Product Design Manager, Payroll

About the role

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.

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 - and we mean that seriously. 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. This isn't a future aspiration - it's how we work now, and it's changing what the design role looks like at Gusto and across the industry.

About the Role

You will own the end-to-end design of Gusto's Payroll experience, translating complex payroll rules and stakeholder needs into clear, reliable, and compassionate product designs. You will partner deeply with Product, Engineering, Research, Data, Ops, and Compliance to simplify payroll complexity for small businesses and their employees. You will define and manage a team of designers, setting the UX vision, design system contributions, and quality standards for this critical product area. You will use AI to prototype ideas quickly, shorten feedback cycles, and validate solutions before full build. You will ensure that design decisions are grounded in user research and data, balancing regulatory requirements with delightful, efficient workflows. This role operates at the intersection of high-stakes financial workflows and scalable design leadership. You will be measured by the clarity, quality, and reliability of the payroll experience you deliver.

What you'll do

Lead the end-to-end design for Gusto's Payroll product, owning problem definition, discovery, solution design, and delivery alongside engineering and product partners. Partner with Product Management to translate business requirements, compliance constraints, and customer needs into clear product goals and design opportunities. Define and grow a high-performing design team, setting direction, mentorship, and career growth for designers focused on payroll and related workflows. Establish and maintain a strong design system and patterns library to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency across the payroll experience. Use AI tools to accelerate prototyping, generate variations, and validate design concepts directly with users during research and testing. Collaborate with Engineering to translate designs into production-ready artifacts, ensuring feasibility, performance, and quality on each release. Work with Data and Research to interpret usage metrics, run experiments, and surface insights that inform design decisions and prioritize roadmap work. Coordinate with Compliance, Legal, and Ops to ensure payroll workflows meet regulatory standards while remaining clear and usable for customers. Represent the Payroll design perspective in cross-functional discussions, balancing tradeoffs and aligning stakeholders on decisions. Continuously learn about payroll regulations, small business needs, and emerging AI capabilities to keep the design strategy current and effective.

Requirements

You have a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. You have 5+ years of experience in product design, with a track record of owning complex products end to end. You have 3+ years of managing a team of designers, including setting direction, providing feedback, and supporting career development. You are fluent in design tools such as Figma, and experienced turning concepts into production-ready design systems and components. You have experience working with data, research insights, and analytics to inform design decisions and measure impact. You understand regulatory and compliance constraints in financial services and can design within those requirements. You have demonstrated skill collaborating with cross-functional partners including Product, Engineering, Data, Research, and Legal. You are comfortable making decisions in ambiguous situations and communicating rationale clearly to diverse stakeholders.

What we offer

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.

Practical notes

Full-time position. Open to candidates located in San Francisco, CA or New York, NY. This role reports to the Design Management team and works across product lines serving small businesses nationwide.