Manager, IT End User Services

Ascend empowers entrepreneurial CPAs to reach their goals with an innovative growth model that brings their firms into the new age. Backed by People First private equity firm Alpine Investors (~$20B AUM), Ascend is the leading aggregator of regional accounting firms in the U.S., with ~3,200 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.

Ascend provides access to growth capital, a robust talent acquisition engine, a best-in-breed technology platform, an AI development team, a catalytic leadership system, shared back-office services, and modernized growth incentives, so firms can surmount the typical challenges of the standalone partnership model and reach their full potential. Founded in January 2023, Ascend has grown rapidly both organically and through M&A, placing it among the Top 25 largest accounting firms in the U.S.

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Alpine Investors is a People First 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 ~$20 billion in AUM and has offices in San Francisco, New York, Salt Lake City, and Austin, TX.

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Ascend is seeking a Manager of IT End User Services to build and run an Ascend-owned, AI-first service desk that Partner Firms trust. This leader will oversee Ascend’s regional service desk organization, comprising four Regional IT Support Leads and their teams of L2 IT Support Technicians, and will deliver consistent, high-quality support in every region while continuously shifting work left to self-service and AI resolution.

This is a driver role. The Manager of IT End User Services will set a high bar, form a point of view on which data matters and act on it, listen for what firms are saying beyond the numbers, and hold the team accountable to consistent processes, all while building a team with deep accounting industry knowledge. The Manager will own service desk performance, resolve all but the most serious escalations independently, and coordinate closely with Ascend’s Applications, Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Integration, and AI and automation teams.

The Manager of IT End User Services will report to Ascend’s IT Operations leadership.

• Lead, hire, and develop four Regional IT Support Leads and, through them, the regional L2 IT Support Technicians, including regular scorecard reviews and performance evaluations.

• Build a team with deep accounting industry and application knowledge, ensuring every region is fully staffed and trained with backup coverage in place.

• Plan staffing and coverage across an extended East and West shift model, an on-call rotation with P1 and VIP paging, and weekend coverage during busy season.

• Manage the team within approved headcount and budget.

• Own service desk performance against a live scorecard spanning AI resolution, first-touch resolution, SLA attainment, ticket aging, requester satisfaction and NPS, process adherence, and on-site presence; report weekly to IT leadership and support monthly readouts to the Executive Leadership Team (“ELT”) and Regional Presidents.

• Deliver SLA attainment…