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 operations. For more information, visit ascendtogether.com.

Position Summary

Ascend is seeking a People Operations Integration Manager to lead the People Operations integration of firms joining Ascend through acquisition. The role owns a smooth transition of employees, the alignment of HR policies, and the seamless integration of corporate cultures between each partner firm and Ascend across both pre- and post-merger phases. The Integration Manager will drive workforce planning, employee retention, and the harmonization of benefits, policies, compensation, and HR technology, while leading the change management effort that fosters a unified organizational culture.

The People Operations Integration Manager will report to the Head of People Operations.

Key Responsibilities

Integration Execution

• Lead People due diligence, partnering with benefits and legal vendors to identify key risks, issues, and areas for opportunity and mitigation
• Develop the integration project plan, including timeline and deliverable milestones, and manage people integration from LOI signing through three months post-close in Microsoft Planner
• Manage the harmonization of HR policies, practices, compensation, HR technology, and benefits across the partner firm and Ascend
• Gather, organize, and migrate employee data from the acquired firm, ensuring accurate and complete employee information transfer
• Own execution of the Platform Integration Playbook and the Add-On Playbook as part of the TST (Technology Stack Transition) process

Change Management

• Lead change management initiatives that ensure smooth transitions, focusing on employee engagement, communication, and reduced disruption throughout integration
• Act as a cultural ambassador, conducting cultural due diligence and leading efforts to integrate and unify organizational cultures
• Serve as the point of contact for employees from the acquired firm, addressing questions and concerns regarding integration, policies, and HR processes
• Track employee sentiment through surveys and feedback tools, escalating concerns to senior HR leadership when necessary
• Organize integration-related events, workshops, and training sessions that foster a smooth cultural transition, including open enrollments, system trainings, and HR Lead trainings

Employee Retention & Engagement

• Establish post-acquisition onboarding and engagement programs, partnering with the Employee Experience Manager to integrate new employees

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure all HR processes during M&A comply with local labor laws, regulatory requirements, and internal policies through structured due diligence analysis
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with HR integration, including legal, compliance, and employee relations challenges

HR Systems Integration

• Manage the seamless integration of Workday between the two entities, ensuring proper data migration
• Troubleshoot HR system issues that arise during the transition and coordinate with IT and HRIS teams to ensure smooth adoption of systems by employees from the acquired firm

Collaboration & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Finance, Legal, IT, and Operations to ensure smooth HR integration, serving as the HR representative on the M&A integration leadership team for talent and workforce matters
• Lead cross-functional HR workstreams to ensure successful execution of integration plans
• Provide HR leaders with training, coaching, and ongoing support on the people operations integration process to ensure a smooth, compliant integration for add-on acquisitions

Performance Metrics & Reporting

• Track and report on HR integration progress against key indicators including retention rates, employee satisfaction, and cultural alignment
• Provide regular updates to senior leadership, identifying risks and proposing mitigation strategies as needed

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; Master's degree or HR certification (e.g., SHRM, SPHR) preferred
• Minimum of 4years of HR experience, with at least 3 years managing M&A integrations or large-scale transformations
• Experience in professional services or accounting firms strongly preferred
• Deep knowledge of HR processes and best practices for M&A, including HCM systems, legal and policy integration, and benefits harmonization
• Proven ability to lead large-scale change efforts that foster engagement and minimize disruption
• Strong understanding of labor laws, HR compliance, and risk mitigation, particularly in an M&A context
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across departments and lead multidisciplinary teams
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to develop data-driven solutions to integration challenges
• Exceptional communication skills across all levels of the organization, from C-suite executives to front-line employees
• Experience integrating different corporate cultures and building unity across merged teams
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Proficiency with Workday, payroll systems, and data migration, plus strong command of HR analytics and reporting tools and a project management platform such as Microsoft Planner or Wrike

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.

About Alpine Investors

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 $17 billion in AUM and has offices in San Francisco, New York, and Salt Lake City. For more information, visit www.alpineinvestors.com.