What we do

Ascend is a fintech company building the financing and payments infrastructure for the $2.1T insurance market (did you know insurance premiums make up 7.2% of global GDP?). More than 40% of payments are still made with paper checks resulting in poor customer experience and expensive and operationally intensive commercial workflow. Today's solutions were built 40 years ago for pen and paper insurance sales. Ascend is the first modern payments platform for insurance helping to enable the industry's rapid digitalization.

Founded in April 2021, Ascend has achieved the following milestones:

• Acquired over 2,000 customers, including several of the top 25 largest insurance distributors nationally (Acrisure, Insurica, NFP, etc.) as well as leading Inusrtechs (Vouch, Embroker, Founder Shield).
• Initiating billions of dollars in transactions and growing exponentially
• Named a Top 50 Insurtech by CB Insights.
• Built a world-class team of 35 based out of our San Francisco, CA, and Columbus, OH offices.

How we do it

Ascend’s platform provides an all-in-one solution for insurance businesses to automate billing, payments, and accounting tasks. Our products improve EBITDA, provide financial transparency and deliver a modern customer experience. Think Stripe + Affirm + Modern Treasury for multi-trillion dollar insurance industry.

Why we do it

To simplify one of the world’s most crucial yet outdated industries. Ascend’s goal is to become the market-leading finance automation platform for insurance businesses by 2030.

Your role

We’re hiring a Finance and Accounting Lead as the first (and sole) member of our accounting / finance team. You’ll own the entire accounting and finance function from day-to-day operations through strategic finance tasks. As a leader in the business, you will be instrumental in critical organizational decision-making and will report to our CEO. This is an ideal role for somebody who has aspirations of being a startup/technology CFO in the near future.

Responsibilities will include

• Owning company-wide finance functions and deliverables including: budgeting, forecasting, cash management, AR/AP, revenue recognition financial planning & analysis, taxes, accounting and financial reporting.
• Modeling out financial impact of business initiatives and providing recommendations to aid strategic decision-making and resource prioritization.
• Defining and measurement of certain key performance indicators and delivering actionable insights.
• Driving monthly financial reviews to understand forecast variances and identify key trends and areas for forecast improvement.
• Assisting with investor relations, board materials, fundraising, diligence requests, and other external facing activities on an as-needed basis.

You might be a good fit if you are/have

• 4-6 years of total accounting and finance experience in a public accounting role, or in-house at an early stage SaaS company.
• Experience in Fintech or usage-based business models a plus.
• Comfortable with the ambiguity and pace of an early stage startup; demonstrable track record of being scrappy, and finding creative solutions to tough, and oftentimes ambiguous problems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, ability to quickly understand complex (and sometimes dense) subject matter, and great attention to detail.
• Willing to work in our San Francisco office in-person 5 days a week.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary and meaningful equity in a fast-growing company
• 100% health premiums covered for you and your dependents
• 401k with employer matching options
• Unlimited PTO
• Monthly company-paid commuter benefit options, and fitness stipends
• Parental and family leave
• Lunch provided in office
• Company outings and off-sites

Equal Opportunity

We're an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We don't discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

In accordance with Ascend policies and our commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of our employees, all positions will require proof of COVID vaccination prior to entering the office. Guests who visit the office must also provide proof of vaccination prior to entry. Our COVID-19 health and safety protocols may change over time as local and national guidance and regulations evolve.

We encourage you to connect with us, even if you think you may not have the exact experience for this opportunity. We know that imposter syndrome is real – and that being outside of your comfort zone often prevents us from meeting candidates we would love to connect with and learn from as we grow.