What We Do Insurance is a $10T industry still running on PDFs, email threads, and manual reconciliation. Ascend is changing that. We built the first finance automation platform designed specifically for insurance — combining AI and embedded fintech to modernize how money moves across the entire policy lifecycle, from collections to disbursements. In five years, we've become the market leader: trusted by thousands of insurance businesses nationwide, processing billions in transactions annually, and growing 200%+ year over year. How We Do It Ascend automates the financial operations that insurers, MGAs, and agencies run every day — and embeds directly into the transactions where money actually moves. AI is driving the cost of software toward zero. The companies that win won't just sell tools — they'll capture value at the point of the transaction itself. Ascend is built for exactly that moment. Our customers don't just adopt software; they unlock measurable efficiency with a proven 5–7x return on investment. Our 70+ person team, based in San Francisco and Columbus, brings together deep expertise in insurance, fintech, and AI to build infrastructure the industry has never had. Why We Do It The insurance industry intermediates trillions of dollars — and almost none of that infrastructure was built for the modern era. Legacy systems aren't just inefficient; they're a ceiling on what the industry can become. Ascend's mission is to become the leading financial automation platform for insurance by 2030 — powering the financial operations of the entire industry and transforming the way trillions of dollars move. We're not building another point solution. We're building the financial backbone of insurance. Your Role Ascend is hiring a Solutions Engineer (Contract) to take full ownership of critical AI agentic workflows. You’ll shape how automation powers the insurance industry—improving accuracy, scalability, and customer experience at every step. You’ll dive deep into complex data problems, fine-tune prompts, and refine systems that power the automation layer behind Ascend’s financial infrastructure. This role is a mix of hands-on problem-solving, experimentation, and collaboration with Product, Operations, and Engineering teams to make our automation more reliable and intelligent. This is a contract role based on-site at our San Francisco office, 40 hours per week for six months. Responsibilities Own and optimize prompt logic Build, test, and refine prompts that power AI agents using prompt engineering and analytical problem-solving. Design systems that enable scalable, high-accuracy iteration on prompt workflows. Technical implementation & tooling Partner with internal teams to improve testing, monitoring, and refinement processes. Support new customer and organization onboarding through internal tooling improvements. Provide feedback and insights to shape the broader product roadmap. Customer & stakeholder collaboration Work closely with internal and external users to gather context, troubleshoot challenges, and deliver consistent, high-quality results. Quality assurance & reporting Track and analyze AI workflow accuracy metrics, uncovering trends and root causes. Recommend process improvements to reduce manual work over time. Build reusable playbooks and prompt strategies to support future automation efforts. Why This Role Matters This is a chance to own a critical piece of Ascend’s AI-powered automation systems and see your work directly impact product performance, customer satisfaction, and company growth. You’ll thrive here if you love solving tough technical problems, moving quickly, and building systems that scale intelligently. This role is perfect for someone who operates at the intersection of data, engineering, and product thinking—and takes pride in turning complexity into clarity. What We’re Looking For Exceptional analytical and critical thinking skills, with a track record of breaking down complex problems into actionable solutions. Experience with prompt engineering, AI agents, or AI-powered automation workflows. Proven ability to work with complex, real-world systems to identify patterns and improve reliability. Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for both technical and non-technical audiences. Bonus: Familiarity with large language models (LLMs) and their applications in automation or data systems. Contract Details Location: On-site in San Francisco (SoMa) Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week Type: Contract to hire as a full time software engineer (6 months) All roles at Ascend are 5 days a week onsite at our beautiful office in SoMa! Benefits 100% health premiums covered for you and your dependents 401k with employer matching options A fast growing team with an emphasis on promoting from within 80% of all hires in the last 12 months have already been promoted! Unlimited PTO Company paid commuter benefits Parental and family leave Lunch everyday Dog-friendly office! Equal Opportunity 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. We encourage candidates to apply even if their experience doesn't precisely match this opportunity. We value diversity and are dedicated to equal opportunity employment.