Payroll Design Manager - AI-Driven UX Leader

Gusto; United States; Hybrid; USD 172,000 - 279,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Job summary

Gusto is seeking a Product Design Manager for Payroll to lead design in a high-impact area used by millions of users. You will mentor designers, define a long-term UX vision, and collaborate with product, engineering, data, and operations to reduce payroll complexity while keeping accuracy and trust.

You will guide AI-driven design initiatives, scale design patterns, and ensure the Payroll experience remains foundational to Gusto’s platform, working across Benefits, Time & Attendance, and

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of product design experience, with at least 3 years leading and managing design teams.
• Experience designing in complex domains (financial products, healthcare, or regulated environments).
• Experience setting UX direction across multiple teams and influencing product strategy.
• Proven ability to drive alignment across cross-functional partners and represent design in strategic conversations.
• Deep systems thinking with ability to turn complex workflows into intuitive experiences.
• Clear, direct communication and storytelling skills.
• Genuine alignment with Gusto's mission and needs of small businesses.
• Ideally experience leading AI-driven design initiatives and AI workflow transitions.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design for Payroll — shaping experiences that help small teams pay correctly and on time.
• Define and communicate the long-term UX vision for Payroll and rally multiple teams around it.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Data, Ops to set strategy and roadmaps.
• Lead initiatives where AI and automation are central to the user experience.
• Collaborate with Research and Data to translate customer insights into UX priorities.
• Influence product and technical roadmaps by advocating for design quality and user needs.
• Set design quality standards for AI-assisted and non-AI work, and scale shared patterns.
• Manage and grow a team of designers with mentorship and hands-on support.
• Champion Payroll as part of Gusto's People Platform and ensure integration with Benefits, Time & Attendance, and tools.

Skills

Product design experience

Leadership & people management

Cross-functional collaboration

UX strategy & vision

Systems thinking

Communication & storytelling

AI / automation experience

Job description

Gusto is seeking a Product Design Manager for Payroll to lead design in a high-impact area used by millions of users. You will mentor designers, define a long-term UX vision, and collaborate with product, engineering, data, and operations to reduce payroll complexity while keeping accuracy and trust.

You will guide AI-driven design initiatives, scale design patterns, and ensure the Payroll experience remains foundational to Gusto’s platform, working across Benefits, Time & Attendance, and