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 500000 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 seasoned full-stack software engineers to join the teams behind Gusto's customer-facing products — the features and experiences that small business owners and their employees rely on every day.
As a Staff Software Engineer you'll operate across the full product lifecycle: shaping features from early spec and design through to launch and long-term iteration. That means writing clean frontend code designing and building reliable backend APIs influencing product direction and taking ownership of what happens after a feature ships.
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 products such as Payroll Benefits HR Retirement Gusto Money Gusto Solo and Gusto Pro 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 Management Data Design and Platform Engineering teams to understand customer pain points come up with solutions and then prototype iterate and launch daily
- Build products that our customers genuinely love
Here’s what we're looking for:
- Successful applicants typically have 8+ years of software development experience
- Experience building scalable solutions that eliminate customer pain; passion for creating memorable experiences for customers
- Experience leveraging AI tools or systems to accelerate development improve testing and deliver new product 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 customer impact at scale
- Experience with large scale refactors performance and reliability issues and a strong sense of ownership over all aspects of your product area
- Ability to mentor engineers to maximize their performance and impact
Please note that a two day travel to a Gusto office for onboarding is required for this position. If you have any questions regarding this requirement please share with your recruiter.
Our cash compensation amount for this role is targeted at $163000–$204000 in Denver & most remote locations and $197000–$247000 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.
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.
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.
Skills Required
- 8+ years of software development experience
- Experience building scalable solutions that eliminate customer pain
- Experience leveraging AI tools or systems to accelerate development and deliver product capabilities
- Curiosity and experimentation with emerging AI frameworks and applying best practices
- Experience owning multi-quarter projects that solve complex engineering problems at scale
- Experience with large-scale refactors performance and reliability issues
- Ability to mentor and grow other engineers
- Full-stack development experience (frontend and backend APIs)
- Experience working with Ruby on Rails and JavaScript/React applications
What the Team is Saying
Gusto Compensation & Benefits Highlights
- Healthcare Strength—Comprehensive medical dental and vision coverage is highlighted alongside mental-health resources family planning and fertility support gender-affirming care and abortion travel assistance. Availability of HSAs/FSAs and integrated care elements further reinforce the health pillar.
- Parental & Family Support—Robust parental leave adoption assistance childcare benefits and a structured return-to-work program are emphasized. Additional supports like sleep coaching and house cleaning for new parents broaden this safety net.
- Leave & Time Off Breadth—Paid vacation sick time bereavement leave holidays and sabbaticals are part of the package. A flexible PTO approach is also described encouraging time away as needed.
Gusto Insights
What We Do
Gusto is a modern online small business 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 400000 businesses. 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.
Why Work With Us
We help small businesses—the backbone of the economy—thrive. Everything we do ladders up to empowering entrepreneurs and supporting their teams. Gusto empowers builders at every level to take initiative and make things better. You'll be solving meaningful challenges that shape the future of work.
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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We’ve built an inclusive connected culture—no matter where you live. Whether near an office or remote you’ll find opportunities to connect grow and belong. Employees work from the office on 2 designated days per week.
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Date Posted
06/25/2026
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