Ascend Partner Services

Role Description Ascend Together is seeking a Sr People Tech Operations Specialist to serve as a Workday SME embedded within the People team. This role is responsible for backend configuration, plan system management, and off-cycle transactions, with a primary specialization in Workday Benefits and Compensation module configuration aligned to partner-firm integrations, plan add-ons, all-company new hires, and open enrollment. A centerpiece of this role is leading the new Workday Benefits module rollout in partnership with Commit Consulting, and driving the transition off bswift onto a fully Workday-native benefits administration model in close partnership with Total Rewards. Beyond Benefits, the role supports Compensation and career architecture configuration across job profiles and compensation ranges, provides generalist People Tech coverage across the broader HR tech stack, and delegates and monitors delivery from Sentient People Tech resources. In addition to Workday, we hope this person can expand or come with experience in the Greenhouse software as the overall scope of the People Tech space is expanding to include a Talent focus as well. An AI-focused development mindset is the connective thread — this Specialist is expected to continuously streamline, automate, and template configuration and testing work to scale capacity rather than headcount as the partner-firm network grows. Key Relationships - Reports to: Sr Manager, People Technology - Key Stakeholders: Total Rewards, People Operations, Partner Firm Heads of People, and IT - External Partners: Candidates, External Consultants, Vendors Role Responsibilities - Workday Benefits Implementation (Internal Lead) - Serve as the internal lead on the new Workday Benefits module implementation alongside Commit Consulting — drive configuration decisions, build, and testing. - Manage the day-to-day working relationship with Commit Consulting; coordinate scope, timelines, deliverables, and issue resolution. - Partner with Total Rewards to transition benefits administration off bswift onto a fully Workday-native model; map parity, validate, and execute cutover. - Define and execute test plans (unit, parallel, end-to-end); document results and drive defect resolution before go-live. - Support go-live cutover and post-launch hypercare; stabilize configuration and hand off to steady-state operations. - Workday Benefits Modules (Primary Specialty) - Own ongoing functional configuration of the Workday Benefits module — plan setup, rates, eligibility rules, and testing. - Build, test, and drive annual open enrollment in Workday; validate plan/rate setup, event rules, and the employee-facing experience end to end. - Configure and manage qualifying life events; ensure correct event triggers, eligibility, and downstream processing. - Configure benefits enrollment for all-company new hires; ensure accurate eligibility, defaults, and enrollment windows. - Configure new and changing benefit plans and add-ons as the offering evolves; build, test, and deploy with minimal disruption. - Manage benefit enrollment integrations in Workday; monitor carrier files, troubleshoot errors, and ensure data accuracy. - Absence & Compensation Modules (Secondary Specialty) - Configure and maintain job profiles, job families, and career architecture in Workday; support job catalog cleanup and standardization across partner firms. - Build and maintain leave plans, holiday calendars, and associated Absence module functionality. - Build and maintain compensation grades, ranges, and pay range structures; load and validate market data and range updates. - Configure compensation plans, eligibility rules, and one-time/recurring payment setups; support annual merit and comp review cycles. - Process and validate off-cycle compensation transactions — adjustments, promotions, and range changes — with audit-ready documentation. - General People & Talent Systems Responsibilities - Execute Workday system changes for necessary updates; build, test, and deploy. - Translate policy changes into Workday business process and configuration updates; ensure workflows reflect current policy and approvals. - Provide core HCM transactional support — M&A integrations, hires, job and org changes, position management, and data corrections. - Support Greenhouse Recruiting platform with backend configuration needs in partnership with Talent team requirements. - Provide generalist support across the broader HR tech stack in close partnership with Ascend IT and vendors. - Resource Delegation & Vendor Partnership - Delegate configuration and support tasks to Sentient People Tech resources; monitor delivery quality and timelines and hold the partner accountable to standards. - Partner with Ascend IT and third-party vendors on system changes, tickets, and enhancements; coordinate dependencies and escalations. - Operational Excellence & Governance - Maintain testing rigor across all configuration work; build reusable test cases and regression libraries to protect production stability. - Document configuration, business processes, and SOPs; maintain change logs and knowledge base entries for People Tech. - Support Workday release readiness (semi-annual updates); assess impact, test new features, and adopt relevant enhancements. - Identify and build templated, automated, and self-service approaches to recurring configuration to scale through M&A surges. Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related field. - 4+ years of Workday HRIS configuration experience with deep functional expertise in the Benefits, Compensation and Absence modules. - Proven ability to manage or lead a Benefits module implementation or major open enrollment cycle in Workday. - Strong testing discipline: ability to write, execute, and document test cases and manage defect resolution. - Experience in a PE-backed, multi-entity, or professional services environment preferred. - Experience supporting Greenhouse Recruiting platform preferred. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities - Deep Workday Benefits module expertise — plan setup, eligibility logic, event rules, open enrollment configuration, and carrier integrations. - Working knowledge of Workday Compensation and career architecture configuration — grades, ranges, job profiles, and comp cycles. - Exceptional attention to detail and testing rigor; able to build and maintain reusable test frameworks and protect production stability. - Strong organizational skills — able to manage multiple configuration workstreams, deadlines, and vendor relationships simultaneously. - Clear communicator with both technical and non-technical stakeholders; comfortable translating policy requirements into system configuration. - Proactive about documentation; builds SOPs and change logs as a natural part of the work, not as an afterthought. - Collaborative and adaptable in a fast-growing, multi-entity environment where the playbook continues to evolve. - Comfortable leveraging AI tools and automation approaches to reduce manual configuration effort and scale team capacity. - Workday Pro Certification in Benefits or HCM a plus. What You Can Count on at Ascend - We live by our values: - Own it. We seize growth opportunities with the passion, speed, and accountability of an entrepreneur. - Serve wholeheartedly. We love our people and serve them with positivity and kindness. - Be excellent. We set a high bar because our mission matters. - Win together. We stay in sync, achieve as a team, and celebrate each other. - Bring the sunshine. We have fun and bring enthusiasm to make the journey joyful. Compensation and Other - Highly competitive cash and equity bonus compensation package, including attractive benefits. - Start date is as soon as practicable. - At Ascend, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. - Ascend hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.

Role Description Ascend Together is seeking a Manager, People & Talent Operations to serve as the operational backbone of the People & Talent Operations pillar. This role owns the day-to-day generalist HR function alongside the organization's regulatory, immigration, and employee relations programs, plus a dedicated body of talent and recruiting operations work. Specialty functions — immigration, employee relations, and leave administration — delivered through best-in-class vendors; this Manager owns oversight, process, and accountability to internal clients across all of them. This person will keep Ascend and its partner firms compliant in a multi-state, M&A-active environment, govern external specialty vendors, support payroll accuracy, and ensure employee relations matters are resolved with sound judgment. On the talent side, this role owns Greenhouse ATS administration, recruiting compliance, pay transparency, and the reporting infrastructure that keeps the talent function running cleanly. An AI-focused development mindset is core to how the People & Talent Operations team works — the Manager is expected to continuously streamline, automate, and embed self-service tooling to scale capacity rather than headcount as the network grows. Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field. - 5+ years of progressive HR/People Operations experience with demonstrated ownership of compliance, ER, or immigration programs. - Working knowledge of I-9/E-Verify requirements, multi-state employment law, and federal reporting obligations (EEO-1, ACA). - Experience managing third-party HR vendors with accountability for SLAs and service quality. - Hands-on experience with an ATS (Greenhouse preferred); familiarity with recruiting compliance and EEO/OFCCP requirements. - Workday HRIS proficiency; comfort with data validation, reporting, and system workflows. - Prior experience in a PE-backed, multi-entity, or professional services environment preferred. - SHRM-CP/SCP or PHR/SPHR certification a plus. Requirements - Strong judgment in employee relations situations; ability to advise managers, apply policy consistently, and escalate appropriately. - Deep working knowledge of multi-state employment law, I-9/E-Verify compliance, and federal HR reporting obligations. - Proven ability to manage multiple complex vendor relationships and compliance workstreams simultaneously without gaps. - Familiarity with ATS administration and recruiting compliance — EEO/OFCCP data integrity, pay transparency requirements, and defensible hiring records. - Exceptional organizational discipline — able to track cases, deadlines, and escalations across immigration, ER, compliance, and talent operations. - Clear, confident communicator with internal clients and vendor partners; comfortable advising managers and Heads of People on sensitive matters. - Proactive compliance orientation — stays current on regulatory changes and updates processes before issues arise. - Collaborative and adaptable in a fast-growing, multi-entity environment where the playbook continues to evolve. - Comfortable leveraging AI tools and automation to improve HR processes and reduce manual effort. Benefits - Highly competitive cash and equity bonus compensation package, including attractive benefits. - Start date is as soon as practicable. Company Description Ascend empowers entrepreneurial CPAs to reach their goals with an innovative growth model that brings their firms into the new age. Backed by PeopleFirst private equity firm Alpine Investors (~$20B AUM), Ascend is the leading aggregator of regional accounting firms in the U.S., with ~2,800 employees globally and approaching $1B in revenue. Ascend has built a modern platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent in their brand, approach to client service, and cultural autonomy, while benefiting from the strategic support and resources of a large CPA firm. Founded in January 2023, Ascend has experienced rapid growth both organically and through M&A, having completed ~45 acquisitions to date, placing it in the Top 25 largest accounting firms in the U.S.

Role Description Jackson Thornton, a partner firm within the Ascend ecosystem, is seeking a Benefits Analyst to own the day-to-day administration and strategic oversight of the firm's self-funded health and wellness plans, all employee leave programs, and COBRA administration. This individual will serve as the primary point of contact between Jackson Thornton, its third-party administrator (TPA), stop-loss carrier, and benefits vendors — ensuring seamless plan operations, regulatory compliance, and a positive member experience across the firm's growing employee base. A critical part of this role is leading benefits integration efforts as new Partner Firms join the Ascend platform. This person will manage the full transition of incoming employees onto Jackson Thornton's plans, partnering closely with the broker, carriers, and People Operations team to ensure every new employee lands with no gaps in coverage and a clear, welcoming benefits experience. This is a high-ownership, high-visibility role for a detail-oriented benefits professional who thrives in a fast-paced, multi-entity environment and takes genuine pride in serving employees well. The Benefits Analyst will report to the Head of People and be positioned as Jackson Thornton's internal Benefits Administration function. Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field - 5+ years of progressive benefits administration experience, including hands-on management of self-funded health plans - Demonstrated experience with COBRA, FMLA, ADA accommodations, and multi-state leave compliance - Prior experience managing benefits integrations in an M&A or multi-entity environment strongly preferred - Familiarity with benefits administration platforms and HRIS systems; experience with government filings (Form 5500, ACA reporting) a strong plus Requirements - Deep familiarity with Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, including plan structures, network configurations, and carrier-specific processes for enrollment, claims, and escalations - Deep technical knowledge of self-funded health plan administration, stop-loss arrangements, and the regulatory landscape (ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, PCORI) - Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills — able to manage multiple workstreams, deadlines, and vendors simultaneously without letting things fall through the cracks - Strong employee-facing communication skills: warm, clear, and confidence-inspiring when helping employees navigate benefits questions, especially during enrollment or life events - Analytical mindset — comfortable working with cost reports, utilization data, and plan financials to identify trends and inform decision-making - Proactive compliance orientation: stays current on regulatory changes and proactively updates processes and documentation before issues arise - Collaborative and adaptable in a fast-growing, multi-entity environment where the playbook continues to evolve - Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Excel); experience with benefits administration software and HRIS platforms required Benefits - Highly competitive cash and equity bonus compensation package, including attractive benefits - Start date is as soon as practicable Company Description Ascend empowers entrepreneurial CPAs to reach their goals with an innovative growth model that brings their firms into the new age. Backed by PeopleFirst private equity firm Alpine Investors (~$20B AUM), Ascend is the leading aggregator of regional accounting firms in the U.S., with ~2,800 employees globally and approaching $1B in revenue. Ascend has built a modern platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent in their brand, approach to client service, and cultural autonomy, while benefiting from the strategic support and resources of a large CPA firm. Founded in January 2023, Ascend has experienced rapid growth both organically and through M&A, having completed ~45 acquisitions to date, placing it in the Top 25 largest accounting firms in the U.S.

Role Description Ascend is seeking a Recruiter to support our network of accounting firms. Reporting to the Director of Partner Firm Recruiting, the Recruiter will be responsible for full-lifecycle recruitment of CPAs, accounting professionals, and other firm leadership roles. Employing storytelling, analytical rigor, and problem-solving skills, this individual will devise and implement Talent strategies to identify, engage, and close top talent while providing red carpet candidate experiences. You will have the opportunity to establish and improve Talent Acquisition (TA) systems and processes, optimizing our hiring practices and improving key TA performance indicators over time. - Partner closely with CEOs and HR leaders at regional firms to understand their cultures and write effective job descriptions and scorecards. - Fully own the candidate experience throughout the hiring process, delivering a high NPS, red carpet experience. - Build a robust pipeline of diverse, high-quality candidates for Tax, Audit, and other Accounting roles. - Create effective, efficient outbound outreach methods to attract candidates through email, LinkedIn, and other job posting sites. - Evaluate talent via screening interviews; demonstrate excellent interview skills that lead to effective top of funnel selection. - Become a power user of our ATS, running reports to check progress against goals, and ensuring all data is effectively captured. - Monitor talent pipeline analytics, taking action against poor conversion rates and opportunities to improve funnel throughput. - Effectively present, negotiate, and execute offer letters in partnership with HR. - Cultivate connections with other recruiters and keep a pulse on what’s happening in the industry and at different companies to get ahead of key strategic and/or competitive opportunities. - Foster long-term relationships with high performing talent at competitive firms and know who may be looking for opportunities. - Manage and administer candidate experience surveys to gather feedback; ensure candidate NPS of 90+ regardless of hiring status. - Help establish new partnerships and relationships with universities or other institutions to provide a new influx of talent. - Demonstrate excellent communication and influencing skills to align and motivate a variety of key stakeholders across Ascend HQ and regional hubs. Qualifications - Minimum 3 years of recruiting experience, with experience in public accounting recruiting. - Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. - Strong organizational, critical thinking, and communications skills. - Strong desire to win and relentless intellectual curiosity. - Attention to detail and good judgment. - Power user of an ATS - Greenhouse is a plus! Requirements - We live by our values: - Own it. We seize growth opportunities with the passion, speed, and accountability of an entrepreneur. - Serve whole-heartedly. We love our people and serve them with positivity and kindness. - Be excellent. We set a high bar because our mission matters. - Win together. We stay in sync, achieve as a team, and celebrate each other. - Bring the sunshine. We have fun and bring enthusiasm to make the journey joyful. Benefits - At Ascend, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. - Ascend hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.

Role Description Ascend is seeking an Associate, Business Development to support the VP, Client Development in designing and operationalizing Ascend’s new business playbook — driving new business growth across the portfolio, enabling CPAs to develop their business development skills and habits, and measuring the impact of those efforts with rigor. This role exists to make growth happen, not just plan it. The Business Development Associate will work at the intersection of strategy and execution. This position will be deploying playbooks across partner firms, building and maintaining performance reporting systems, designing CPA training and enablement programs, and serving as a trusted partner to Chief Growth Officers and Partner Firm leadership. Success in this role requires winning through influence: building credibility, simplifying complexity, and consistently delivering results without direct line authority. Key Relationships - Reports to: VP, Client Development - Core Collaborators: The Strategic Growth function, including Regional Presidents and Chief Growth Officers, and Ascend’s Head of Professional Development - Influence Targets (no reporting line): Partner Firm CEOs, BD Champions, Client Relationship Owners (Partners & Managers), and other Partner Firm team members involved in business development Role Responsibilities - Drive Execution of the Growth Playbook - Support the VP in deploying the new business playbook in new and existing Partner Firms - Coordinate BD meeting rhythms, pipeline setup, and goal-setting sessions with Partner Firm leadership in collaboration with Chief Growth Officers - Help build and maintain firm-level maturity assessments that calibrate the playbook starting point for each firm - Assist in developing and refreshing firm-wide go-to-market strategy materials: ICP, positioning, messaging, and niche identification - Build and maintain a repeatable event-as-BD playbook — templates, run-of-show guides, and post-event follow-up systems - Track playbook adoption across the portfolio and surface blockers to the VP - Support systematic deployment in new Partner Firms and motion to integrate new add-ons - Keep a Close Eye on the Numbers - Track portfolio-wide BD performance against established KPIs, proactively identify risks and trends, and escalate to the VP in time to act. - Monitor and report on portfolio-wide BD metrics weekly — tracking each firm’s progress against targets across new business, cross-sell, pipeline health, revenue per client group, and service mix - Proactively flag risks — firms trending behind on new business pace, pipeline stalling, ASP slipping, tax mix drifting — before they become bigger problems - Escalate early and with context: bring a clear read on what’s off, which firm, by how much, and a hypothesis on why - Spot positive trends and bright spots; surface which firms are outperforming and drive understanding of what’s working so it can be replicated - Maintain data integrity — ensure accuracy in weekly KPI reporting by following up with firm contacts on missing or inconsistent data - Prepare concise performance snapshots for VP use in ELT updates, QBRs, and firm check-ins — clear on status, trajectory, and where attention is needed - Support revenue forecast accuracy by keeping a live read on pipeline quality and pacing across firms - BD Training & Enablement for CPAs - Support the design and deployment of a CPA training program that drives meaningful year-over-year improvement in individual participant new business and measurable growth in “Activator” habits. - Project-manage the training calendar across Ascend, Firm, Group, and Individual delivery formats - Develop training materials (decks, workbooks, facilitator guides) covering sales process, asking great questions, discovery meetings, pitches, fee negotiation, and event/conference success - Coordinate with Ascend’s Professional Development team to align training with the Ascend PD Way and reinforce lasting behavior change through ongoing reinforcement, practice, and accountability - Collect post-training NPS and participant feedback; produce summary reports and iterate on program design - Manage relationships with third-party training vendors and support performance management of those partners - Build and maintain the CPA enablement toolkit: templates, checklists, target research guides, and pitch frameworks - Support CRM rollout as an enablement tool — helping CPAs become enthusiastic users in their day-to-day BD work Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university - 2–4 years of experience in a fast-paced environment; background in management consulting, sales strategy, business development, or a high-growth company strongly preferred - Demonstrated track record of driving results through influence, project management, and cross-functional collaboration Requirements - Systems builder and change leader — able to design repeatable processes and influence adoption across a distributed organization without direct authority - Coach, enabler, and teacher — genuinely enjoys developing others and has a knack for making complex concepts simple and actionable for practitioners - Data-driven operator — comfortable building and maintaining KPI dashboards, spotting trends in noisy data, and translating numbers into clear narratives for leadership - Empathy for the CPA — understands the demands of professional services and brings patience, warmth, and credibility when working with Partner Firm teams - Exceptional organizational skills, strong prioritization instincts, comfortable in high-growth environments where the playbook is still being written, high pace of play, and a bias for action - Strong written and verbal communication skills — able to produce crisp materials (decks, memos, trackers) and present clearly to both operational and executive audiences - Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Excel and PowerPoint); familiarity with CRM tools and project management software is a plus Benefits - Highly competitive cash and equity bonus compensation package, including attractive benefits. - Start date is as soon as practicable. Company Description At Ascend, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Ascend hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.

About Ascend Backed by private equity from people-focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a dynamic platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent while accessing the resources of a Top 25 firm to help them grow. Ascend provides access to growth capital, robust talent acquisition and training, leading quality management resources, best-of-breed technology, AI tools, an offshore captive, shared back-office services, a catalytic leadership system, and modernized equity incentives so that firms can surmount today’s industry challenges to reach their full potential. For more information, visit www.ascendtogether.com. About Alpine Investors Alpine Investors is a people-driven private equity firm that is committed to building great companies by working with, learning from, and developing exceptional people. Alpine prides itself on fostering cultures where people value empowerment, diversity, fairness, integrity, and intellectual honesty. Founded in 2001, Alpine specializes in investments in companies in the software and services industries. Alpine has over $15 billion in AUM and has offices in San Francisco, New York, and Salt Lake City. For more information on the firm, visit www.alpineinvestors.com Position Summary As the Senior Manager, Total Rewards for Ascend, you are accountable for delivering a differentiated total rewards strategy that provides our employees with a stronger benefits and compensation experience than they would receive at independent regional firms. As we scale rapidly, you will leverage our collective buying power and vendor ecosystem to secure superior plan designs, improved service standards, and disciplined cost structures that strengthen both employee experience and financial predictability. Your leadership across benefits and rewards programming will directly enable our Talent team to attract top industry talent and equip our CEOs with the clarity and tools needed to retain A players and budget effectively. Serving as the internal face and product owner of Total Rewards, you will ensure a seamless, high-quality employee experience while introducing scalable, AI-enabled solutions that elevate service delivery and operational efficiency as we grow. Key Responsibilities: Working with the Vice President of People Operations, the Senior Manager, Total Rewards will be responsible for the following: Health and Wellness Benefits - Design and operate a scalable benefits strategy that supports acquisitions, maintains competitive employee offerings, and delivers predictable cost outcomes despite healthcare trend volatility. - Manage broker and vendor performance through defined service standards, renewal planning, and reporting while ensuring reliable open enrollment, billing accuracy, and benefits reporting for leadership. Retirement Programs - Own governance of Ascend’s retirement programs, ensuring fiduciary compliance, payroll accuracy, and seamless integration between HRIS, payroll, and recordkeeping platforms. - Manage retirement vendors and administrators while overseeing onboarding, remittances, compliance testing, audits, and plan design benchmarking. Leave Management - Centralize leave strategy across FMLA, disability, state programs, and paid leave policies to ensure a consistent, compliant experience across all firms. - Define clear ownership between internal teams and vendors while ensuring accurate payroll processing and a supportive employee experience throughout the leave lifecycle. M&A Integrations - Partner with integration leadership to conduct benefits due diligence and ensure Total Rewards is incorporated into deal strategy and transition planning. - Execute Day One benefits transitions and develop repeatable integration playbooks that ensure smooth employee onboarding and predictable rewards costs. Benefits Administration and Systems - Operate a scalable benefits administration ecosystem ensuring accurate data flow across HRIS, payroll, carriers, COBRA partners, and compliance vendors. - Continuously improve benefits systems, reporting, and employee self-service through automation and AI-enabled solutions that reduce operational friction. Skills - Benefits Strategy & Governance: Experience designing scalable benefits programs that balance employee experience, cost discipline, and operational simplicity. - Vendor & Broker Management: Ability to manage broker and vendor relationships, negotiate plan design and pricing, and maintain strong service standards. - Retirement Plan Administration: Knowledge of retirement plan governance, compliance requirements, and payroll integrations. - Leave & Compliance Expertise: Strong understanding of leave programs and regulatory compliance across complex organizations. - HRIS & Benefits Systems: Experience working with benefits administration platforms and integrating them with payroll and HRIS systems. - M&A Integration: Ability to support benefits and rewards transitions in fast-growing or acquisition-driven organizations. - Data Analysis & Reporting: Strong analytical skills to interpret benefits utilization trends and inform leadership decisions. - Automation & Process Improvement: Experience implementing automation and AI-enabled support tools that improve benefits administration and employee experience. - Communication & Stakeholder Management: Ability to translate complex benefits programs into clear guidance for employees, leadership, and firm partners. Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field. - Significant experience in benefits administration, compensation analysis, or total rewards leadership roles. - Experience managing vendor ecosystems including brokers, carriers, and retirement plan partners. - Familiarity with HRIS and benefits administration platforms and their integration with payroll systems. - Strong analytical skills and experience building reporting and insights to support leadership decision-making. - Experience operating in fast-growing or multi-entity organizations is strongly preferred. - Certifications such as CEBS, PHR/SPHR, or CCP are a plus. What You Can Count On (We live by our values): - Own it: We seize growth opportunities with the passion, speed and accountability of an entrepreneur. - Serve whole-heartedly: We love our people and serve them with positivity and kindness. - Be excellent: We set a high bar because our mission matters. - Win together: We stay in sync, achieve as a team and celebrate each other. - Bring the sunshine: We have fun and bring enthusiasm to make the journey joyful. At Ascend, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Ascend hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.