Business Operations Coordinator

Ascendient has spent more than 30 years building a reputation as a premier healthcare consulting firm. We were recently named to the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies, and that growth means the systems behind the firm matter more every quarter. We're hiring an Operations Coordinator to help run those systems. This is a hands-on, in-office role based in Chapel Hill, working directly with our COO across operations, marketing/sales, HR, and administration/IT. It's built for someone who wants to learn how a fast-growing consulting firm actually works from the inside, and who sees this as a launchpad for their career.

About Ascendient

Ascendient partners with healthcare organizations and public health departments on high-stakes regulatory and strategic work, including:

• Strategic planning, business planning, and provider planning for hospitals and health systems
• Certificate of Need applications and opposition and/or litigation that follows reviews
• Community health assessments and planning for public health organizations

We've grown quickly by staying disciplined about how we work and what we deliver. Running a firm that does this pace of work requires the same rigor behind the scenes as it does in front of clients.

The Role

You will work directly with the COO, executing the systems and processes she's already built, while learning enough about how the firm operates to eventually help improve them. You will:

• Manage our “deal to delivery” process all the way from win to invoicing. Set up, track, and report out on client engagements, and keep our PSA system (BigTime) clean
• Facilitate weekly planning meetings with project leads and drive follow-up so nothing falls through the cracks
• Own CRM lead distribution and pipeline reporting; keep contact information, lead source, and attribution tracking clean and current
• Support proposals and RFPs, particularly around state registration/licensure and insurance requirements
• Own our resource management processes and build the reports leadership uses to make decisions
• Build and maintain the firm's process documentation and SOPs; flag where a process doesn't hold up
• Provide day-to-day executive support: scheduling, follow-ups, and financial admin
• Administer SharePoint, collaboration tools, and basic IT/vendor coordination
• Support onboarding processes and HR administration
• Take on additional coordination and support work across the firm as it's identified. This role is expected to grow!

Success in this role looks like the COO spending less time on execution and more on strategy, fewer things falling through the cracks, and systems that run cleanly. As you prove yourself on the fundamentals, there's real room to take on more, depending on where the firm's needs land.

This is a consulting environment. The pace of work shifts with client deadlines and firm priorities. Some weeks are steady; others are more demanding. The people who thrive here bring initiative, structure, and a genuine curiosity about how a business runs.

What You Bring

Required:

• At least two years of experience in an operations, coordinator, executive support, or office management role
• Strong organizational skills and comfort managing multiple workstreams at once
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (SharePoint, Outlook, Excel) and comfort learning new tools quickly
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication
• Based in or willing to relocate to the Chapel Hill area, and available to work in-office
• A genuine interest in how businesses operate so you’re not just executing tasks, but understanding why they matter

Preferred:

• Experience in a small or growing professional services or consulting firm
• CRM administration experience (HubSpot or similar)
• Exposure to HR or benefits administration
• Comfort using AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT) as part of daily workflow
• Demonstrated interest in an eventual operations, business management, or leadership career path

Who Thrives Here

You are:

• A systems thinker. You don't just do the task; you notice when the process itself could be better.
• Reliable and detail-oriented. Things don't slip through the cracks on your watch.
• A clear communicator who can talk to partners, clients, and vendors with equal ease.
• Comfortable wearing multiple hats: marketing one day, HR the next, IT the day after.
• Discreet and trustworthy. You'll have visibility into sensitive firm and people matters.

Compensation and Structure

• $60,000 - $68,000 annual base salary
• Short-term incentive compensation: opportunity to earn an additional 5% of base salary annually
• Full benefits including health, dental, life, and disability insurance, 401(k), and paid time off

Note: The COO reads every single application. Please submit a thoughtful Cover Letter with anything you'd want her to know.