Backed by private equity from people-focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a energetic platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent while accessing the resources of a Top 25 firm to help them grow. Ascend provides access to growth capital, robust talent acquisition and training, leading quality management resources,best-of-breed technology, AI tools, an offshore captive, shared back-office services, a catalytic leadership system, and modernized equity incentives so that firms can surmount today’s industry challenges to reach their full potential. BiggsKofford is seeking an experienced audit leader to manage and expand our Metropolitan District audit practice. The successful candidate will lead a portfolio of district audit engagements through clear procedures, effective delegation, reliable tracking tools and timely decision-making. This person will not be expected to personally control every detail of every engagement. The work requires a leader who can maintain perspective across many engagements rather than becoming absorbed in any one project. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can organize work, set expectations, coach different personalities, improve how work gets done and deliver consistent quality by building and maintaining effective systems, procedures and accountability across the practice. BiggsKofford combines the resources and sophisticated client work associated with larger firms with the accessibility, collaboration and entrepreneurial environment of an independent CPA firm. Our professionals work closely with clients and with colleagues across audit, tax, advisory, valuation and other disciplines.



The person in this position will have meaningful responsibility for a growing portfolio of engagements and will help shape the systems that allow the practice to deliver more work with consistent quality. We are looking for an audit leader who is as strong at building an effective operating system as they are at understanding audit quality. Have significant public accounting audit experience, typically at the Manager or Senior Manager level. Have led or reviewed multiple financial statement audit and/or review engagements. Manage multiple engagements simultaneously across different stages of planning, fieldwork, review and completion. Create and maintain practical tools for tracking deadlines, staffing, budgets, status, risks and open items. Make timely, well-reasoned decisions and avoid becoming stalled by one difficult project. Identify process failures and implement improvements to prevent recurring problems. Improve engagement workflows, planning, staffing, communication, review cycles and completion procedures. Set clear expectations, provide timely feedback and address performance issues directly and professionally. Serve as the central point of coordination for clients, engagement teams and firm leadership. Understand when to escalation an issue or involve a technical resource. Be dependable and practical, know when personal intervention is necessary, and avoid becoming the bottleneck for the team. Take satisfaction in making the entire system more effective, not merely in personally solving the most difficult technical issue.



Hold a CPA license and be capable of assuming signing responsibility for audit engagements. Experience with small government or district audits is helpful but not required. Comfortable managing many moving projects at once. Motivated by consistent quality, throughput and predictable execution. More motivated by building a reliable team and practice than by being the hero on one engagement. Lead, coach and develop audit professionals at all levels. Manage different working styles and personalities effectively, creating clarity and accountability across teams. Build a culture in which team members are comfortable raising questions, identifying risks and making recommendations. Develop team members who can make sound decisions without requiring constant personal oversight. Help identify high-potential team members and support their progression within the firm. Engagement and Portfolio Management Serve as project manager for multiple audit engagements simultaneously. Maintain a real-time view of deadlines, staffing, budgets, risks, open items and client deliverables. Coordinate planning, fieldwork, review and completion activities across multiple engagements. Keep high-volume projects moving by identifying bottlenecks early and resolving open items promptly. Maintain organized engagement files and repeatable documentation standards so quality does not depend on individual memory or heroics. Partner with engagement leaders and technical resources when complex issues arise. Develop, maintain and improve the tools used to manage the practice. Own the continuous improvement of engagement processes, tracking tools, templates and review procedures. Help create a scalable delivery model that allows the firm to accept and com

📌 Audit Senior Manager or Principal (Quinte West)
🏢 Ascend Partner Firms
📍 Quinte West