About Instead
Instead is a tax platform designed to help taxpayers and tax professionals collaborate to save money on taxes. As the first company in decades to receive IRS approvals to E-file 1040, 1041, 1120, 1120S, and 1065 — we're re-inventing a complex category. Founded in 2023, Instead combines LLMs with tax law to make tax management a continuous, proactive process rather than a dreaded annual deadline.
Our investors include Sarah Guo from Conviction, IRIS (the largest tax software provider in the UK), and many of our partners and customers who believe in our mission and vision. Our team comes from top tax, financial services, and fintech companies — Gusto, Intuit, Zenefits, Thomson Reuters, and Wolters Kluwer — as well as leading tax and accounting firms such as PwC, BDO, RSM International, and KPMG.
Instead was a 2024 Innovation Award Finalist in CPA Practice Advisor. Our CEO, Andrew Argue, is a CPA and has been named among the Top 100 Most Influential People in the Accounting Profession twice.
About the role
We’re looking for a Senior Tax Customer Support Lead to help clients discover tax savings through strategic planning and implementation using our platform — and to help guide and support members of our customer support team, including a small group based in India.
This role is ideal for someone who loves hands-on client work but is also ready to take on a leadership layer: helping set priorities, mentoring team members, and ensuring operational excellence. You’ll work closely with the Director of Client Success to ensure the team runs smoothly and clients have an exceptional experience.
What you'll do
- Lead day-to-day support workflows with oversight of a small offshore support team, providing guidance, mentorship, and escalation support as needed.
- Onboard new clients, helping them navigate our innovative tax software and troubleshoot issues or escalate feature requests.
- Manage customer inquiries across chat, email, phone, Zoom, and platforms like Slack, Zendesk, and Intercom.
- Partner with Sales, Product, and Tax Strategy teams to ensure our software and client experience remain seamless and effective.
- Monitor support queue health, ticket volumes, and SLAs, helping ensure the team meets service goals.
- Assist in developing and improving internal processes, documentation, and knowledge base materials.
- Act as a point of escalation for complex client issues or sensitive cases.
What you'll need
- 4+ years of customer support or success experience, ideally with at least 1 year in a lead, senior, or mentorship capacity.
- Strong troubleshooting, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Comfort managing workflows and collaborating across multiple teams.
- Experience with ticketing/support platforms such as Zendesk, Intercom, or similar.
- A proactive mindset with the ability to step in, take ownership, and support others.
- Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Why join us
- Work with a cutting-edge tax technology platform that’s transforming the industry.
- Take on meaningful leadership responsibilities without stepping away from direct client impact.
- Join a collaborative, mission-driven team with opportunities for growth.
- Competitive compensation and benefits.
- Gain exposure to complex tax strategies across industries.
- Be part of a company making history as the first in decades to receive IRS e-file approvals across multiple return types.
Equal opportunity employer
As a global business, we rely on diversity of culture and thought to deliver on our goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law.
We trust our team with sensitive information, so all candidates who receive and accept employment offers must complete a background check before joining us.
Top Skills
What We Do
Instead is revolutionizing the tax industry with our AI-powered software, designed to simplify and optimize tax strategies, calculations, and filings for businesses and accountants. Our platform leverages artificial intelligence to streamline the entire tax process, making it more efficient and cost-effective for companies of all sizes.
Our current focus areas include:
Tax Strategy Optimization: We offer AI-powered analysis to identify potential tax savings opportunities across U.S. tax strategies. Our system automatically applies relevant strategies based on each user's unique financial situation, maximizing tax benefits.
Tax Calculations (Coming Soon): Our platform will provide precise tax calculations based on taxpayer scenarios, covering 63 U.S. income tax jurisdictions. This feature aims to reduce the time required for tax return preparation from 8-24 hours to less than 10 minutes.
Tax Filing (Coming Soon): We're developing a streamlined, AI-driven tax filing process that will simplify this complex task for businesses and tax professionals alike.
Our vision extends beyond the U.S. market, with plans to expand our services to cover tax strategies and calculations in most countries worldwide.
At Instead, we believe in making sophisticated tax management accessible and affordable. Our pricing structure starts at just $16 per month for businesses, with options tailored for sole proprietors, various business entities, and specialized needs.
For accounting firms, Instead Pro offers a powerful tool to expand services and deliver greater value to clients. Our AI-driven approach enables tax professionals to focus on complex issues and client relationships while automating routine tasks.
Join us in revolutionizing the tax industry. Whether you're a growing startup, an established enterprise, or a tax professional, Instead is designed to maximize your tax efficiency and fuel your financial growth. Experience the future of tax management with Instead.
