you take on. We believe in providing frequent coaching and mentoring, both formally and in-time. We are dedicated to building a diverse community, one where employees feel a sense of belonging and are valued for the contributions and the perspectives they bring. You belong here.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $100,000.00-$150,000.00 per year

Additional pay:

• Commission pay

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Dental care
• Extended health care
• Paid time off
• Vision care

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Experience:

• private company tax: 3 years (required)

Licence/Certification:

• CPA or JD/LLB with tax course concentration (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Vancouver, BC V6B 2R9