Principal Software Engineer, Payroll and Tax

Gusto; Washington, Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Denver (District of Columbia, WA, CA, NY, CO); On-site; USD 214,000 - 264,000; Full time

Job summary

Gusto is seeking a Head of Payroll Engineering to lead a vital team responsible for shaping the future of payroll systems. This leadership role requires a visionary who will manage a large engineering organization, drive innovation, and ensure reliability in systems that support financial stability for our small business clients. The successful candidate will partner with product leaders and invest in engineering talent, fostering a culture of excellence.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in the industry.
• 7+ years leading engineering teams.
• Experience in FinTech or payroll is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead a large engineering team focused on payroll systems.
• Drive the next generation of payroll innovation.
• Set technical direction and architectural evolution.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Technical expertise

Team building

Education

Degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Gusto is a modern, online people 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 nationwide.

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:

At Gusto, we're on a mission to create a world where work empowers a better life. For the hundreds of thousands of small businesses we serve, this mission begins with one of their most critical and high-stakes responsibilities: paying their team. The Head of Payroll Engineering sits at the very heart of this promise.

You will lead a large, multi-layered engineering organization responsible for the foundational pillar of Gusto’s business - our payroll and tax systems. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of a product that millions of people depend on for their financial stability. You'll be challenged to modernize essential platforms, drive the next wave of product innovation (from always-running payroll to AI-powered automation), and build for massive scale and unflinching reliability. We're looking for a visionary leader who can inspire a large organization, navigate immense technical complexity, and ultimately help us make the work of paying a team disappear.

About the Team:

You'll be leading the Payroll Engineering team, a core part of the Pay Group and the team most directly connected to our customers' peace of mind. We believe that getting payroll right isn’t just a feature - it’s the foundation of trust with every business we serve. We don't just build software; we take on the immense complexity of payroll so our customers can focus on their passions. Our vision is to make the hard work of paying a team disappear, transforming it into a seamless, automated, and even magical experience.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

• Set the technical north star for Gusto's core payroll and tax platforms, guiding the evolution of our architecture to be more scalable, reliable, and flexible for the future.
• Build and nurture a world-class engineering organization of over 50, fostering a culture of excellence and investing deeply in the growth of our People Empowerers and senior technical leaders.
• Deliver with excellence on a high-stakes roadmap, leading your teams to execute complex, deeply technical projects that are fundamental to our customers' trust and our business's success.
• Drive the next generation of payroll innovation by partnering with product and design leaders to transform our customer experience from simply being possible to being truly magical.
• Uplevel our engineering craft and operational rigor, championing a culture of quality, continuous improvement, and ownership for the systems that form the bedrock of Gusto.
• Act as a key voice in Gusto's engineering leadership, collaborating across the company to influence strategy and ensure our payroll platform enables the ambitious future of our entire product ecosystem.

Here’s what we're looking for:

• A seasoned engineering leadership background with 15+ years in the industry and 7+ years leading multiple teams and other People Empowerers in a senior leadership capacity.
• A proven ability to scale and lead large organizations, with direct experience managing engineering teams of 50-100+ people, including developing other leaders and principal-level engineers.
• Deep technical credibility and a hands-on approach, with the ability to dive into the details of system architecture, design, and code when needed.
• Experience leading mature, at-scale products, with a demonstrated ability to balance long-term strategic investments with short-term business impact.
• A strategic mindset for platform modernization, with demonstrated success leading teams through the evolution of legacy systems into modern, service-oriented architectures.
• A passion for building exceptional teams and a strong track record of hiring, coaching, and retaining top-tier, diverse engineering talent.
• Experience in a highly regulated or complex domain, such as FinTech, payroll, or tax, is a significant plus. Experience applying AI to existing mature products is also a plus.

Compensation:

Our cash compensation amount for this role is targeted at $214,000-$264,000 /yr in Denver & most remote locations, and $251,000-$309,000 /yr for San Francisco & New York. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.

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. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [e-mail].

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.

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.

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