Practice Management and Service Delivery Applications Manager

About Ascend

Ascend empowers entrepreneurial CPAs to reach their goals with an innovative growth model that brings their firms into the new age. Backed by private equity from people‑focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a modern platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent while accessing the resources of a large CPA firm to help them grow. Ascend provides access to growth capital, robust talent acquisition, best‑of‑breed technology, a catalytic leadership system, shared back‑office services, and modernized equity incentives so that firms can surmount today’s industry challenges and reach their full potential.

Founded in January 2023, the company attained revenues sufficient to qualify it as a Top 100 U.S. accounting firm within six months of operation. For more information, visit

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

The Practice Management & Service Delivery Applications Manager will play a critical role in supporting the execution, governance, and enablement of core applications across Ascend’s network of partner accounting firms. This role serves as the operational engine behind firm onboarding, application lifecycle management, and data governance for Practice Management and Service Delivery platforms. Working closely with the Director of Practice Management & Service Delivery Technology, this individual will manage implementation logistics, coordinate cross‑functional initiatives, maintain documentation and inventories, and serve as a bridge between IT, Operations, and Firm Leadership.

The ideal candidate combines strong project coordination and application management capabilities with a deep understanding of the professional services industry.

• Implementation Support:
  Coordinate logistics, timelines, and firm‑specific activities for onboarding and upgrading Practice Management platforms (e.g., CCH Axcess Practice, Engagement, Workstream).
• Application Governance:
  Maintain application inventory, usage patterns, and support documentation across the enterprise; ensure alignment with platform reference architecture and M&A integration needs.
• Operational Enablement:
  Serve as liaison with firm Service Delivery leaders to ensure tools align with operational workflows, service categories, and client delivery models.
• Support Coordination:
  Manage internal and third‑party application support resources; triage issues, elevate to Tier 2 within IT Operations team as needed, and ensure resolution tracking and process improvement.
• Data Governance Execution:
  Help operationalize data standards (Org Hierarchy, Service Codes, Staff Models, Client Groups) and ensure accurate adoption across firms.
• Project Management:
  Own execution‑level details and reporting on assigned initiatives; work within project frameworks to track milestones and communicate risks or blockers.
• Cross‑functional
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Partner with AI Product, Analytics, and IT Operations teams to align initiatives and ensure data/application readiness for emerging technologies.

• 5+ years in application support, project coordination, or technology operations, preferably within accounting, consulting, or professional services.
• Strong understanding of Practice Management, workflow, or time/billing software in a multi‑office or multi‑firm environment.
• Proficiency in managing multiple concurrent projects and implementation timelines.
• Detail‑oriented and organized with a strong sense of accountability.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build trust with operational stakeholders.
• Experience with vendors like CCH, Aiwyn, Intuit, or Thomson Reuters…