Staff Software Engineer, Gusto
Infrastructure
$200-270k
Salary range dependent on candidate location
Automated payroll, benefits & HR platform
Open for applications
Automated payroll, benefits & HR platform
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$200-270k
Salary range dependent on candidate location
1001+ employees
Company mission
To grow the small business economy.
Role
Who you are
- 12 or more years of experience in Infrastructure, Platform, or Site Reliability Engineering roles operating large scale distributed systems
- Proven hands-on coding experience in production environments and the ability to contribute directly to system development and automation
- Deep expertise running, scaling, and securing Kubernetes and service mesh technologies such as Istio, Envoy, or Cilium in production
- A demonstrated record of designing highly available systems that balance reliability, observability, and developer velocity
- Mastery of Infrastructure as Code using tools such as Terraform or Crossplane, with experience managing complex state for large engineering organizations
- Experience owning and evolving twenty four seven SaaS infrastructure including monitoring, alerting, and performance analysis
- A systems thinking mindset that identifies small levers capable of creating meaningful organizational impact
- Exceptional communication skills that simplify complex ideas and bring teams together around a shared vision
- A strong bias toward action, resilience in the face of ambiguity, and the ability to transform big ideas into real, impactful systems
What the job involves
- At Gusto, we are looking for a forward thinking technical leader to shape the next generation of our compute (Kubernetes) and networking (service mesh) platforms
- This role is for someone who loves building foundational systems that empower hundreds of engineers to move faster, safer, and smarter
- You will define the long-term vision for how services run and communicate at Gusto, ensuring reliability, scalability, and developer delight at every layer
- Define and drive the vision for Gusto’s compute and networking platforms by setting the strategy for Kubernetes, service mesh, and related systems that power our global SaaS platform
- Lead architecture design, performance optimization, and security hardening of distributed systems at scale
- Partner with engineering leaders to translate broad organizational goals into concrete, measurable technical outcomes
- Treat infrastructure as a product by focusing on the developer experience, simplifying workflows, and accelerating delivery
- Serve as a mentor and force multiplier by growing the skills of mid level engineers through coaching, pairing, and modeling best practices
- Communicate with clarity by simplifying complex concepts and building alignment across teams and functions
- Lead incident response and ensure our systems meet the highest standards of availability and resiliency
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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