Partner Account Executive, Gusto
$125-182k
OTE
+ Equity. Salary dependent on location. This OTE is structured with a target 70% base pay and 30% commission pay with an uncapped commission structure
Automated payroll, benefits & HR platform
Open for applications
Automated payroll, benefits & HR platform
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$125-182k
OTE
+ Equity. Salary dependent on location. This OTE is structured with a target 70% base pay and 30% commission pay with an uncapped commission structure
1001+ employees
Company mission
To grow the small business economy.
Role
Who you are
- 6+ years total work experience in sales, account management, or customer success, with a strong focus on enterprise clients
- 3+ years of experience selling B2B SaaS products or managing partner relationships, ideally to accounting firms or related businesses
- A consistent track record of exceeding sales quotas and building long-term client relationships, including negotiating complex six-figure contracts
- Experience and comfort working quick sales cycles (60–90 days average)
- Deep understanding of the accounting firm landscape, including their business models, challenges, and technology needs — particularly the CAS/advisory and payroll practices
- Strong ability to articulate contractual, technical, and financial value points to partners, internal senior leaders, and executive leaders
- Equally comfortable in a closing motion and a post-close enablement and coordination role — you see getting a firm to 10 clients as part of the sale, not separate from it
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities — you're a strategic thinker who can identify risk and opportunity across a portfolio
- Ability to quickly learn our product so you are credible with prospects and partners alike
- Comfort and proficiency with AI-powered tools and technologies, with a willingness to adopt and integrate AI into daily sales and partner management workflows to improve efficiency and outcomes
- Experience with CRM and sales software (e.g., Salesforce, ZoomInfo, Tableau)
What the job involves
- As a Partner Account Executive for GustoPro, you will play a critical role in expanding Gusto's footprint within the accounting market by recruiting new accounting firm partners, enabling them to succeed on the platform, and driving them to a healthy, self-sufficient state before transitioning them to an Account Manager
- Working directly with our Head of Sales and Head of GustoPro Sales, you will shape our new partner sales motion while owning the full arc of partner activation — from first conversation to a successful handoff. The benchmark that tells us activation is working: 10 net new clients added and the firm's 30-day enablement plan complete
- You'll engage with C-level executives and senior payroll specialists at accounting firms, with a focus on large regional and national players. You'll act as a consultant, understanding their unique needs and demonstrating how GustoPro can boost efficiency and help them realize more value for their clients while delivering upside for the firm
- The Partner Onboarding Agreement — a 30-day enablement contract signed at close — is your operating document once a firm is in. It defines milestones, role responsibilities across the firm, and the incentive structure that keeps both sides accountable through activation
- We're looking for a true "builder" — someone who's excited to wear multiple hats, design systems and processes, and run experiments. Comfort with a dynamic environment and the ability to pivot when needed is essential
- Evangelize the GustoPro solution to prospective accounting firms to grow our market share and meet and exceed monthly/quarterly sales targets
- Collaborate closely with Sales Leaders to build out and refine our new partner sales process, with a focus on accelerating sales cycles (target 60–90 days) and maximizing close rates
- Conduct compelling and persuasive product demos that showcase the value of GustoPro using data and insights, tailored to resonate with accounting firm executives
- Negotiate and execute the Partner Onboarding Agreement, aligning on a 30-day enablement plan and client pipeline targets from day one
- Serve as the primary Gusto contact during the 30-day enablement period — keeping the Champion certification track, Practice Member Academy completion, and Practice Lead go-to-market readiness all on schedule
- Hold the firm's Strategic Lead accountable to Champion designation and kickoff commitments in Week 1; track certification milestones and coordinate with the partner success team to unlock incentives on time
- Support Practice Leads in running positioning and discovery workshops and building a migration candidate pipeline across their book of business
- Drive the partner to 10 net new client adds within 90 days of signing — the activation benchmark — by leading regular status calls, removing blockers, and coordinating migration scheduling across practice areas
- Coordinate co-marketing activation (co-branded materials, joint email campaigns) once the 10-client milestone unlocks co-op marketing funds, and ensure cross-sell products (HI, 401k, WC, R&D TC) are introduced as adoption deepens
- Prepare a structured handoff brief for the receiving Account Manager — including certified contacts, migration status, QBR baseline, revenue and usage snapshot, and flagged growth opportunities — and facilitate a warm introduction
- Navigate and update internal and external stakeholders, including C-suite executives at Gusto, partners, and cross-functional teams throughout the activation window
- Leverage AI tools and technologies to enhance sales workflows, streamline partner communications, and derive actionable insights from data to drive more effective prospecting, pipeline management, and partner engagement
- Travel as needed to partner offices for onsite meetings, as well as to industry events and conferences to represent Gusto and strengthen partner relationships
Our take
For many small businesses, vital administrative tasks such as payroll, taxes, and benefits are manual tasks that take time and energy which many SMB owners don’t have. The three co-founders of Gusto – all coming from small business backgrounds – collaborated on a Fintech company that would handle employee payments, benefits administration, and compliance support specifically for small businesses.
The company may have started slowly, as the founders focused on nailing each individual aspect of Gusto’s operations, but has now skyrocketed to unicorn status with more than 400,000 customers and a multi-billion dollar valuation. And in 2021, Gusto began acquiring other companies to strengthen its offering and its position in a competitive market, including two other fintech startups, Ardius and Symmetry.
Through its continued acquisitions and fundraising efforts, the company has carved out a strong position for itself in the space. Although Gusto has found itself impacted by the macroeconomic situation, through the significant effect it has had on its clientele, the company still appears positive for the future after raising funds in 2023 that has seen it reach key profitability benchmarks. It continues to expand its platform, most recently partnering with Parafin to launch a payroll line of credit for small businesses. With a growing suite of services and a clear focus on supporting small businesses through changing economic conditions, Gusto looks set to sustain its momentum and further strengthen its position in the HR and payroll technology market.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
45% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 9 rounds)
May 2022
$55m
SERIES E
Aug 2021
$175m
SERIES E
Total funding: $706.3m
Company benefits
- Health and Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents. Family care and support, including family planning and fertility benefits. Gender-affirming care and support. A variety of mental health resources.
- Time Away: It's important to take time away for yourself or to take care of your family. Gusto offers paid vacation, sick time, bereavement, and holidays, paid leaves, sabbatical, and more!
- Free meals and refreshments: If you work at one of our offices, enjoy food, drinks, and snacks— on us. Conversation and community is an added bonus!
- Perks:
Company HQ
Central Waterfront, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Joshua Reeves
(Co-Founder & CEO)Studied Electrical Engineering at Stanford and went onto co-found Gusto in 2011.
Tomer London
(Co-Founder & CPO)Has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. Was a Researcher at Intel, and then interned at Bump Technologies. Co-founded Vizmo, a mobile self-service technologies company, in 2008. Co-founded Gusto in 2011.
Edward Kim
(Co-Founder & Head of Engineering)Studied Electrical Engineering at Stanford. Was Senior Project Engineer at Volkswagen of America Electronics Research Lab and then co-founded Picwing, a printed photos company, in 2008. Co-founded Gusto in 2011.
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