Ascend Overview

Who We Are

Ascend is the largest Pan‐Asian business professional membership organization in North America. Together with the Ascend Foundation, our mission is to drive workplace and societal impact by developing and elevating all Pan‐Asian professionals and empowering them to become catalysts for change.

What We Do

Ascend offers impactful career lifecycle and cross‐industry leadership programs and networks that foster community and engagement for Pan‐Asian business professionals and students, corporate partners, and the community at large. Our programs are informed by the work of the Ascend Foundation which conducts research, thought leadership and advocacy. Ascend’s most senior members are those of the Ascend Executive Network (AEN) and Pinnacle. AEN is the network of Pan Asian C‐suite executives and Pinnacle are members who serve as corporate board of directors.

Associate Director, Pinnacle, Executive Programs

The Opportunity

Ascend seeks a dynamic and experienced Associate Director who is inspired by Ascend’s mission and will lead the AEN and Pinnacle programs and initiatives. As an integral member of the team, this position will be responsible for the content creation, production and marketing of AEN and Pinnacle programs and the implementation of initiatives, including Ascend’s 10X25 Initiative to have at least 10% of the Board of Directors of the Fortune 1000 companies be AAPI by the year 2025. The Associate Director will lead a team of staff, consultants and volunteers, and manage all aspects of Ascend’s Pinnacle and AEN operations.

The AEN and Pinnacle programs and initiatives include:

  • Pinnacle Corporate Directors Summit

  • Pinnacle roundtables

  • Pinnacle Aspiring Directors Academy

  • 10X25 ‐ board diversity campaign

  • Ascend Executive Network Vertical Programs, including Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officers

  • Ascend Executive Network Mentorship programs

  • Pan‐Asian (diversity and allyship) advocacy, research, and thought leadership

  • Partner engagement campaigns

Responsibilities:

  • Work with volunteers and Ascend leadership to develop overall program and leadership development strategy in line with Ascend’s mission, priorities, goals, and optimal member experience, and to engage and activate AEN and Pinnacle members

  • Execute the strategy and objectives; project manage presentation of programs

  • Work with Ascend marketing staff to market and broaden awareness of AEN and Pinnacle programs, events, and initiatives across all our audiences that includes Pan‐Asian professionals, corporations, funders, donors, partners, and Ascend members

  • Lead a talented team’s performance and development goals, assigning projects and accountability, setting objectives, establishing priorities, and providing input on their annual performance reviews

  • Collaborate across Ascend teams including the program, thought leadership, business development teams, Foundation, senior executive program leaders, key board members, and Ascend leadership

  • Measure activities using Key Performance Indicators and evaluate the effectiveness of efforts towards achieving intended outcomes

Candidate Profile

The following offers an aspirational view of the ideal candidate profile.

  • Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree preferred

  • 10+ years of relevant experience

  • Extraordinary relationship building skills

  • Self‐motivated, strategic creative worker with a strong drive for executional excellence, always looking beyond the available options when up against roadblocks

  • A strong contributor in a high growth environment, no task is too big or too small. You are constantly thinking about iterating on our systems by asking "how can we do this better?"

  • Highly organized, detail‐oriented, with strong project management skills and the ability to prioritize and multitask

  • Positive personal attitude that includes being outgoing, action‐oriented, flexible, with a willingness to adapt to changing situations and having a good sense of humor

  • Proven experience in building best‐in‐class programs with a keen eye towards business & skill building topics for an executive audience

  • Experience in hosting and/or moderating conversations with speakers and talent

  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Zoom, and Google Suite Products is a must

  • Successful completion of background checks required upon hire

Employment Details:

  • Full Time, Salary/Exempt position, starting salary is 90,000‐100,000

  • Generous benefit program including 100% employer paid Medical/Dental and Vision insurance.

  • Ascend is a remote organization with a highly collaborative geographically distributed team. This position will be based remotely in the United States.

  • Requires weekend, off‐hours, or evening work

  • Occasional travel to support and attend events outside of regular business hours (typically no more than 5%).

Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups often only apply to jobs if they meet all of the qualifications. While we’ve done our best to articulate what qualifications will set an individual up for success, if you do not meet 100% of the qualifications but can picture yourself thriving in this role, we encourage you to break that statistic and to apply. Our work and mission are profoundly strengthened by the diversity of our network. We welcome interest from individuals of all backgrounds and levels of experience who share our mission.

Our team is committed to building a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible work environment. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. Ascend participates in E‐Verify.