Venture & Private-Equity Partnerships Lead

Gusto, Inc.; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Gusto is seeking a VC & PE Partnerships Manager to own and scale our relationships across venture capital and private equity firms. You’ll lead end-to-end partnership strategy, define a programmatic engagement model, and collaborate with Marketing, Events, and Recruit to drive measurable outcomes across ARR and pipeline influence.

This role sits in a cross-functional Partnerships organization and requires deep experience in venture ecosystems, portfolio design, and external representation of

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in partnerships, ecosystem development, venture or growth programs, or adjacent roles.
• 4+ years of experience with the venture capital and private equity ecosystem.
• Proven ability to independently lead complex, cross-functional partnership initiatives that balance relationship depth with scalability.
• Strong judgment around where to invest time and where to say “not now”.
• Comfort working cross-functionally and influencing without direct authority.
• Ability to translate ambiguous inputs into clear strategy and execution plans.
• Experience working at or closely with a VC or PE firm, high-growth company, or ecosystem platform.
• Background in program design, portfolio engagement, or platform partnerships.
• Experience evaluating partnership impact beyond direct revenue attribution.

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

Ecosystem development

Venture/growth programs

Cross-functional leadership

Job description

Gusto is seeking a VC & PE Partnerships Manager to own and scale our relationships across venture capital and private equity firms. You’ll lead end-to-end partnership strategy, define a programmatic engagement model, and collaborate with Marketing, Events, and Recruit to drive measurable outcomes across ARR and pipeline influence.

This role sits in a cross-functional Partnerships organization and requires deep experience in venture ecosystems, portfolio design, and external representation of