People Partner Lead, R&D

Gusto; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 158,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Gusto is seeking a high-ownership People Business Partner to support Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT. You will partner with technical leaders, drive core People programs, and serve as the link between R&D and the broader People team.

The role emphasizes hands-on execution and a bias toward action, with the ability to stress-test ideas and implement changes. Ideal candidates have 10+ years in HRBP or People Partner roles within technical environments, strong analytical aptitude, and

Qualifications

• 10+ years of HRBP or People Partner experience, with meaningful time supporting technical organizations — Engineering, Data Science, Security, or similar.
• Strong operator mindset and bias toward action; able to move quickly and deliver.
• Experience influencing senior technical leaders and managing complex HR programs.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted partnerships with Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT leaders, surfacing friction and guiding performance, promotions, leveling, and employee relations with sound judgment.
• Synthesize People data (gPulse, performance cycles, attrition, headcount) into actionable reads for leaders.
• Operationalize core talent programs including performance cycles, calibration discussions, promotions, and manager enablement.
• Reinforce high performance standards, accountability, and clarity around expectations, feedback, and growth across technical orgs.
• Serve as liaison between R&D and the broader People team, translating company-wide programs for technical teams.
• Identify risks and opportunities using People insights and organizational data.
• Build scalable People frameworks and repeatable processes to improve consistency.
• Own end-to-end execution of org changes, including transition planning and communication sequencing.

Job description

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.

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.

About The Role

We're looking for a high-ownership People Business Partner to support our Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT organizations at Gusto. This role reports into Gusto's Head of People and serves as a trusted partner to leaders across some of our most technically complex teams. This role blends high-trust business partnership with hands‑on execution. You'll partner with leaders through organizational changes, drive core People programs and operating rhythms, and act as the connective tissue between R&D and the broader People team. The leaders you'll support have strong points of view and deep context — you add value by stress‑testing their thinking, then making it happen. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable analyzing gPulse data to surface a team health trend, running a clean reorg end‑to‑end, and building a lightweight process that makes a program actually land. This role is designed for someone who operates with high ownership, has a strong bias toward action, and earns trust through follow‑through — not decks. We are in an active build phase — this role requires someone who arrives ready to construct, not inherit.

About The Team

• Build trusted partnerships with Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT leaders — understanding what's happening in their teams, surfacing friction early, and navigating performance management, promotions, leveling, and employee relations matters with good judgment.
• Synthesize People data — gPulse results, Gustofied performance cycles, attrition signals, headcount trends — into clear, actionable reads for R&D leaders before they have to ask.
• Support and operationalize core talent programs including performance cycles, calibration discussions, promotion processes, and manager enablement.
• Reinforce high performance standards, accountability, and clarity around expectations, feedback, and growth across Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT.
• Serve as the liaison between R&D and Gusto's broader People team (Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, L&D, People Ops), translating company‑wide programs into what they mean specifically for technical orgs — and surfacing R&D context back to the center.
• Proactively identify risks, friction points, and opportunities for improvement using People insights and organizational data.
• Build lightweight but scalable People frameworks, operating mechanisms, and repeatable processes that improve consistency across the business.
• When org changes are decided, own end‑to‑end execution — transition planning, communication sequencing, Workday updates, leader enablement, and follow‑through until nothing is left unresolved.

Here’s What You’ll Do Day-to-day

• Build trusted partnerships with Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT leaders — understanding what's happening in their teams, surfacing friction early, and navigating performance management, promotions, leveling, and employee relations matters with good judgment.
• Synthesize People data — gPulse results, Gustofied performance cycles, attrition signals, headcount trends — into clear, actionable reads for R&D leaders before they have to ask.
• Support and operationalize core talent programs including performance cycles, calibration discussions, promotion processes, and manager enablement.
• Reinforce high performance standards, accountability, and clarity around expectations, feedback, and growth across Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT.
• Serve as the liaison between R&D and Gusto's broader People team (Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, L&D, People Ops), translating company‑wide programs into what they mean specifically for technical orgs — and surfacing R&D context back to the center.
• Proactively identify risks, friction points, and opportunities for improvement using People insights and organizational data.
• Build lightweight but scalable People frameworks, operating mechanisms, and repeatable processes that improve consistency across the business.
• When org changes are decided, own end‑to‑end execution — transition planning, communication sequencing, Workday updates, leader enablement, and follow‑through until nothing is left unresolved.

Here’s What We're Looking For

• 10+ years of HRBP or People Partner experience, with meaningful time supporting technical organizations — Engineering, Data Science, Security, or similar.
• Strong operator mindset. You've executed complex People work — not just advised on it. You know what a well‑run reorg looks like from the inside.
• A strong bias toward action and a high speed of execution. You'd rather move and adjust than wait for the perfect answer — and when you decide to move, you move quickly.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and partner with senior technical leaders. You have opinions, you share them, and you push back when something doesn't make sense — but you don't need to own the answer.
• Deep experience with performance management, calibrations, promotions, and organizational design.
• Strong analytical instincts. You're comfortable in spreadsheets and can tell a story with People data without over‑engineering it.
• You build credibility through follow‑through. Leaders trust you because you do what you say you'll do.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguity and hold a lot of detail without losing the thread.
• Sound judgment that accounts for Gusto, not just R&D. You make People decisions that hold up beyond your client group — ones your COE partners can build for and that don’t create one‑off exceptions that ripple across the company. You proactively build COE relationships because you know that’s what makes the model work.
• AI‑native mindset. You actively use AI to do your work better — synthesizing data, drafting communications, building lightweight workflows or agents to eliminate repetitive work. You know when to reach for AI, when to iterate on what it gives you, and when to keep the human in the loop. You don't just follow AI trends; you experiment with them.

Our cash compensation amount for this role is between $158,300 - $195,237/year in Denver and between $185,955 - $229,345/year for New York/San Francisco. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate location, 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.