Staff Software Engineer at Gusto building AI developer tools and internal coding assistants. Focus on architecting LLM-powered workflows, automating developer tasks, and embedding intelligence into the development lifecycle.
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 400,000 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 the Role:
As a Staff Engineer on the Developer Productivity – AI Developer Tools team, you will play a pivotal role in architecting and scaling the AI platform that powers how Gusto builds software. Operating at the intersection of platform engineering and applied AI, you will help redefine our development lifecycle by embedding intelligence directly into it. From building custom internal coding assistants and automating complex refactors to stabilizing local environments and enhancing CI/CD pipelines, your work will eliminate developer friction at every stage. Your mission is to harness Large Language Models and intelligent automation to accelerate engineering velocity, reduce cognitive load, and fundamentally transform how our teams design, test, and ship products.
About the Team:
The AI Developer Tools team is a specialized unit within Developer Productivity. We believe that AI is the next great leap in software craftsmanship. Our goal is to provide every builder at Gusto with a suite of "superpowers"—tools that understand our codebase and handle the "toil" so our builders can focus on creative problem-solving in a safe way with appropriate guardrails. We treat our fellow builders as our customers and prioritize tools that are not just powerful, but delightful to use.
Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:
Here’s what we're looking for:
Our cash compensation amount for this role is targeted at $190,000/yr to $210,000/yr in Denver & most remote locations, and $220,000/yr to $250,000/yr in New York, Seattle & San Francisco Bay Area. 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.
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Personal information collected and processed as part of your Gusto application will be subject to Gusto's Applicant Privacy Notice.