Senior manager, sr&ed (software engineer)

At KPMG in Canada, our people bring their unique perspectives to Canada’s most important challenges. Here, you can build momentum that reaches beyond our business, develop skills for the future, and take ownership of your career with support at every stage. Join a firm where your career can make a difference.

KPMG’s Tax Incentives Practice (TIP) supports leading organizations in navigating Canada’s SR&ED program by combining deep technical expertise with tax advisory insight. As the practice continues to expand in the software and emerging technology space, there is a need for a Senior Manager to lead complex client portfolios and contribute to the ongoing growth of the practice.

This opportunity offers the chance to advise on large-scale, multi-faceted R&D initiatives, lead high-performing teams, and play a central role in client development, delivery excellence, and market expansion within the software engineering domain.

• Lead complex SR&ED engagements for large and mid-market software clients, ensuring technical accuracy, strategic alignment, and robust claim positioning
• Conduct rigorous technical interviews and investigations to uncover technological uncertainties and systematic investigation
• Provide trusted advisor support to senior client stakeholders on R&D positioning, claim strategy, risk management, and documentation standards
• Oversee the review, challenge, and approval of technical reports and supporting documentation for SR&ED submissions
• Drive engagement quality, profitability, and delivery consistency across a portfolio of clients
• Mentor and develop Managers and junior team members, strengthening their ability to probe for eligibility criteria, identify iterations/failure modes, and build defensible claims
• Contribute to business development efforts, including proposals, client presentations, and market outreach
• Identify emerging trends in software innovation and translate them into actionable insights for clients and the practice
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including tax specialists and other advisory groups, on multidisciplinary engagements
• Participate in project planning, resource management, and engagement economics

• A degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field
• Hands-on experience building software with AI coding agents and tools (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Codex, MCP, custom skills/subagents, automation agents, and multi-agent workflows) beyond prompt writing, combined with strong system-level technical fluency to understand and evaluate architectures, technology stacks, and design decisions as explained by CTOs and development teams.
• Deep understanding of complex software systems, including architecture design, system integrations, legacy platforms, data pipelines, monitoring tools, scripting (Python/SQL), AI-assisted development, and advanced development practices
• Strong knowledge of SR&ED and/or comparable R&D incentive frameworks, with a practical ability to map real-world engineering work to eligibility criteria
• Demonstrated skill in persistent, technically grounded investigative questioning that surfaces technological obstacles, iterative experimentation, and systematic investigation
• Experience managing large client accounts and leading complex engagements under time pressure while maintaining technical depth and client rapport
• Experience leading and developing teams in a professional services or consulting environment, with a focus on building strong technical interviewing and claim-construction capabilities
• Ability to contribute to business development and grow client relationships through credibility in both technical and strategic discussions

Keys to Your Success

KPMG professionals are expected to approach their work with integrity, curiosity, collaboration and a commitment to quality.

For this role, success will also depend on your ability to:

• Think technically: Understand systems at the architectural level and identify the engineering constraints that materially affected development.
• Ask effective questions: Conduct persistent technical interviews that move beyond features and business objectives to uncover the underlying technological challenges.
• Think in systems: Understand how architecture, data, infrastructure, software components and operational constraints interact.
• Exercise judgment: Distinguish between routine engineering and work involving genuine technological uncertainty and experimental development.
• Learn quickly: Develop sufficient understanding of unfamiliar technologies to engage credibly with experienced technical teams.
• Work AI-natively: Use modern AI development tools as part of your normal technical workflow and continuously identify opportunities to improve how work is performed.
• Take ownership: Identify information gaps, technical risks and next steps and proactively work with clients and engagement teams to address them.
• Communicate clearly: Explain complex technical matters accurately and concisely without unnecessary technical or SR&ED terminology.

Who Will Thrive in This Role

• You will thrive in this role if you enjoy understanding how complex technology works and are motivated to get beneath the surface description of a development project.
• You are comfortable discussing architecture and engineering decisions with CTOs, architects and development teams, while continuing to ask questions until you understand the technical constraints that drove the work.
• You are intellectually curious and able to move from:

Feature → Implementation → Technical Obstacle → Underlying Constraint → Investigation → Technological Advancement

• You are also an active user of modern AI development tools and are interested in how coding agents, automation and agentic workflows can improve the way technical work is performed.
• Previous SR&ED experience is valuable, but deep SR&ED experience is not required. The successful candidate will bring the technical foundation, curiosity, judgment and learning agility required to develop strong SR&ED expertise within KPMG.
• This role provides an opportunity to work at the intersection of software engineering, artificial intelligence, technical consulting and SR&ED, while working directly with organizations developing some of Canada’s most complex and innovative technologies.

KPMG BC Region Pay Range Information 

The expected base salary range for this position is $102,500 to $200,000 and may be eligible for bonus awards. The determination of an applicant’s base salary within this range is based on the individual’s location, skills & competencies, and unique qualifications. In addition, KPMG offers a comprehensive and competitive Total Rewards program. 

Providing you with the support you need to be at your best 

#LI-Hybrid 

Integrity, we do what is right | Excellence, we never stop learning and improving | Courage, we think and act boldly | Together, we respect each other and draw strength from our differences | For Better, we do what matters

KPMG in Canada is a proud equal opportunities employer and we are committed to creating a respectful, inclusive and barrier-free workplace that allows all of our people to reach their full potential. A diverse workforce is key to our success and we believe in bringing your whole self to work. We welcome all qualified candidates to apply and hope you will choose KPMG in Canada as your employer of choice.

Adjustments and accommodations throughout the recruitment process

At KPMG, we are committed to fostering an inclusive recruitment process where all candidates can be themselves and excel. We aim to provide a positive experience and are prepared to offer adjustments or accommodations to help you perform at your best. Adjustments (informal requests), such as extra preparation time or the option for micro breaks during interviews, and accommodations (formal requests), such as accessible communication supports or technology aids, are tailored to individual needs and role requirements. You will have an opportunity to request an adjustment or accommodation at any point throughout the recruitment process. If you require support, please contact KPMG’s Employee Relations Service team by calling 1-888-466-4778.

AI Usage

We embrace the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the candidate experience and streamline our recruitment processes. AI tools may help with organizing applications or surfacing relevant qualifications. However, no hiring decisions are made using AI. Every hiring decision is made by our hiring managers and recruitment professionals, who are equipped with training that empowers them to use these tools responsibly. AI technologies used in our recruitment process undergo detailed risk assessments, including security and privacy requirements, that align with KPMG’s Trusted AI framework.

We believe technology should empower human judgment, not replace it. It’s one of the many ways we’re delivering on our vision of being a technology-first, people-driven firm.