Head of Billing na Ascend Partner Firms

About Ascend

At Ascend, we understand the struggles that accounting & finance professionals face in traditional public accounting firms - from rigid hierarchies, overwhelming workloads, and the elusive work-life balance. It’s time for a transformative change. We believe your ambition should not be constrained by outdated practices or opaque career paths. Here, you're not just a number; you’re a valued member of a community that supports & celebrates your professional & 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 comprehensive resources. 

Ascend empowers entrepreneurial CPAs to reach their goals with an innovative growth model that brings our partner firms into the new age. Backed by private equity from people-focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a modern platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent while having access to resources of a large CPA firm. These resources include growth capital, robust talent acquisition, best-of-breed technology, a catalytic leadership system, shared back-office services, and modernized equity incentives.  

Founded in January 2023, Ascend attained revenues sufficient to qualify it as a Top 100 U.S. accounting firm within six months of operation. Explore Ascend, where your career soars without sacrificing your quality of life.

About Tronconi Segarra & Associates

We are a top 3 accounting and advisory firm in Western New York with nearly 140 partners and associates, including 70 CPAs serving clients across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South & Central America. We serve all industries and have deep expertise in small business, manufacturing, education, e-commerce, aerospace & defense, construction, insurance, professional services, private equity, non-profits, and government entities. Our key services include Tax Advisory services, M&A/Transaction Advisory services, State & Local Tax services, Client Accounting & Advisory Services (CAAS), Audit & Attestation Advisory services. We have many additional services that we specialize in. We strategically partnered with Ascend, an accounting firm platform, in 2025 to expand our footprint and enhance our capabilities and service offerings to our clients.

The Team You Will Join 

At Tronconi Segarra & Associates (TSA), we empower every client to become his or her best and most confident self through the responsible provision of high-quality financial and business services, products and information. Over the years, our clients have told us that our solutions have made a difference in their businesses and given them the confidence to take the next steps – buy or sell a business, expand a plant, open a new branch, hire additional employees, prepare for the next generation to run their business, expand sales to a new country. And we’ve been with them every step of the way, providing the support, services and information they need to reach the next level of success.

The Opportunity

We’re looking for a hands‑on, systems‑savvy Head of Billing & Financial Management to own TSA’s end‑to‑end billing and accounts receivable (A/R) operations. You will run a disciplined prebill-to-cash process, partner closely with Partners and Billing Managers, and use CCH Axcess Practice to drive accuracy, speed, and profitability in our billing cycle. You’ll also improve cash flow by tightening our DSO and AR aging, modernizing client payment options, and elevating visibility with actionable reporting across the firm. You’ll oversee a small team supporting you across the below responsibilities.

How You’ll Help Us Build a Confident Future:

Billing Operations & Client Invoicing

• Own the monthly billing calendar—collect prebills, lead review meetings with engagement leaders, finalize, and post invoices on schedule. Use CCH Axcess tools (e.g., Billing Wizard, Billing Groups, invoice templates/master paragraphs, recurring/progress bills) to standardize and accelerate workflow.
• Ensure accurate engagement setup (fee arrangements, rates, billing addresses, tax settings) and maintain clean client/billing data for reporting and profitability analysis in Axcess Practice.
• Publish invoices and oversee payment reconciliation and reporting.

WIP, Prebills & Profitability

• Monitor WIP daily; perform WIP enquiries and filters to surface billable items, scope creep, and budget variances before billing. Recommend writeups/downs with clear rationale; document all adjustments.
• Track realization and margin trends by client, engagement, partner, and service line; educate teams on drivers and alternatives (e.g., value pricing, fixed fees) to support profitable growth.
• Publish and monitor monthly billing, invoicing, and collection goals.

Collections & Cash Applications

• Lead collections with a professional, relationship‑oriented approach; segment accounts, set contact cadences, and partner with engagement leaders to resolve disputes quickly.
• Reduce Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) and AR > 90 days through targeted tactics (e.g., earlier billing milestones, progress billing, clearer terms, modern payment methods).

Accounts Payable & Expense Management

• Own paying, posting, and tracking firm invoices in alignment with our firm budget.
• Support approving and monitoring submitted expense reports that align with our firm budget.

Systems, Data & Process Improvement

• Be our in‑house CCH Axcess Practice expert—optimize configurations, security roles, and dashboards; champion time entry compliance and month‑end cutoffs to improve data integrity. 
• Standardize firmwide billing SOPs (prebill reviews, approval thresholds, credit memos, reversals) and leverage Axcess features for audit trail and efficiency. 
• Partner with Operations/IT on integrations (e.g., Portal, payments) and continuously improve performance (e.g., large Billing Groups handling, historical references).
• Own Service Code maintenance, mapping, and transformations to improve reporting clarity.

Stakeholder Management & Leadership

• Partner with the CGO to serve as a trusted advisor to Partners on fee structures and billing strategies; communicate proactively on status, risks, and cash expectations. (Effective pricing and timely billing/collections are key to a healthy practice.) 
• Manage Attorney relationship for AR collections
• Supervise a small billing/AR team; recruit, coach, and develop talent. Foster a culture of ownership, accuracy, and service.

What You Need to Succeed (Required Qualifications):

• 5+ years of billing/AR leadership in professional services (public accounting preferred).
• Deep, hands‑on expertise with CCH Axcess™ Practice (time & billing, WIP, prebills, invoices, adjustments, billing groups, reporting). 
• Proven results improving DSO, AR aging, and billing cycle time. 
• Advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookups), strong data hygiene mindset, and comfort with payment tech.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; able to navigate partner‑level conversations with clarity and diplomacy, and client AP stakeholders.

What Will Give You an Edge (Additional Skills)

• Exposure to pricing models in CPA firms (hourly, fixed‑fee, value pricing) and their impact on realization/gross margin. 
• Experience with client procurement/e‑billing portals (POs, vendor onboarding) and dispute resolution workflows.
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or related field.
• Familiarity with Axcess training resources (e.g., CCH Axcess Practice—Biller curriculum) and release enhancements. 

Success Measures

• Billing Timeliness: % of engagements billed on schedule; cycle time from prebill to posting.
• Cash Flow: DSO and AR aging (e.g., % > 90 days) trending down. 
• Profitability Hygiene: Reduced write‑offs; stronger realization/margin by client/partner/service line; clearer pricing alignment. 
• Data Integrity & Adoption: On‑time time‑entry compliance; minimized exceptions; adoption of standardized invoice templates and billing groups in Axcess. 

At Ascend, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Ascend hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.