People Partner Lead, Engineering

At Gusto, we're on a mission to grow the small business economy.

We're looking for a high-ownership People Business Partner to support our Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT organizations at Gusto. This role reports into Gusto's Head of People and serves as a trusted partner to leaders across some of our most technically complex teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build trusted partnerships with Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT leaders, understanding their teams and surfacing friction early.
• Synthesize People data into clear, actionable reads for R&D leaders.
• Support and operationalize core talent programs, including performance cycles and promotion processes.
• Reinforce high performance standards and accountability across Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT.
• Serve as the liaison between R&D and Gusto's broader People team.
• Proactively identify risks, friction points, and opportunities for improvement using People insights and organizational data.
• Build lightweight but scalable People frameworks and processes.
• Own end-to-end execution of org changes, including transition planning and communication sequencing.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of HRBP or People Partner experience, with meaningful time supporting technical organizations.
• Strong operator mindset and ability to execute complex People work.
• A strong bias toward action and a high speed of execution.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and partner with senior technical leaders.
• Deep experience with performance management, calibrations, promotions, and organizational design.
• Strong analytical instincts and ability to tell a story with People data.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguity and hold a lot of detail without losing the thread.
• Sound judgment that accounts for Gusto, not just R&D.
• AI-native mindset with experience using AI to do work better.

What We Offer:

• Competitive base pay and benefits.
• Equity (RSUs).
• Opportunity to work with a fast-growing company.

Salary Range:

• $158,300 - $195,237/year in Denver.
• $185,955 - $229,345/year in San Francisco.

Work Environment:

• Physical office spaces in Denver, San Francisco, and New York City.
• Hybrid work model with office expectations approximately 2-3 days per week.