Gusto Engineering Team

Gusto’s Engineering team is led by its CTO, who oversees engineering strategy and the systems behind the company’s payroll, benefits and HR platform. Engineering managers, known internally as “People Empowerers,” guide teams, help employees develop their skills and remove obstacles that affect their work. Senior technical contributors also provide leadership through architecture decisions, mentoring and cross-team projects. The team emphasizes technical judgment, ownership and collaboration while maintaining the reliability required for financial services. 

• Engineering leaders guide technical priorities and development practices: The CTO and engineering leadership team set priorities for software quality, developer productivity and platform improvements. Gusto has invested in automated testing, code review and new development tools to help engineers work more efficiently. Leaders also evaluate how changes to development practices affect reliability, particularly for payroll and tax systems.
• People Empowerers focus on mentoring and helping employees succeed: Engineering managers provide guidance through one-on-ones, technical discussions and career conversations. One employee managing the Embedded API infrastructure team described spending time reviewing technical documents, discussing strategy and helping engineers connect their professional interests with team priorities.
• Managers support engineers in pursuing work that interests them: One employee who worked on payroll and time tools described how her managers listened when she expressed interest in particular projects and helped her pursue those opportunities. She credited their encouragement and feedback with building her confidence and helping her take on more challenging work.
• Senior engineers help shape architecture and technical direction: Staff and senior staff engineers lead complicated projects, review technical designs and guide improvements across teams. Tax Platform leadership roles, for example, involve planning long-term system improvements, strengthening incident response and mentoring engineers through pairing and code reviews. This allows experienced engineers to influence technical decisions without necessarily managing employees.
• Leaders encourage engineers to question ideas and learn from mistakes: One employee managing Embedded API infrastructure described an environment where asking questions, challenging ideas and acknowledging mistakes were encouraged. Gusto’s engineering leadership also expects managers to stay familiar with development tools and practices so they can provide useful technical guidance to their teams.
• External signals:
  • Engineering interns have reported positive mentoring experiences: One software engineering intern highlighted a helpful manager and mentor as strengths of the experience. (Glassdoor)
  • Engineers describe supportive team relationships: A software engineer praised the engineering culture and described coworkers as collaborative and easy to work with. (Glassdoor)

Bottom line: Engineering leadership at Gusto combines technical direction with mentoring and employee development. People Empowerers help engineers grow and navigate challenges, while senior technical contributors guide architecture, reliability and software development.

Gusto’s Engineering team combines product development, technical planning and system maintenance with hybrid work and company-wide time-off benefits. Engineers work across multiple locations and time zones, using shared documentation and scheduled collaboration to stay connected. Daily responsibilities vary by specialty. Product engineers may spend more time on feature development, while infrastructure and financial-platform engineers can have additional production support responsibilities. Gusto provides opportunities for focused work, although deadlines and incidents can affect individual schedules. 

• Hybrid schedules combine remote development with office collaboration: Gusto generally brings employees near its Denver, San Francisco and New York offices together on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Some Engineering roles specify approximately two to three office days per week. Employees can use remote days for development work while reserving office time for technical discussions, planning and collaboration.
• Engineers can organize their days around focused coding time: One employee on the Time Tools team described using quiet mornings on the East Coast for uninterrupted development before meetings began in the afternoon. She appreciated having time to work through difficult programming problems before moving into standups and discussions with colleagues.
• Distributed teams coordinate around overlapping working hours: Gusto engineers use recurring virtual “team time” sessions for planning, technical discussions and quick questions. Teams also document decisions in Slack so colleagues in different time zones can review information when they begin working. One employee explained that these practices help prevent delays when teammates are not online simultaneously.
• Infrastructure and financial systems can require on-call support: Cloud Infrastructure engineers participate in rotations to help resolve problems affecting internal engineering systems. Tax and Payments engineers also work on software where production reliability is especially important. Responsibilities can include investigating incidents, improving monitoring and fixing recurring issues so teams spend less time responding to the same problems.
• Time-off benefits support life outside Engineering: Gusto offers paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, bereavement leave, other paid leaves and sabbaticals. Employees also have access to healthcare, mental health resources and family-related benefits. These programs support employees as they manage personal responsibilities alongside engineering projects and production support.
• External signals:
  • Software engineers report positive work-life balance: A software engineer identified good work-life balance and enthusiastic colleagues as positive parts of the experience. (Glassdoor)
  • Staff engineers also recognize flexibility: One staff software engineer described a mostly remote working environment, reasonable pressure and friendly coworkers. (Glassdoor)

Bottom line: Work-life balance in Engineering at Gusto includes hybrid schedules, focused development time and paid leave. Distributed teams use shared working hours and documentation to coordinate, while engineers responsible for critical systems may also participate in on-call support.

Gusto’s Engineering culture emphasizes collaborative problem-solving, technical ownership and building software that makes small-business operations easier. Engineers work on complicated systems involving payroll, taxes, payments and benefits, where accuracy and reliability are important. Teams use pair programming, code reviews, shared documentation and regular discussions to exchange knowledge. Employees are encouraged to ask questions, challenge technical decisions and learn from colleagues while taking responsibility for the software they build. 

• Pair programming is an established part of Engineering collaboration: Engineers work together to solve technical problems, review approaches and share knowledge. One employee described how pairing makes it easier to ask quick questions and learn from colleagues who know a particular part of the codebase. The practice is also used during onboarding to help new engineers become comfortable with unfamiliar systems.
• Engineers support one another when working through technical challenges: One employee recalled posting a question in an engineering Slack channel after getting stuck on a problem. Several colleagues quickly offered suggestions, even though they had their own responsibilities. She described the experience as an example of the willingness to help that made her feel supported on the team.
• Customer feedback helps connect development work with real needs: Engineering teams can learn how customers use Gusto through recorded research sessions and feedback shared by Product teams. One employee described hearing a customer praise an automatic save feature she had worked on. The experience reinforced the importance of small improvements that make payroll less frustrating for business owners.
• Engineers are encouraged to share ideas and take ownership: Senior engineers contribute to architecture decisions, project planning and improvements to existing systems. One employee managing Embedded API infrastructure described a team culture where people could challenge ideas, ask questions and make mistakes without feeling judged. These practices help employees work through difficult decisions and consider different technical approaches.
• Teams make an effort to stay connected across locations: Engineers use virtual team time, standups and occasional in-person gatherings to strengthen working relationships. One employee described how her team included lighthearted questions and jokes during standups, helping coworkers get to know one another. Distributed teams also use on-site meetings for technical planning and team-building activities.
• External signals:
  • Software engineers report a strong collaborative culture: An employee praised the Engineering team’s low-ego environment and willingness to work together. (Glassdoor)
  • Engineers appreciate supportive colleagues: One senior software engineer identified helpful coworkers as a positive aspect of working at Gusto. (Glassdoor)

Bottom line: Engineering culture at Gusto combines technical problem-solving with collaboration, mentoring and customer-focused development. Employees share knowledge, support one another and take ownership of improvements to software that businesses rely on.

Gusto offers Engineering employees opportunities to develop technical expertise, lead larger projects and pursue senior individual contributor or management responsibilities. Career paths span product engineering, Payments, Tax Platform, Cloud Infrastructure, Embedded APIs and developer tools. Engineers can expand their experience by working in different product areas, influencing system architecture and mentoring colleagues. Gusto also supports professional development through manager coaching, internal mobility and opportunities to take on work that matches employees’ interests. 

• Engineers can progress into senior technical positions: Gusto has senior, staff, senior staff and principal engineering roles with increasing responsibility for technical decisions and project scope. Staff engineers may lead complicated initiatives, design foundational systems and help other engineers solve problems. Senior staff roles can involve developing technical roadmaps and coordinating improvements across multiple teams.
• Different engineering specialties provide opportunities to expand expertise: Employees can develop skills in payroll, payments, tax compliance, platform infrastructure and APIs. One employee spent two years on the Big Friendly Payroll team before moving to Time Tools, gaining experience in a different product area. These transitions can help engineers broaden their knowledge while remaining in technical roles.
• Engineering management offers a separate leadership path: People Empowerers guide technical teams while coaching employees, setting priorities and removing obstacles. One employee managing Embedded API infrastructure described how leading API standards and versioning projects helped him strengthen his understanding of complex systems and develop the ability to influence work beyond his immediate team.
• Managers help employees pursue new challenges: One employee described how her managers took her interests seriously and helped her work on projects she wanted to explore. She credited their support with improving her confidence as an engineer. Gusto’s broader development approach also includes opportunities for internal mobility and expanded responsibilities.
• Mentoring helps employees develop leadership skills: Engineers can support new colleagues as onboarding buddies, participate in pair programming and share technical knowledge. One employee described continuing to check in with engineers she had previously helped onboard. She also found that supporting others contributed to her own professional development and helped her become a stronger mentor.
• External signals:
  • Senior engineers recognize opportunities for meaningful work: One senior software engineer highlighted the chance to make impactful technical changes as a positive part of the role. (Glassdoor)
  • Engineering interns have reported supportive learning experiences: A software engineering intern described receiving helpful guidance from a manager and mentor. (Glassdoor)

Bottom line: Engineering career growth at Gusto can involve technical specialization, larger projects, staff-level responsibilities or management. Employees can build their skills through mentoring, project ownership and opportunities to work across different engineering teams.

Gusto supports Engineering development through structured onboarding, technical mentorship, pair programming, online learning resources and hands-on training. New employees learn the company’s codebase, development tools and engineering practices while receiving guidance from experienced colleagues. The team also invests in training on development automation, software quality and new coding tools. Engineers can strengthen their skills through project work, code reviews, technical discussions and collaboration across different engineering specialties.

• Onboarding helps engineers become familiar with Gusto’s codebase: New employees receive guidance from managers and experienced teammates as they learn development tools and internal systems. One employee described receiving an initial project that matched her existing skills, allowing her to contribute while learning the payroll business. Engineers may also be paired with onboarding buddies who answer questions and provide ongoing support.
• Pair programming and code reviews provide hands-on learning: Engineers regularly work together on technical problems and review one another’s code. One employee explained that pairing helps newer team members learn from colleagues with deeper knowledge of specific systems. The practice also makes it easier to ask questions and understand how experienced engineers approach unfamiliar problems.
• Employees use online courses to learn new programming technologies: One employee described joining Gusto without Ruby experience and with limited React knowledge. She used LinkedIn Learning and other online courses to build her skills while learning from colleagues. Engineering Slack channels also provide opportunities to ask questions and receive technical guidance.
• Experienced engineers provide mentorship and technical guidance: Staff and senior staff engineers mentor colleagues through pairing, code reviews and project discussions. One employee managing Embedded API infrastructure described helping engineers develop their technical judgment and align career interests with team goals. Gusto also encourages engineers to share knowledge across teams instead of keeping expertise within individual groups.
• Engineering-specific training supports new development practices: Gusto has brought experienced engineers into different teams to provide hands-on training in AI-assisted development, using real projects and code rather than relying only on presentations. The team also uses automated testing and its Fresh Eyes code-review tool to check changes. Engineers can share reusable tools and development practices through an internal library, while payroll and tax changes continue to receive additional human review.
• External signals:
  • Engineers recognize the availability of technical learning resources: A senior software engineer identified helpful colleagues and access to AI development resources among the positives of working at Gusto. (Glassdoor)
  • Engineering employees appreciate collaborative learning: One software engineer praised the team’s collaborative culture, which provides opportunities to exchange knowledge and solve problems with colleagues. (Glassdoor)

Bottom line: Gusto’s Engineering training combines onboarding, mentorship, pair programming and practical technical education. Employees can develop programming skills, learn the company’s systems and build expertise through hands-on projects and collaboration with experienced engineers.