Software Engineer

What We DoInsurance is a $10T industry still running on PDFs, email threads, and manual reconciliation. Ascend is changing that. We built the first and only complete financial operations platform purpose-built for insurance — combining AI-powered accounting automation, payments, and premium financing in a single vertically integrated solution. In five years, we've become the market leader: over 4,000 businesses, including more than half of the 50 largest brokers in the country, trust Ascend to bring clarity to complex accounting operations — from collection to close.How We Do ItAscend automates the financial operations that insurers, MGAs, and agencies run every day — and embeds directly into the transactions where money actually moves.AI is driving the cost of software toward zero. The companies that win won't just sell tools — they'll capture value at the point of the transaction itself. Ascend is built for exactly that moment. Our customers don't just adopt software; they unlock measurable efficiency with a proven 5–7x return on investment.Our 70+ person team, based in San Francisco and Columbus, brings together deep expertise in insurance, fintech, and AI to build infrastructure the industry has never had.Why We Do ItThe insurance industry intermediates trillions of dollars — and almost none of that infrastructure was built for the modern era. Legacy systems aren't just inefficient; they're a ceiling on what the industry can become.Ascend's mission is to become the leading financial automation platform for insurance by 2030— powering the financial operations of the entire industry and transforming the way trillions of dollars move. We're not building another point solution. We're building the financial backbone of insurance.Your RoleAscend is seeking a 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 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 customersGet up to speed on our prompt engineering and data extraction work, and how testing/monitoring is handled todayContribute to user-facing projectsPartner with product managers and designers to solve customer challenges directlyObjective #2: In your first 60 days:Own prompt logic for a slice of the product — resolving data extraction issues and partnering with internal teams on testing and monitoringTrack extraction accuracy and dig into trends when things go wrongSupport new customer and organization onboarding through internal tooling improvementsTake ownership of end-to-end features that process millions in insurance premiumsBuild intuitive UIs to power financial operationsMaintain high product quality through proactive monitoring and continuous improvementsObjective #3: In your first 90 days and beyond:Collaborate with customers to translate their needs into scalable solutions for the multi-trillion-dollar insurance industryBuild reusable playbooks and prompt strategies that make future automation easierDevelop the industry's leading point-of-sale system for insurance, enabling seamless payments and improving conversion ratesAutomate back-office tasks with AI, reducing time and improving accuracy for accounting teamsHelp shape technical architecture and processes as the platform scalesMentor engineers through thoughtful code reviews and technical guidanceMust Have1-3 years of relevant experienceExperience working at a growth-stage startupExperience with relational databasesExperience building and scaling consumer productsA strong desire to learn new skills and solve business problemsNice to HaveFamiliarity or interest in learning Ruby on Rails and Next.jsFamiliarity with building external APIs and integrations with platforms such as SalesforceExperience in building payment, checkout, or insurance productsTech Stack & ProcessesRuby on Rails API hosted on HerokuNext.js with TypeScript hosted on VercelTailwind CSS across all frontend developmentPostgres and Redis for storageContinuous integration and deliveryBase Salary Range: $140,000–$175,000All roles at Ascend are 5 days a week onsite at our beautiful office in SoMa! Benefits100% health premiums covered for you and your dependents401k with employer matching optionsA fast growing team with an emphasis on promoting from within 80% of all hires in the last 12 months have already been promoted!Unlimited PTOCompany paid commuter benefitsParental and family leaveLunch everydayDog-friendly office!Equal OpportunityWe 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.