Team and People Operations Manager
Apply NowCompany: Ascend
Location: San Francisco, CA 94112
Description:
What we do
Ascend is transforming the $10T global insurance industry by combining AI automation with embedded fintech. While insurance makes up 7.2% of global GDP, outdated financial infrastructure-PDFs, emails, and manual reconciliation-slows the industry down. Ascend is the first and market-leading finance automation platform built specifically for insurance, driving its rapid digital transformation.
In just three years, we've:
How we do it
Ascend automates the entire insurance financial lifecycle-from collections and accounting to reconciliations and disbursements-helping businesses streamline operations and increase profitability.
In the AI era, software alone is no longer enough. For decades, software costs have declined, and with AI, they are now in free fall. As both software buyers and builders, we fully embrace this shift-it makes technology more powerful and accessible. However, businesses must also maximize monetization, and the future belongs to those that embed themselves into financial flows rather than simply selling SaaS.
That's why AI + fintech is our edge-seamlessly integrating financial automation into transactions to create real, lasting value. Customers don't just buy software; they unlock powerful financial efficiencies with a 5-7x ROI.
Why we do it
Insurance is a $10T+ industry running on legacy systems. AI alone won't fix it, but AI-powered automation embedded into payments and transactions will.
Ascend's mission is to become the leading financial automation platform for insurance by 2030-powering the entire industry's financial operations while transforming the way trillions of dollars move.
Your role
We are looking for a dynamic and highly organized Team and People Operations Manager to broadly support our growing team. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced startup environment and is comfortable wearing multiple hats across executive assistance, recruiting, people, and office operations, and coordination. You will be responsible for keeping our team running smoothly by managing the office environment, scheduling for executives, and supporting recruitment processes such as, but not limited to, onboarding, scheduling, candidate experience throughout the process, and hiring compliance.
Responsibilities will include
Objective #1: In your first 30 days, you will:
Objective #2: In your first 60 days:
Objective #3: In your first 90 days, and beyond, you will:
You might be a good fit if you are/have
Base Salary Range: $80k - $120k annually (+ Equity)
Benefits
Join Ascend and be part of our mission to revolutionize the insurance industry and contribute to global financial modernization. Your leadership can make a significant impact on improving the $1T+ insurance industry.
Equal Opportunity
We are committed to equal opportunity employment and embrace diversity within our organization. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
We encourage candidates to apply even if their experience doesn't precisely match this opportunity. We value diversity and are dedicated to equal opportunity employment.
Ascend is transforming the $10T global insurance industry by combining AI automation with embedded fintech. While insurance makes up 7.2% of global GDP, outdated financial infrastructure-PDFs, emails, and manual reconciliation-slows the industry down. Ascend is the first and market-leading finance automation platform built specifically for insurance, driving its rapid digital transformation.
In just three years, we've:
- Acquired 3,000+ customers, including multiple top insurance distributors
- Processed billions in transactions annually, growing 200%+ per year.
- Built a world-class team of 50+ people in our San Francisco and Columbus offices.
How we do it
Ascend automates the entire insurance financial lifecycle-from collections and accounting to reconciliations and disbursements-helping businesses streamline operations and increase profitability.
In the AI era, software alone is no longer enough. For decades, software costs have declined, and with AI, they are now in free fall. As both software buyers and builders, we fully embrace this shift-it makes technology more powerful and accessible. However, businesses must also maximize monetization, and the future belongs to those that embed themselves into financial flows rather than simply selling SaaS.
That's why AI + fintech is our edge-seamlessly integrating financial automation into transactions to create real, lasting value. Customers don't just buy software; they unlock powerful financial efficiencies with a 5-7x ROI.
Why we do it
Insurance is a $10T+ industry running on legacy systems. AI alone won't fix it, but AI-powered automation embedded into payments and transactions will.
Ascend's mission is to become the leading financial automation platform for insurance by 2030-powering the entire industry's financial operations while transforming the way trillions of dollars move.
Your role
We are looking for a dynamic and highly organized Team and People Operations Manager to broadly support our growing team. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced startup environment and is comfortable wearing multiple hats across executive assistance, recruiting, people, and office operations, and coordination. You will be responsible for keeping our team running smoothly by managing the office environment, scheduling for executives, and supporting recruitment processes such as, but not limited to, onboarding, scheduling, candidate experience throughout the process, and hiring compliance.
Responsibilities will include
Objective #1: In your first 30 days, you will:
- Grow familiar with day to day operations of founders, recruiting processes, and business operations.
- Manage scheduling, calendar coordination, and travel arrangements for founders, and recruiting team.
- Organize and prepare materials for leadership meetings, all-hands meetings, and high-touch candidate and client onsite experiences.
Objective #2: In your first 60 days:
- Support HR and Recruiting teams with recruiting coordination, onboarding, and compliance.
- Oversee office logistics; workspace organization; managing relationships with vendors, including office leasing, cleaning services, and IT support.
- Act as the point of contact for internal and external stakeholders on behalf of executives and hiring teams.
Objective #3: In your first 90 days, and beyond, you will:
- Improve internal processes to enhance efficiency and productivity across departments.
- Organize employee engagement initiatives to build and maintain a strong team culture.
- Plan and execute company events, including happy hours, team retreats, off-sites, and all-hands meetings.
- Establish best practices around ongoing employee experience monitoring, and management.
You might be a good fit if you are/have
- 3+ years of experience in an operations-focused position at a high-growth company or an early-stage startup.
- Experience working with hiring tools such Google Workspace, Slack, Notion, Asana, Greenhouse, LinkedIn, and Rippling.
- Comfortable with the ambiguity and pace of an early stage startup; partnering with technical counterparts, executives, and founders.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, ability to quickly understand and establish definition to complex tasks, and great attention to detail.
Base Salary Range: $80k - $120k annually (+ Equity)
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 when in office
- Company outings and off-sites
- Dog-friendly office!
Join Ascend and be part of our mission to revolutionize the insurance industry and contribute to global financial modernization. Your leadership can make a significant impact on improving the $1T+ insurance industry.
Equal Opportunity
We are committed to equal opportunity employment and embrace diversity within our organization. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
We encourage candidates to apply even if their experience doesn't precisely match this opportunity. We value diversity and are dedicated to equal opportunity employment.