L2 IT Support Technician

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 PeopleFirst private equity firm Alpine Investors (~$20B AUM), Ascend is the leading aggregator of regional accounting firms in the U.S., with ~3,200 employees globally and approaching $1B in revenue. Ascend has built a modern platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent in their brand, approach to client service, and cultural autonomy, while benefiting from the strategic support and resources of a large CPA firm. Ascend provides access to growth capital, a robust talent acquisition engine, a best-in-breed technology platform, an AI development team, a catalytic leadership system, shared back-office services, and modernized growth incentives, so firms can surmount the typical challenges of the standalone partnership model and reach their full potential. Founded in January 2023, Ascend has grown rapidly both organically and through M&A, placing it among the Top 25 largest accounting firms in the U.S.

For more information, visit ascendtogether.com.

About Alpine Investors

Alpine Investors is a PeopleFirst 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 ~$20 billion in AUM and has offices in San Francisco, New York, Salt Lake City, and Austin, TX.

For more information on the firm, visit www.alpineinvestors.com.

Position Summary

Ascend is seeking an L2 IT Support Technician to join its regional service desk team and serve as a known, trusted face for the Partner Firms in their assigned region. Working the Freshservice queue daily, this individual will own and resolve the issues that move beyond Ascend’s AI-first support layer, delivering fast, friendly, and complete resolution through both remote and deskside support. While aligned to a region so that time zones match and office visits are a short drive, the technician will also work nationwide tickets as volume requires.

Success in this role requires strong troubleshooting across the Ascend technology stack, working knowledge of the tax and audit applications accounting professionals depend on, and a commitment to documenting every solution so that repeatable work can shift left to self-service and AI resolution. The result: Partner Firms that trust the Ascend service desk, follow the process, and see their issues resolved the first time.

The L2 IT Support Technician will report to the Regional IT Support Lead.

Key Responsibilities

Ticket Resolution & Service Excellence

• Own and resolve tickets escalated from Ascend’s AI-first support layer, working the Freshservice queue daily and resolving 80%+ of assigned tickets at first human touch without further escalation.
• Resolve 95%+ of assigned tickets within SLA response and resolution timeframes.
• Deliver outstanding IT support and customer service that earns consistently high satisfaction ratings and turns Partner Firm users into raving fans.
• Escalate to L3 and L4 teams through defined paths, with complete troubleshooting notes attached; change management and problem management remain with L3 and L4.

Technical & Application Support

• Provide remote and deskside support for Partner Firm users across Azure Virtual Desktop (Nerdio), Microsoft 365, Windows endpoints, Intune, Zscaler, printing, conferencing, and office network connectivity.
• Support accounting applications and add-ins, including CCH Axcess, UltraTax, CCH ProSystem Engagement, and Excel plugins (Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, Adobe), escalating to L3 Application Support when needed.

Process & Ticket Hygiene

• Use Freshservice as the single system of record for every interaction, with accurate categorization, timely status updates, and closure only upon user confirmation; ensure all work flows through established channels rather than around them.
• Keep status and blockers current on every assigned ticket, maintaining a documented plan for any ticket that ages beyond standard timeframes.

Shift Left & Knowledge Management

• Write a Knowledge Base or how-to article for every resolution that does not already have one, in a form Ascend’s AI-first support layer can use, so recurring requests are absorbed by self-service and AI automation.
• Author articles that are regularly used by the AI and by peers, contributing to a steady year-over-year decline in tickets that could have been self-served.

Onsite Support & Coverage

• Perform onsite work for Partner Firms in the region, including quarterly site visits covering workstations, conferencing, and network rooms, using the standard change catalog for routine onsite work.
• Complete assigned site visits and file the templated site visit report within two business days of each visit.
• Participate in the East and West shift coverage model, the on-call rotation, and busy season weekend coverage as scheduled.

Partner Firm Integration

• Support Technology Stack Transition (“TST”) and hypercare for newly joining Partner Firms in the region.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience providing remote and deskside end user support; public accounting industry experience required.
• Bachelor’s degree and relevant IT certifications preferred, but not required.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across Windows, Microsoft 365, and Azure Virtual Desktop environments.
• Working knowledge of tax and audit applications (CCH Axcess, UltraTax, CCH ProSystem Engagement) and Excel add-ins.
• Familiarity with Intune, Entra ID, and endpoint management tools such as ControlUp.
• Familiarity with ITIL frameworks and best practices.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills with a focus on user satisfaction, paired with clear documentation and Knowledge Base writing.
• Bias for action; reliable, process-driven, and coachable, with a continuous improvement mindset.

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.

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.