People Partner Lead, CX

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.

We're looking for a senior People Business Partner to support our Customer Experience organization at Gusto. This role reports into Gusto's Head of People and serves as an embedded, execution-oriented partner to the CX Leadership Team — someone who advises and then stays in the room until the work is done.

This is a senior partnership role with a team management component. You'll spend most of your time working directly with CX VPs and Directors — the leaders who run one of our largest, most operationally complex functions — on org design, workforce strategy, and the harder talent conversations that only land when there's real trust. At the same time, you'll directly empower 2 People Partners who deliver the day-to-day: coaching frontline managers, managing ER volume, and executing People programs across a large, distributed org.

You earn trust through follow-through, not decks. You stress-test thinking and then own the outcome — from org change communication to the last Workday update. You don't identify primarily as a strategist. You identify as someone who gets things done, and your ability to work alongside senior leaders is a byproduct of that credibility — not the other way around.

We are in an active build phase — this role requires someone who arrives ready to construct and deliver, not inherit and sustain.

• Build trusted partnerships with CX VPs and the CX Leadership Team — understanding org dynamics, surfacing friction early, and driving decisions on talent strategy, workforce planning, and org design — staying accountable for outcomes, not just recommendations.
• Lead the harder conversations: delivering candor to senior leaders on their own effectiveness, navigating performance decisions on high-profile talent, and partnering through significant org changes end-to-end.
• Directly empower and develop 2 People Partners (team of 3 total) who deliver coaching at scale and execute People programs across frontline CX teams — setting a high bar, giving direct feedback, and keeping ownership with your team.
• Synthesize People data — attrition signals, gPulse results, absenteeism trends, ER case patterns — into clear, actionable reads for CXLT before they have to ask.

Our cash compensation amount for this role is between $158,300 - $195,237/year in Denver and between $185,955 - $229,345/year for New York/San Francisco. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate location, 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.

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