Gusto, Inc.: Senior Product Design Manager, Payroll
Headquarters: Denver, CO (Hybrid); New York, NY (Hybrid); San Francisco, CA (Hybrid); Toronto, Ontario (Remote)
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 500,000 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 Design at Gusto
Design at Gusto is made up of over 80 creative, collaborative people who care deeply about our mission to empower small businesses and their employees. We're a cross-functional group that is always looking for opportunities to build understanding and empathy for the people who use Gusto. We don't care much about swim lanes and though we care deeply about quality and craft, we are never precious about it. We work closely with cross-functional partners in Product, Engineering, Data, and Marketing to design, build, and ship experiences that make a real difference. We believe great design can make hard things possible, even delightful.
We are building an AI-native design organization. We're looking for designers who are already working this way: using AI to prototype ideas quickly, shorten customer feedback loops, and ship quality UX directly to customers.
About the Role
For the hundreds of thousands of small businesses we serve, our mission starts with one of their most critical responsibilities: paying their team. Getting payroll right isn’t just a feature—it’s the foundation of trust with every business that relies on us.
As the Product Design Manager for Payroll, you'll lead design in this senior level position for one of Gusto's most complex and consequential product areas. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role with broad scope. You'll manage a team of designers and set the UX direction for Payroll, partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Research, Data, Ops, Compliance, and others.
Your work will include simplifying complex, reciprocal workflows, defining a long-term UX vision, and leading automation and AI initiatives. You'll also mentor designers, set the quality and judgment standard for AI-assisted design work, and contribute to platform standards.
About the Team
Payroll is the foundation of Gusto and our most-used, most-loved product. It underpins our broader ecosystem, enabling the adoption of Benefits, Time Tracking, HR tools, and so much more. Our team is tasked with evolving and scaling this core experience for small businesses of all sizes, from solo entrepreneurs to growing companies.
Responsibilities
- Lead end-to-end design for Payroll — shaping experiences that help small businesses pay their teams correctly, on time, and with confidence.
- Define and communicate the long-term UX vision for Payroll, and rally multiple teams around it.
- Partner with Product, Engineering, Data, Ops and others to set strategy and roadmaps.
- Lead product initiatives where AI and automation are central to the user experience.
- Collaborate with Research and Data to uncover customer insights and translate them into clear, actionable UX priorities.
- Influence product and technical roadmaps by advocating for design quality, customer needs, and long-term system health.
- Set the quality and judgment standard for all design work — whether AI-assisted or not.
- Define and scale shared patterns, principles, and standards that promote quality, consistency, and velocity.
- Manage and grow a team of designers, providing mentorship, clear direction, and hands-on support.
- Champion the Payroll experience as the foundation of Gusto's broader People Platform.
Requirements
- 8–10+ years of product design experience, with at least 3 years leading and managing design teams.
- Experience designing in complex domains (e.g., financial products, healthcare, or similarly regulated environments).
- Experience setting UX direction across multiple teams and influencing product strategy.
- Proven ability to drive alignment across cross-functional partners and represent design in high-stakes, strategic conversations.
- Deep systems thinking, with a track record of turning interconnected, complex workflows into experiences that feel simple and intuitive.
- Clear, direct communication and storytelling skills.
- A genuine bond to Gusto's mission and the needs of small businesses.
Ideally You Have:
- Demonstrated ability to assess AI-generated design directions: knowing when to use them, when to override them, and how to raise the quality bar on AI outputs.
- Experience leading product initiatives where AI or automation is central to the user experience — including how to represent uncertainty, surface errors gracefully, and preserve user agency.
- Experience leading a team through an AI workflow transition — establishing new norms and standards.
Compensation
- Denver & most remote locations: $172,000/yr – $237,000/yr
- San Francisco, Seattle & New York: $202,000/yr – $279,000/yr
- Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate experience and expertise.
Important Notes
- Titles: At Gusto, titles describe your craft and your scope of ownership. The title on this posting may look different from what you'd expect based on the scope and seniority of the role.
- Office Expectations: Employees in Denver, San Francisco, and New York City are expected to work from the office 2–3 days per week.
- Attendance: We expect regular and predictable attendance to stay connected to your team, customers, and stakeholders.
Equal Opportunity
Gusto is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. If you require a medical or religious accommodation, please fill out this form.
To apply: Click here to apply via We Work Remotely