Ascend is transforming the $10 trillion global insurance industry by combining AI automation with embedded fintech.
While insurance represents 7.2% of global GDP, outdated financial infrastructure like PDFs, emails, and manual reconciliation continues to slow the industry down. Ascend is the first and market-leading finance automation platform built specifically for insurance, driving the industry’s rapid digital transformation.
In just three years:
Trusted by thousands of insurance businesses nationwide
Processes billions in transactions annually, growing 200%+ per year
Built a world-class team of 50+ across San Francisco and Columbus
Ascend automates the entire insurance financial lifecycle—from collections and accounting to reconciliations and disbursements—helping businesses streamline operations and increase profitability.
In the AI era, software alone is no longer enough. For decades, software costs have declined, and with AI, they’re now in free fall. As both software buyers and builders, we fully embrace this shift—it makes technology more powerful and accessible. However, businesses must also maximize monetization, and the future belongs to those that embed themselves into financial flows rather than simply selling SaaS.
That’s why AI + fintech is our edge—seamlessly integrating financial automation into transactions to create real, lasting value. Customers don’t just buy software; they unlock powerful financial efficiencies with a 5–7x ROI.
Why We Do ItInsurance is a $10 trillion-plus industry running on legacy systems. AI alone won’t fix it, but AI-powered automation embedded into payments and transactions will.
Ascend’s mission is to become the leading financial automation platform for insurance by 2030—powering the entire industry’s financial operations while transforming the way trillions of dollars move.
We’re hiring a Product Designer to help shape how our product speaks to the world. You’ll work across engineering, product, GTM, and operations to design features that earn trust through clarity, care, and detail that’s easy to miss but impossible to ignore.
At Ascend, we see design as a conversation between product and user—one that unfolds across UI, copy, systems, brand, and motion. This role is for someone who wants to sharpen their craft while operating with range: a designer who can think systematically, move quickly, and cares about building tools that are both useful and quietly beautiful.
Must HaveExperience with velocity: 3+ years of experience designing software at a growth-stage startup
Strong fundamentals: confident in visual and interaction design, and systems thinking, with a portfolio that shows clarity and restraint
Attention to detail: you catch the small things, care about them, and help others do the same
Building for scale: you’ve designed products that serve complex use cases for enterprise customers
Shaping from zero: you’re energized by ambiguity and know how to find shape in a blank canvas
A point of view: you know what good design looks like, and why something falls short
Creative range: you’re excited to stretch beyond product UI and into brand, motion, storytelling, or wherever the work demands
Experience working on SaaS, fintech, or accounting tools
Familiarity with front-end development or working closely with engineers
Prior experience with design systems, especially at smaller startups
Exposure to motion, animation, or data visualization
As an early member of a small team, your impact won’t just be measured by the features you ship. You’ll help shape how design is practiced at Ascend:
Our quality standards and how we uphold them
Our processes and how we scale them
Our rituals, critiques, and team culture
Our system of values for craft, performance, and communication
You’ll be joining a team that is open-minded and restless about improvement.
What to ExpectFirst 30 Days — Immediate Impact
Ship your first features in week one—build context by contributing to real product work
Get hands-on with our design system through implementation and iteration
Collaborate with GTM on brand and marketing assets
Join product reviews, critiques, and design rituals to build context fast
First 60 Days — Full Contribution
Own and ship a scoped product feature end-to-end
Contribute patterns and polish to our design system
Partner closely with engineering to improve design/dev collaboration
Support marketing and brand efforts with fluency and consistency
First 90 Days — Independent Ownership
Take ownership of a meaningful product surface area and operate with autonomy
Drive a project from early discovery to implementation
Raise product quality through reviews, system design, and strong partnerships
Suggest improvements to how we work—process, tools, and cross-functional practices
If this sounds like a fit, we’d love to hear from you. Please include a portfolio or samples of work that help us understand how you think and what you value in design.
Compensation: $120,000 with equity
Benefits
Competitive base salary and meaningful equity in a fast-growing company
100% health premiums covered for you and your dependents
401k with employer matching options
Unlimited PTO
Monthly company-paid commuter benefit options
Parental and family leave
Lunch provided when in office
Dog-friendly office!
Join Ascend and be part of our mission to revolutionize the insurance industry and contribute to global financial modernization. Your leadership can make a significant impact on improving the $1T+ insurance industry.
Equal Opportunity
We are committed to equal opportunity employment and embrace diversity within our organization. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
We encourage candidates to apply even if their experience doesn't precisely match this opportunity. We value diversity and are dedicated to equal opportunity employment.
Top Skills
What We Do
Ascend is the first modern insurance payments platform that provides automated, all-in-one financing, collections, and payables. We help distributors sell more by eliminating labor intensive processes and providing customers with the great online checkout experience they expect.
We’re hiring across GTM, engineering and business functions - email us at [email protected] if you're interested in learning more.
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