Manager, People and Talent Operations

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 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. Ascend provides access to growth capital, a robust talent acquisition engine, best-in-breed technology, AI tools, shared back-office services, and modernized growth incentives, so firms can surmount the typical standalone partnership model challenges and reach their full potential. 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. For more information, visit ascendtogether.com. About Alpine Investors Alpine Investors is a PeopleFirst private equity firm 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. For more information on the firm, visit www.alpineinvestors.com. Position Summary 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. Key Relationships Reports to: Head of People Operations Key Stakeholders: Heads of People, Finance, Legal, Total Rewards, People Technology, and Talent Acquisition External Partners: Candidates, external vendors, consultants Role Responsibilities Generalist People Operations Contribute to lifecycle processing — onboarding, offboarding, transfers, and status changes — in partnership with primary HRIS owners; ensure People Ops inputs are accurate and timely. Maintain and apply HR policies and the employee handbook; resolve Tier 1 inquiries via self-service and handle escalated Tier 2 cases requiring policy interpretation or cross-system research. Build and maintain SOPs and process maps; identify automation and self-service opportunities to reduce manual touchpoints. Support new partner-firm integrations with People Ops expertise; partner with Total Rewards, People Technology, and People Integration on shared workstreams and M&A surges. Drive employment verifications and unemployment claims through trusted vendors in partnership with firm Heads of People State & Federal Compliance Own I-9 processing and E-Verify compliance end to end — timely completion, reverifications, storage, retention, and periodic internal audits and remediation. Own required government filings (EEO-1, state new-hire reporting, Census, etc.) and serve as internal owner for compliance audits; coordinate vendors and track corrective actions. Translate regulatory and counsel guidance into updated policies and SOPs; keep labor law postings and statutory notices current across all worksites and remote jurisdictions. Provide compliance dashboards and status reporting to People Ops leadership, Legal, and Finance on a monthly/quarterly cadence. Immigration (Vendor-Governed) Own the immigration program governed through Legal vendor — set standards, prioritize cases, and own work-authorization outcomes. Define and run intake, routing, and triage; ensure cases move efficiently through counsel and that stakeholders know how to engage. Manage the vendor relationship — SLAs, status tracking, key date and expiration management, escalations, and ad hoc case coordination as partner firms join. Serve as the internal point of accountability for stakeholders on immigration status, risks, and timelines. Employee Relations (Vendor-Governed) Own ER intake, triage, and involvement of vendor; set consistent severity and handling paths. Escalate investigation findings internally across Legal, the Head of People, and the Head of People Operations for alignment; ensure all outcomes are defensible. Surface ER trends to cross-functional People team stakeholders and identify opportunity areas for manager and employee development. Talent & Recruiting Operations Own day-to-day Greenhouse ATS functional administration — user access, workflows, job approvals, and troubleshooting for recruiting users. Ensure recruiting compliance within Greenhouse — EEO/OFCCP data capture, disposition reasons, audit trails, and consistent, defensible hiring records. Support pay transparency compliance across jurisdictions; ensure job postings include required pay ranges and that practices keep pace with changing state and local law. Manage recruiting tool subscriptions, licenses, and spend with Finance; build and maintain recruiting reporting and dashboards covering pipeline, time-to-fill, and compliance metrics. Strategic Program Ownership Govern the ER/leave partnership — own scope, escalation paths, service quality, and the leave administration experience. Oversee the immigration program end to end; manage intake standards, case prioritization, spend, and reporting. Oversee the EOR relationship for applicable populations; ensure statutory compliance, accurate worker data, and a smooth employee experience. Prepare ELT memos when cases need visibility or approval. Oversee the UI Claim program Oversee the Employment Verifications program Education and Experience 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. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 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. 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.