About Gusto
At Gusto, we're on a mission to grow the small business economy. We handle the hard stuff — payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR — so owners can focus on their craft and their customers. With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we support more than 500,000 small businesses nationwide and are building a workplace that reflects the people we serve.
All full-time employees receive competitive base pay, benefits, and equity (RSUs) — because everyone who helps build Gusto should share in its success. Offer amounts are determined by role, level, and location. Learn more about our Total Rewards philosophy.
AI is a fundamental part of how work gets done at Gusto. We expect all team members to actively engage with AI tools relevant to their role and grow their fluency as the technology evolves. AI experience requirements vary by role and will be assessed during the interview process.
Our mission is to create a world where work empowers a better life, and it starts right here at Gusto. That’s why we’re committed to building a collaborative and inclusive workplace, both physically and virtually. Learn more about our Total Rewards philosophy.
About the Role:
We're looking for a people leader who is ready to step into a high-impact role at a pivotal moment for Gusto HR Partners. This isn't a role for someone who wants to manage a steady-state team - it's for a builder. You'll get to help shape how leadership works within Gusto HR, develop a team of senior HR consultants, and drive the operational and service excellence that defines what great looks like as we scale.
You'll bring a systems-thinking mindset, a coaching orientation, and the credibility to earn trust with a high-caliber team. Whether you're coming from inside Gusto or from the outside, you're someone who leads with authenticity, leans into hard conversations, and thrives in ambiguity.
About the Team:
The Gusto HR Partners team is a group of senior HR consultants who serve as embedded, fractional HR leaders for the small businesses we support — bringing strategic guidance, operational expertise, and a deeply human touch to every client relationship. We're at an inflection point: scaling our service model, pioneering AI-native ways of working, and redefining what world-class fractional HR looks like for the 400,000+ businesses on the Gusto platform. As a leader on this team, you'll join a tight-knit, mission-driven group that prizes craft, client outcomes, and continuous evolution — and you'll help shape the playbook for how we grow from here.
Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:
- Lead and develop a team of senior HR consultants, coaching them to exceed expectations, building trust through authenticity, and being a hands-on player-coach when needed
- Drive performance across client satisfaction, retention, and consultant productivity metrics in a high-growth environment
- Scale operations through process optimization, AI integration, and technology enablement to improve consultant-to-client efficiency
- Partner with product teams to pioneer AI-native HR services that augment human expertise and create new service possibilities
- Navigate ambiguity and build scalable systems from the ground up, helping to write the playbook
- Coach and develop your team
- Champion change management: build new processes, drive adoption, and iterate quickly in a fast-moving environment
- Collaborate with peer leaders on hiring strategy, process innovation, and cross-functional initiatives
- Shape organizational strategy as we expand service offerings and redefine what's possible in fractional HR service
Here’s what we're looking for:
- Minimum 8+ years of progressive HR or related professional services experience
- Early people leadership experience or strong evidence of leading without authority (mentoring, onboarding, influencing peers, or owning team initiatives) and scaling teams
- Experience operating in client-facing environments (HR, consulting, or service delivery models)
- Demonstrated ability to manage and prioritize across multiple stakeholders or clients
- Evidence of contributing to or driving process improvements, team initiatives, or new ways of working
- Strong track record of delivering high-quality work, building trust, and maintaining client satisfaction
- Experience collaborating cross-functionally and contributing to team-level outcomes, not just individual success
- Experience partnering with Product, Ops, and GTM to innovate and scale
- Familiarity with AI/ML applications in professional services or HR
- AI and technology fluency with a vision for how emerging tools can transform professional services delivery
Compensation
Our cash compensation amount for this role is targeted at $127,000/yr - $157,000/yr in Denver, and $154,000 - $191,000 for San Francisco and New York. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.
Gusto has physical office spaces in Denver, San Francisco, and New York City. Employees who are based in those locations will be expected to work from the office on designated days approximately 2-3 days per week (or more depending on role). The same office expectations apply to all Symmetry roles, Gusto's subsidiary, whose physical office is in Scottsdale.
Note: The San Francisco office expectations encompass both the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas.
When approved to work from a location other than a Gusto office, a secure, reliable, and consistent internet connection is required. This includes non-office days for hybrid employees.
Our customers come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it makes our company stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for small businesses, you will find a home at Gusto.
Gusto is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Gusto considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Gusto is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. We want to see our candidates perform to the best of their ability. If you require a medical or religious accommodation at any time throughout your candidate journey, please fill out this form and a member of our team will get in touch with you.
Gusto takes security and protection of your personal information very seriously. Please review our Fraudulent Activity Disclaimer.
Personal information collected and processed as part of your Gusto application will be subject to Gusto's Applicant Privacy Notice.
What the Team is Saying
What We Do
Gusto is a modern, online small business platform that helps small businesses take care of their teams. On top of full-service payroll, Gusto offers health insurance, 401(k)s, expert HR, and team management tools. Today, Gusto offices in Denver, San Francisco, and New York serve more than 400,000 businesses. Our customers come from all walks of life, and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it makes our company stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for small businesses, you will find a home at Gusto.
Why Work With Us
We help small businesses—the backbone of the economy—thrive. Everything we do ladders up to empowering entrepreneurs and supporting their teams. Gusto empowers builders at every level to take initiative and make things better. You'll be solving meaningful challenges that shape the future of work.
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Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We’ve built an inclusive, connected culture—no matter where you live. Whether near an office or remote, you’ll find opportunities to connect, grow, and belong. Employees work from the office on 2 designated days per week.
