Director of Finance

Ascend Safety Collective; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascend Safety Collective in Houston, TX is seeking a senior finance leader to own FP&A, budgeting, board and lender reporting, and accounting oversight for North America's safety-first elevator services group. You will build processes and FP&A tools to scale as the platform grows.

Reporting to the COO, you’ll lead the finance function, develop KPI dashboards, manage lender relationships, and partner with leadership on strategy and growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance or a related field.
• 7–12 years of progressive finance experience, including FP&A.
• Experience managing a team of 1 to 5 people.
• Experience at a PE-backed company.
• Board reporting, lender reporting and lender relationships.
• Strong financial modeling, budgeting and KPI reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead FP&A, budgeting and rolling forecasts.
• Prepare the monthly and quarterly board reporting package; own lender reporting.
• Oversee accounting team and GAAP financial statements.
• Implement finance processes and reporting tools; automate recurring reporting.
• Manage cash flow, including a 13-week cash forecast, and maintain internal controls.

Skills

FP&A

Budgeting

KPI reporting

Board reporting

Lender reporting

Financial modeling

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance or related field

Tools

QuickBooks Online

Bill.com

ADP

Liftkeeper

Job description

Ascend Safety Collective | Houston, TX | On-site, 5 days a week | Full-Time

Reports to: COO

Lead strategy, planning and reporting for North America's collective of safety-first elevator services companies.

ABOUT ASCEND SAFETY COLLECTIVE

Ascend Safety Collective partners with elevator services companies that serve residential, commercial and industrial clients across North America. Our partners keep their brand and regional presence while gaining centralized resources, so they can focus on technical elevator work while we handle business operations.

We invest in talent, technology and targeted acquisitions to become the firm of choice for clients and employees. Our partners include Stark Elevator, Elevators of Beaumont and American Crescent Elevator.

WHY THIS ROLE, WHY NOW

• A Growth Platform: You'll join a PE-backed platform bringing together safety-first elevator services companies and investing in new locations, services and talent.
• A High Impact Role: You'll report to the COO, prepare board reporting and own our lender relationships, with visibility across leadership and every partner company.
• A Chance to Build: You'll take real ownership: put processes, reporting and FP&A tools in place, and shape how finance runs as the collective grows.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

Reporting to the COO, you'll lead the finance function: strategy, FP&A, board and lender reporting, and oversight of accounting. You'll take real ownership, building the processes, reporting and tools the collective needs to grow.

• Partner with the COO and leadership on strategy and growth plans
• Define, track and report KPIs across partner companies
• Turn the numbers into clear recommendations for leadership

FP&A, Budgeting & Forecasting

• Lead the annual budget and rolling forecasts
• Build financial models, variance analysis and scenario planning
• Evaluate and implement FP&A tools that scale with the business
• Prepare the monthly and quarterly board reporting package
• Own lender relationships, lender reporting and covenant compliance
• Respond to requests from our private equity sponsor

Accounting Oversight & Team

• Lead and develop the accounting team, which reports to you
• Review the books, monthly close and GAAP financial statements
• Review payroll and AP for accuracy and controls

Systems, Processes & Reporting

• Put finance processes and management reporting in place from the ground up
• Get the most from QuickBooks Online, Bill.com, ADP and Liftkeeper
• Automate recurring reporting, including with AI tools

Cash, Controls & M&A

• Manage cash flow and liquidity, including a 13-week cash forecast
• Set and maintain strong financial controls
• Support diligence and integration of new partner companies

WHAT YOU BRING

Things we prefer:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance or a related field
• 7–12 years of progressive finance experience, including FP&A
• Experience managing a team of 1 to 5 people
• Experience at a PE-backed company
• Board reporting, lender reporting and lender relationships
• Strong financial modeling, budgeting and KPI reporting

Nice to have:

• A background in service-based businesses such as commercial landscaping, roofing, HVAC or construction
• Experience implementing FP&A tools and building reporting from scratch
• QuickBooks Online, Bill.com and ADP experience
• Comfort with AI tools, including Claude

WHO YOU ARE

• Positive: attitude matters as much as skill
• A go-getter who takes initiative without being asked
• Solutions-minded: you bring leadership solutions, not problems
• An owner who takes full ownership of results

WHAT WE OFFER

• On-site in Houston, five days a week, side by side with the team

COMPENSATION

Salary commensurate with experience, plus annual bonus, equity and healthcare benefits.