Associate
- Location
- Location not specified
Associate Position Overview:
Ascend is looking for an Associate who is ready to lead. Not assist. Not support. Lead on transactions, on client relationships, and on the analytical work that defines how we go to market. This role is for someone who has put in the foundational work and is ready to take on real responsibility inside mission-critical software and technology verticals where sector expertise is everything.
Job Description & Responsibilities:
Associates at Ascend run day-to-day transaction execution under the direction of senior partners while building direct client relationships and mentoring junior team members. This is not a back-office role. You will be in the room, on the calls, and at the table. Day-to-day responsibilities include:
- Lead day-to-day transaction execution under direction of senior team members.
- Financial modeling and valuation analyses, including bottoms-up operating model builds, whitespace analysis, customer and KPI analysis, synergy and combination analysis, comparable company analysis, precedent transaction analysis, leveraged buyout analysis, and discounted cash flow analysis.
- Industry and company-specific research including competitive landscape analysis.
- Direct client interaction and deal process management.
- Lead pitch materials and transaction marketing document development.
- Investment memorandum preparation and client update materials.
- Due diligence coordination and facilitation.
- Build and maintain direct relationships with clients, prospective clients, and professional advisors.
- Proprietary deal and market intelligence development.
- Financial model development and sensitivity analysis.
- Mentor and develop Analysts across active engagements.
- General project management support across active engagements.
Qualifications:
We are looking for professionals who have done the foundational work and are ready to own what comes next. Specifically:
- Minimum of three years of relevant work experience.
- Background in investment banking, corporate finance, private equity, corporate development, management consulting, or financial due diligence preferred.
- Deep understanding of industry performance drivers, trends, and transaction dynamics.
- Strong quantitative and analytical skills with exceptional attention to detail.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrated leadership ability and experience developing junior team members.
- High integrity, intellectual curiosity, and a genuine drive to build deep sector expertise.
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA, CPA, CFA, or MA in Accounting preferred.
- Transaction experience across the software and technology verticals where we focus is a plus.
Why Ascend:
Ascend is a specialist investment bank focused exclusively on mission-critical software and technology verticals. We are not a generalist firm. We do not rotate Associates through industries they will never work in again. We put you inside the verticals we know best — GovTech, Public Safety, Cybersecurity, FinTech, GRC, LegalTech, Energy Technology, and more — and we give you the access, the mentorship, and the responsibility to make your ten weeks matter. If you want to build a career with genuine sector authority, this is where it starts.
Application details
Use the official Apply Now email link to [email protected]. It goes to the firm’s general information mailbox; the employer does not specify a subject line or required attachments for this role.