IT Project 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 ascendtogether.com.
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 $15 billion in AUM and has offices in San Francisco, New York, and Salt Lake City.
For more information on the firm, visit www.alpineinvestors.com
The Opportunity
Ascend is seeking an IT Project Manager to drive technology initiatives that impact multiple departments across the organization. Reporting to the VP of Technology, the IT Project Manager will work closely with the Integrations Manager to ensure the successful execution of key projects. This individual will be responsible for managing project timelines, budgets, and quality while maintaining clear communication with all stakeholders. With a strong focus on cross-functional collaboration, the IT Project Manager will leverage problem-solving skills, strategic planning, and technical expertise to deliver high-impact solutions that align with Ascend’s business objectives.
In this role, you will:
- Lead cross-functional teams in delivering technology projects that meet the agreed timelines, scope, and budgets. Proactively identify risks and develop mitigation strategies to ensure project success. Cultivate connections and keep a pulse on what’s happening in the industry to get ahead of key strategic and/or competitive opportunities
- Create and manage detailed project plans that align with the technology roadmap. Ensure all cross-functional team members, including IT, Finance, HR, and external vendors, are aligned and informed on the project’s progress. Create effective, efficient outbound outreach to attract candidates through email, LinkedIn and other methods
- Work closely with the VP of Technology and Integrations Manager to ensure projects align with strategic goals and technology integration standards. Maintain an ongoing collaboration to track progress and manage challenges effectively
- Maintain clear, transparent communication between all involved teams, including IT, Operations, Partner Firms, and external vendors. Lead meetings, provide updates, and resolve conflicts to keep projects on track
- Lead post-project retrospectives to capture lessons learned and make iterative improvements to project management practices and processes within the IT organization. Continuously enhance project delivery frameworks
- Develop and refine dashboards and metrics to monitor the progress and success of technology projects. Report key performance indicators (KPIs), such as schedule adherence, budget performance, and stakeholder satisfaction
- Track IT Spend across projects as well as normal operational spend to ensure projects and run activities stay within budget
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred)
- 5+ years of experience in IT project management, technology implementation, or a similar role
- Strong background in managing cross-functional technology projects, preferably in private equity, professional services, or accounting industries
- Experience working in high-growth environments or scaling technology operations within PE-backed companies is a plus
- Project management certification such as PMP, PMI-ACP, PRINCE2, or CSM (Certified Scrum Master)
- Proficiency in project management software (e.g., JIRA, Asana, Monday.com, Trello, MS Project)
- Familiarity with IT frameworks and methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, ITIL).
- Understanding of IT systems, cloud platforms, SaaS integrations, cybersecurity principles, and ERP/CRM implementations
- Strong leadership skills with experience in managing cross-functional teams and external vendors
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills to ensure seamless project execution
- Proven ability to influence and drive change in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
- Problem-solving mindset with a strong bias for action and proactive risk management
- High EQ and adaptability, able to navigate challenges and maintain alignment with business objectives
What You Can Count On (We live by our values):
- Own it: We seize growth opportunities with the passion, speed and accountability of an entrepreneur.
- Serve whole-heartedly: 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.
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.
