Manager, Firm Operations

About KSDT

KSDT has long been recognized as one of Forbes Best Accounting and Tax Firms in America and one of the South Florida Business Journal’s Best Places to Work. Now, with our exciting new partnership with Ascend, we’re stepping into the next phase of growth and opportunity.

What hasn’t changed is our culture: the “secret sauce” that sets us apart. We foster a fun and creative environment, keep politics out, and make work-life balance a priority. We seek highly motivated individuals who want not only true career advancement, but also the chance to shape and grow alongside a firm that is scaling rapidly. Our partners and knowledgeable professionals remain accessible for hands-on learning, mentorship, and development.

In September 2025, KSDT made the strategic decision to join Ascend! With Ascend’s partnership and shared resources, KSDT is well positioned for strong innovation and growth in the years to come.

About Ascend

At Ascend, we recognize the struggles that accounting & finance professionals face in traditional firms - from rigid hierarchies and overwhelming workloads to the elusive work-life balance. We believe your ambition should not be constrained by outdated practices or opaque career paths. Here, you're not just a number but a valued member of a community that champions both your professional and personal fulfillment. Our mission is to transform the public accounting experience into one where work-life harmony is a reality, and where your career advancement is supported by a nurturing network and robust resources.

Backed by private equity from people-focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a dynamic 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.

For more information, visit www.ascendtogether.com.

Position Summary

The Manager of Firm Operations will own the processes, systems, data and reporting that keep KSDT running. The role standardizes how work gets done across departments and service lines, administers the firm’s core systems, and delivers the performance reporting that partners use to run their practices. About 20% of the role is dedicated to special projects that move firm priorities forward.

Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, this is a hands-on role for someone who likes improving how things work, not just reporting on them. You will work directly with partners and staff at every level, use AI and automation to take manual effort out of recurring work, and help the firm build an operating model that scales as it grows.

Key Responsibilities

Process Ownership and Improvement

Own the firm’s core operating workflows end to end, including the client lifecycle, employee onboarding and offboarding, and tax busy-season production
Identify bottlenecks, recurring errors and operational risks; design practical fixes and see them through to adoption
Standardize procedures, forms and templates across departments and service lines; maintain standard operating procedures and train staff so they hold up when people change
Implement better workflow designs and automation to remove manual steps from recurring work

Systems, Data and Automation

Administer the firm’s core systems, including practice management, client portal and engagement letter platforms, and serve as the firm’s subject matter expert on how they are used
Configure systems around how the work should flow, and keep client, staff and engagement data accurate and consistent across platforms
Keep staff access and settings current across systems for new hires, departures and role changes
Apply AI and automation to the firm’s operational workflows and support adoption of existing improvements on the roadmap