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While insurance represents 7.2% of global GDP, outdated financial infrastructure like PDFs, emails, and manual reconciliation continues to slow the industry down.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.
Ascend is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our team on-site in San Francisco to help expand our core product. As an Engineer at Ascend, you’ll be part of a small but growing team focused on solving complex technical challenges using Ruby. You’ll also interface directly with our customers and work cross-functionally to develop new product features, dashboards, and checkout processes—without any layers.
Responsibilities Will IncludeObjective #1: In your first 30 days:
Understand Ascend’s platform, product, and customer workflows by collaborating with team members and engaging with customers
Contribute to user-facing projects using Ruby on Rails and Next.js
Partner with product managers and designers to solve customer challenges directly
Objective #2: In your first 60 days:
Take ownership of end-to-end features that process millions in insurance premiums using Ruby on Rails
Build intuitive UIs with Next.js to power financial operations
Develop internal tools to streamline customer workflows
Maintain high product quality through proactive monitoring and continuous improvements
Objective #3: In your first 90 days and beyond:
Collaborate with customers to translate their needs into scalable solutions for the multi-trillion-dollar insurance industry
Develop the industry’s leading point-of-sale system for insurance, enabling seamless payments and improving conversion rates
Automate back-office tasks with AI, reducing time and improving accuracy for accounting teams
Help shape technical architecture and processes as the platform scales
Mentor engineers through thoughtful code reviews and technical guidance
5+ years of experience as a Full Stack or Backend Web Developer
3+ years working in a growth-stage startup
Experience with relational databases
Experience building and scaling consumer products
A strong desire to learn new skills and solve business problems
Familiarity or interest in learning Ruby on Rails and Next.js
Familiarity with building external APIs and integrations with platforms such as Salesforce
Experience in building payment, checkout, or insurance products
Ruby on Rails API hosted on Heroku
Next.js with TypeScript hosted on Vercel
Tailwind CSS across all the frontend
Postgres and Redis for storage
Continuous integration and delivery
Base Salary Range: $190,000–$225,000
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.
