Staff Software Engineer, Core AI Platforms

Gusto; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 163,000 - 204,000; Full time

Job summary

A tech company focused on small business solutions is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to enhance core platforms that support small business owners. The ideal candidate will have over 8 years of experience in software development, a passion for scalable user platforms, and the ability to mentor fellow engineers. Located in Denver, this role offers competitive compensation of $163,000–$204,000, with additional stock equity options. A collaborative, test-driven environment emphasizes the importance of AI integration in development practices.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software development experience required.
• Passion for scalable and efficient user platforms.
• Experience with AI tools that enhance development.

Responsibilities

• Design and build core platform services for Gusto.
• Mentor engineers in solving complex technical challenges.
• Collaborate with various teams to deliver solutions.

Skills

Software development experience

AI tools and systems

Mentoring engineers

Rails and JavaScript

Tools

Ruby on Rails

JavaScript

Job description

About Gusto

At Gusto, we're on a mission to grow the small business economy. We handle the hard stuff—like payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR—so owners can focus on their craft and customers. With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we’re proud to support more than 400,000 small businesses across the country, and we’re building a workplace that represents and celebrates the customers we serve. Learn more about our Total Rewards philosophy.

About The Role

We're looking for seasoned full-stack software engineers to join the teams behind Gusto's product platforms — the shared systems that our product teams build upon — to serve small business owners every day.

As a Staff Software Engineer, you'll operate across the full lifecycle of foundational systems: shaping architecture early in the design process, building self-service internal features and APIs, and owning their performance long after launch. That means engineering the core business engine, enabling product teams with reliable backend services, and setting the engineering standard for those around you.

If you're drawn to work that combines technical craft with real-world impact — helping power the livelihoods of millions using Gusto products — join us!

Here’s What You’ll Do Day-to-day

• Design, build, and test Gusto core platform services – communications, reporting, dashboards, access, workflows, risk, payments, and compliance capabilities, among others
• Mentor other engineers to help solve some of the hardest technical problems out there in very complex domains and at a large scale
• Help scale one of the largest Ruby/Rails and Javascript/React applications in the world
• Collaborate with our Product Engineering, Product Management, Data, and Design teams to understand customer pain points, come up with solutions, and then prototype, iterate, and launch daily

Here’s What We're Looking For

• Successful applicants typically have 8+ years of software development experience
• Passion for creating scalable, efficient platforms for users
• Experience leveraging AI tools or systems to accelerate development, improve testing, and deliver new platform capabilities
• Curiosity and experimentation with emerging AI frameworks, applying and sharing best practices to evaluate and scale AI use safely across teams
• Experience owning multi-quarter projects that solve complex engineering problems and make measurable user impact at scale
• Experience with large scale refactors, performance and reliability issues, and a strong sense of ownership over all aspects of your platform area
• Ability to mentor engineers to maximize their performance and impact

Others

• Experience in, or interest working in, Ruby on Rails
• Appreciation for a collaborative, test-driven environment
• Ability to build well-structured, maintainable, well-documented code
• Ability to effectively communicate across engineering teams and with business stakeholders

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.

Compensation and Benefits

Our cash compensation amount for this role is targeted at $163,000–$204,000 in Denver & most remote locations, and $197,000–$247,000 for San Francisco & New York. Stock equity is additional. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Additional Information

Gusto has physical office spaces in Denver, San Francisco, and New York. Details about office expectations apply to related roles as noted above. 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 legally protected characteristics. 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 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.