Technical Audit Manager

Location: Remote (Canada-based preferred)
Compensation: $100,000–$120,000 total annual package (base + performance bonus + stock options)

Zero To One Strategic is a tech-enabled consulting firm specializing in SR&ED, grants, and non-dilutive funding strategies. We help innovative startups defend, optimize, and scale with precision.

Role Overview

The Technical Audit Manager will play a critical role in defending our clients during SR&ED audits and reviews. Unlike claim-prep roles, this position focuses exclusively on audit defense: preparing communication for CRA officers, drafting and responding to Requests for Information (RFIs), and building the internal collateral and intellectual property (IP) used to support clients when claims are challenged.
This role works hand-in-hand with the Financial Audit Manager and our VP of Tax. Your mandate is to ensure that every technical position we put forward is clear, defensible, and audit-resistant.

Audit Defense & Communication

• Prepare clear, defensible responses to CRA Requests for Information (RFIs).
  
• Draft technical narratives and supporting materials that reinforce the validity of claims under review.
  
• Act as the primary technical voice in audit defense, collaborating closely with financial and tax counterparts.
  

Collateral & IP Development

• Develop reusable frameworks, templates, and technical collateral to strengthen client audit readiness.
  
• Capture lessons from past audits and transform them into institutional IP.
  
• Maintain a knowledge base of audit defense strategies and best practices.
  

Client & CRA Interaction

• Partner with the Financial Audit Manager and VP of Tax to represent clients effectively in CRA discussions.
  
• Ensure all communications with CRA officers are timely, accurate, and strategically positioned.
  
• Help clients understand audit requirements and guide them in gathering technical evidence.
  

Operational Oversight & Reporting

• Track all active audits, including key dates, risks, and response statuses.
  
• Escalate issues quickly with recommended mitigation strategies.
  
• Provide leadership with insight into audit trends and outcomes.

• Minimum 1 year of direct SR&ED experience.
  
• Hands-on involvement in at least 5 SR&ED audit cycles.
  
• Strong technical communication skills—able to translate R&D and engineering work into audit-compliant narratives.
  
• Detail-oriented, analytical, and proactive with excellent organizational skills.

• Prior management or team leadership experience (preferred, but not mandatory).
  
• Experience working alongside tax teams or financial auditors.
  
• Familiarity with adjacent government funding programs (IRAP, CanExport, etc.).
  
• Background in engineering, software, or scientific R&D.

• Shape the technical audit defense function at a high-growth consultancy.
  
• Work directly with financial and tax leaders on complex, high-stakes audits.
  
• Build reusable IP and frameworks that will scale across dozens of clients.
  
• Competitive compensation, stock options, and the chance to make a real impact.