Manager, People and Talent Operations

About the role

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.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• 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.
• Own the immigration program governed through Legal vendor — set standards, prioritize cases, and own work-authorization outcomes.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Requirements

• 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.

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

• A highly competitive cash and equity bonus compensation package, including attractive benefits.
• The 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.