Product Designer Job at Useascend in San Francisco

Ascend is transforming the $10T global insurance industry by combining AI automation with embedded fintech. While insurance makes up 7.2% of global GDP, outdated financial infrastructure—PDFs, emails, and manual reconciliation—slows the industry down. Ascend is the first and market-leading finance automation platform built specifically for insurance, driving its rapid digital transformation.

In just three years :

Trusted by 1000s of insurance businesses nationwide

Processed billions in transactions annually, growing 200%+ per year.

Built a world-class team of 50+ people in our San Francisco and Columbus offices.

How we do it

Ascend automates the entire insurance financial lifecycle—from collections and accounting to reconciliations and disbursements—helping businesses streamline operations and increase profitability.

In the AI era, software alone is no longer enough. For decades, software costs have declined, and with AI, they are now in free fall. As both software buyers and builders, we fully embrace this shift—it makes technology more powerful and accessible. However, businesses must also maximize monetization, and the future belongs to those that embed themselves into financial flows rather than simply selling SaaS.

That’s why AI + fintech is our edge—seamlessly integrating financial automation into transactions to create real, lasting value. Customers don’t just buy software; they unlock powerful financial efficiencies with a 5-7x ROI.

Why we do it

Insurance is a $10T+ industry running on legacy systems. AI alone won’t fix it, but AI-powered automation embedded into payments and transactions will.

Ascend’s mission is to become the leading financial automation platform for insurance by 2030—powering the entire industry’s financial operations while transforming the way trillions of dollars move.

The Role We’re hiring a Product Designer to help shape how our product speaks to the world. You’ll work across engineering, product, GTM, and operations to design features that earn trust; through clarity, care, and detail that’s easy to miss but impossible to ignore.

At Ascend, we see design as a conversation between product and user—one that unfolds across UI, copy, systems, brand, and motion. This role is for someone who wants to sharpen their craft while operating with range : a designer who can think systematically, move quickly, and cares about building tools that are both useful and quietly beautiful.

Must have Experience with velocity : 3+ years of experience designing software at a growth-stage startup

Strong fundamentals : Confident in visual and interaction design, and systems thinking, with a portfolio that shows clarity and restraint

Attention to detail : You catch the small things, care about them, and help others do the same

Building for scale : You’ve designed products that serve complex use cases for enterprise customers

Shaping from zero : You’re energized by ambiguity and know how to find shape in a blank canvas

A point of view : You know what good design looks like, and why something falls short

Creative range : You’re excited to stretch beyond product UI and into brand, motion, storytelling, or wherever the work demands

Nice to have Experience working on SaaS, fintech, or accounting tools

Familiarity with front-end development or working closely with engineers

Prior experience with design systems, especially at smaller startups

Exposure to motion, animation, or data visualization

What you’ll shape As an early member of a small team, your impact won’t just be measured by the features you ship. You’ll help shape how design is practiced at Ascend :

Our quality standards and how we uphold them

Our processes and how we scale them

Our rituals, critiques, and team culture

Our system of values for craft, performance, and communication

You’ll be joining a team that is open-minded and restless about improvement.

What to expect First 30 Days — Immediate Impact Ship your first features in week one—build context by contributing to real product work

Get hands-on with our design system through implementation and iteration

Collaborate with GTM on brand and marketing assets

Join product reviews, critiques, and design rituals to build context fast

First 60 Days — Full Contribution Own and ship a scoped product feature end-to-end

Contribute patterns and polish to our design system

Partner closely with engineering to improve design / dev collaboration

Support marketing and brand efforts with fluency and consistency

Take ownership of a meaningful product surface area and operate with autonomy

Drive a project from early discovery to implementation

Raise product quality through reviews, system design, and strong partnerships

Suggest improvements to how we work—process, tools, and cross-functional practices

Compensation and Benefits Competitive base salary : $120,000 w / equity

100% health premiums covered for you and your dependents

401k with employer matching options

Unlimited PTO

Monthly company-paid commuter benefit options

Parental and family leave

Lunch provided when in office

Dog-friendly office!

Diversity and Inclusion We 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.

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