Department / Program: Financial Empowerment

Supervisor: Financial Empowerment Program Manager

Direct reports: None

Employment status: Part-Time, Seasonal

Classification: Non-Exempt

Location: 430 Rindge Avenue and 55 Norfolk, both in Cambridge, MA

Work arrangement: Primarily on site, some work pre- and post-tax season can be done remotely

Effective date: November 2026

POSITION SUMMARY

Just A Start hosts a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) site from January to April each year. The Tax Site Coordinator works with the Financial Empowerment Program Manager to open, staff, and run the site in accordance with IRS regulations. Just A Start has two tax clinic sites, at 430 Rindge Ave and 55 Norfolk Street, both in Cambridge.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Site Planning and Operations

• Collaborate with the FEC Program Manager on the day-to-day operational coordination of JAS VITA sites, ensuring site opening and closing, tax clinic setup and readiness.
• Coordinate with the FEC Program Manager on clinic staffing, volunteer scheduling and tax preparation capacity.
• Participate in monthly Boston Tax Help Coalition meetings and trainings.

Tax Compliance, Return Management, and Quality Assurance

• Oversee volunteer tax preparers, quality reviewers, and remote preparers to ensure returns move efficiently through preparation, review, correction, and filing.
• Oversee the tax return process, ensuring returns are prepared, reviewed, and filed promptly and correctly, escalating any issues or complex questions to the Tax Site Consultant when necessary.
• Monitor returns awaiting preparation, missing documentation, quality review, taxpayer follow-up, signatures, corrections, e-filing, or resolution.
• Track and resolve rejected, delayed, or incomplete returns, escalating issues to the Tax Site Consultant when necessary.

Tax Documentation, Reporting, and Program Compliance

• Support the FEC Program Manager in ensuring JAS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) services comply with IRS guidelines, VITA program requirements, and Boston Tax Help Coalition standards.
• Protect taxpayer information by following site security protocols to ensure tax documents and electronic records are handled, stored, and shared in accordance with applicable IRS, VITA, and organizational requirements.
• Compile data for reporting to the FEC Program Manager and relevant program partners, including data related to tax preparation, quality, e-filing and other required data.
• Support end-of-season reconciliation of tax returns, filing outcomes, unresolved cases, and a post-tax season program review.

Qualifications

• At least two years of supervisory, site-coordination, tax-preparation, customer-service, or comparable high-volume operations experience preferred.
• Prior VITA, community tax-site, tax preparation, or seasonal program leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Ability to obtain and maintain certifications required by the Boston Tax Help Coalition, including: IRS Volunteer Standards of Conduct; Intake/Interview; Quality Review; Advanced Tax Preparation; and Site Coordinator.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple tasks in a busy service environment.
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work respectfully with taxpayers, volunteers, and program staff.
• Ability to work collaboratively with volunteers and program staff to maintain an organized, welcoming, and reliable tax preparation service.
• Proficiency with computers, Microsoft Office, email, data systems. Knowledge of TaxWise tax software is a plus.

Hours, Timeline, and Work Schedule

• Timeline:
  • November – December: approx 15-20 hours/week
  • January – April: 37.5 hours/week
  • May - June: approx 5-10 hours/week

• Work schedule:
  • In-Person Tax Clinics: During the tax season, Just A Start runs 3 tax clinics each week. One clinic is during the weekday, one clinic is one evening (likely Wednesday), and one weekend day (TBD). Total work time in a given week will not exceed 37.5 hours. The final clinic schedule for both locations will be finalized prior to the start of the season.
  • Administration: Attend weekly and as needed meetings with FEC Program Manager and Tax Site Consultant, attend monthly Boston Tax Help Coalition meetings, conduct taxpayer follow-up and communication, as well as any other tax related tasks.

Compensation

This is a part-time position, located at both Just A Start’s main office at 430 Rindge Ave in Cambridge and also at our satellite office at 55 Norfolk St, Cambridge. The hourly pay for the position is $35.00. 

Please submit a resume and cover letter to be considered for this position.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and to use standard office equipment, including a computer; vision to read printed materials and a computer screen; and hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and the ability to stand for up to 3 hours a day. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The tax site work environment is busy and moderately noisy.