VC & PE Partnerships Lead

Gusto; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 181,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity (RSUs)

Competitive base pay & benefits

Total Rewards philosophy

Job summary

Gusto is seeking a VC & PE Partnerships Manager to own and scale relationships with venture capital and private equity firms. This role sits at the intersection of partnerships, investing, and go-to-market strategy, with accountability for results and a portfolio approach designed to scale across the investor ecosystem.

You’ll partner with Marketing, Events, Sales, and Recruit to define the right portfolio, engagement model, and success metrics, building high-leverage, repeatable partnership

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in partnerships, ecosystem development, venture or growth programs, or adjacent roles.
• 3+ years of experience with the venture capital and private equity ecosystem, including founders, operators, and investors.
• Proven ability to independently lead complex, cross-functional partnership initiatives that balance relationship depth with scalability.

Responsibilities

• Own Gusto’s VC & PE partnership strategy end to end, accountable for results across the function.
• Define and maintain a clear partner portfolio, including which partners warrant 1:1 investment versus scaled engagement.
• Build repeatable, programmatic partnership motions (e.g., portfolio company programs, founder and operator education, marketplace or platform integrations)
• Serve as the Tier 1 point of contact for a core group of high-impact ecosystem partners.
• Collaborate closely with Partner Marketing and Events to design scalable programs and moments of engagement.
• Partner with Recruit and other internal teams to align on net-new partner sourcing over time.
• Track and evaluate ecosystem impact across metrics such as ARR, pipeline influence, and founder reach.
• Represent Gusto externally as a credible, recognized voice in the VC & PE ecosystem, and provide thought leadership to internal teams and external partners.

Skills

Partnerships

Venture capital

Strategy

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management

Job description

Gusto is seeking a VC & PE Partnerships Manager to own and scale relationships with venture capital and private equity firms. This role sits at the intersection of partnerships, investing, and go-to-market strategy, with accountability for results and a portfolio approach designed to scale across the investor ecosystem.

You’ll partner with Marketing, Events, Sales, and Recruit to define the right portfolio, engagement model, and success metrics, building high-leverage, repeatable partnership