Business Relationship Manager | Assurance

CLA is a top 10 national professional services firm where our purpose is to create opportunities every day, for our clients, our people, and our communities through industry-focused wealth advisory, digital, audit, tax, consulting, and outsourcing services. Even with more than 8,500 people, 130 U.S. locations, and a global reach, we promise to know you and help you.

CLA is dedicated to building a culture that invites different beliefs and perspectives to the table, so we can truly know and help our clients, communities, and each other.

CLA is seeking a Business Relationship Manager; This role is responsible for maintaining consultative and collaborative relationships with Assurance, Tax, Outsourcing and/or other designated service leadership to understand and manage their strategic technology needs. 

How You'll Make an Impact

Stakeholder Engagement & Alignment 

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with stakeholders. Services may include Assurance, Tax, Outsourcing, and/or other designated service groups. 

• Facilitate ongoing dialogue to understand business priorities, pain points, and strategic goals. 

• Translate business needs into actionable IT initiatives and ensure alignment with enterprise technology strategy.  

Technology Strategy & Innovation

• Monitor emerging technology trends and assess their relevance to service line operations. 

• Proactively identify opportunities for innovation, automation, and digital transformation. 

• Present strategic recommendations to leadership for adoption and integration of new technologies. 
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Represent the business perspective throughout the technology initiative lifecycle, from pre-intake and discovery through prioritization, implementation, and closeout. 

• Collaborate with IT portfolio, infrastructure, security, and enterprise architecture teams on Solutions initiatives. 

• Ensure Solutions initiatives support service line objectives and timelines. 

• Serve as a conduit for feedback between business units and Solutions teams to optimize execution 

Vendor & External Partner Management

• Oversee relationships with existing technology vendors supporting Assurance, Tax, Outsourcing and/or other designated service group functions. 

• Evaluate vendor performance against SLAs, compliance standards, and strategic fit. 

• Participate in contract renewals, negotiations, and vendor selection processes.

External Partnerships

• Continuously scan the marketplace for emerging technologies and competitive capabilities. 

• Provide strategic insights and recommendations for adoption of external solutions. 

• Establish and nurture relationships with external firms, consultants, and technology providers to expand organizational capacity.  

What You'll Bring

Technical Capabilities

Strong understanding of business technology strategy and technology enablement.

Ability to evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to create business value.

Experience implementing and supporting business applications and digital platforms.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate complex business and technology challenges.

Ability to assess business processes and identify opportunities for improvement through technology.

Experience collaborating across technical and business teams to deliver successful outcomes.

Experience

• 7 (Seven) years of relevant experience required.
• Accounting and/or IT experience working with Assurance, Tax, and/or Outsourcing software applications.
  Experience supporting professional services, assurance, tax, outsourcing, or similar business functions preferred

Leadership Skills

• Exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder management abilities.
  Strong executive presence and consultative approach.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to influence decision-making and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Education

• Bachelor's degree required.
• A combination of relevant education, training, and experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Our Ideal Candidate

• Demonstrated ability to monitor, evaluate, and interpret emerging technology trends and assess their strategic impact on business operations. 

• Working knowledge of software applications and digital platforms supporting assurance, tax, and outsourcing functions (e.g., audit workflow tools, tax compliance systems, client portal technologies, practice management, client-facing applications). 

• Advanced capability to analyze complex business-technology challenges, identify root causes, and design scalable, data-informed solutions. 

• Proven experience in coordinating across IT and business units to implement technology solutions that align with multi-departmental goals and constraints. 

• Ability to assess existing workflows and recommend technology-driven improvements that enhance efficiency, compliance, and user experience. 

• Ability to effectively negotiate with and/or foster engagement of key stakeholders. 

Travel

• Less than 10% travel required.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
 
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Wellness at CLA

To support our CLA family members, we focus on their physical, financial, social, and emotional well-being and offer comprehensive benefit options that include health, dental, vision, 401k and much more.

To view a complete list of benefits, click here.