Senior Franchise Account Executive, Gusto
$134-155k
OTE
This OTE is structured with a target 60% base pay and 40% commission pay with an uncapped commission structure
2-3 days a week in office
Automated payroll, benefits & HR platform
Be an early applicant
Automated payroll, benefits & HR platform
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$134-155k
OTE
This OTE is structured with a target 60% base pay and 40% commission pay with an uncapped commission structure
2-3 days a week in office
1001+ employees
Company mission
To grow the small business economy.
Role
Who you are
- 3+ years of quota-carrying B2B SaaS AE experience, ideally with outbound new business in SMB, mid-market, or franchise/multi-unit contexts
- Proven track record as a hunter — generating your own pipeline, landing new logos, and expanding into complex accounts
- Payroll sales experience is a strong plus
- Experience navigating multi-unit and franchise structures (franchisors, franchisees, regional/holding companies) is a strong plus
- Comfortable using AI tools and automation to accelerate prospecting, tailor messaging to franchise decision-makers, and improve efficiency across the sales cycle
- Strong discovery and storytelling skills — able to uncover compliance, payroll, and onboarding pain points and tie them to ROI
- Comfortable partnering with BDRs: coaching, collaborating on sequences, and maximizing top-of-funnel conversion
- Entrepreneurial mindset — thrives in building new motions, testing playbooks, and iterating quickly
- Willingness to travel 25–35% of the time to conferences and in-market opportunities
What the job involves
- The Franchise Account Executive role is an opportunity to help build and scale one of Gusto's newest growth channels. Franchise represents a massive and largely untapped market, and this team is focused on activating franchise owners across established partner networks and high-potential industries. As a Franchise AE, you'll operate in a true outbound motion — prospecting into multi-unit operators, building relationships with influential owners, and closing new business that can scale across locations
- You'll also help shape the playbook for how Gusto sells into franchise ecosystems as we grow this program into a durable revenue engine for the company
- You'll partner closely with our Franchise Partner Manager (who develops relationships with franchisors) and a dedicated BDR (focused on high-volume activations). Your role is to lead strategic pursuits, unlock influential operators, and build the repeatable sales motion for selling into franchise ecosystems
- Own new franchise revenue generation. Prospect into franchise ownership groups within Gusto’s partner networks and target industries, building pipeline through outbound outreach and relationship development with multi-unit operators and influential franchise owners
- Execute and refine the franchise sales playbook. Leverage the existing franchise sales motion to drive consistent pipeline and deals, while providing feedback and insights that help improve messaging, targeting, and overall execution as the program scales
- Run the full sales cycle. Manage deals from prospecting through close, partnering with BDRs who support high-volume outreach while focusing your time on larger ownership groups and strategic franchise opportunities
- Develop relationships with influential franchise operators. Engage multi-unit owners, directors of operations, and regional leaders to understand operational needs and position Gusto as a scalable payroll and workforce platform across multiple locations
- Partner cross-functionally to drive franchise success. Collaborate with the Franchise Partner Manager, Sales Ops, and Marketing to activate franchise networks, support partner initiatives, and identify opportunities to expand within existing franchise relationships
- Build referenceable wins within franchise networks. Secure early customer success stories and multi-location operators that can serve as proof points and accelerate adoption across additional franchisees
- Drive consistent outbound pipeline generation. Maintain a disciplined outbound motion across named franchise accounts and industry segments, using a mix of calls, emails, LinkedIn outreach, and events to create new opportunities
- Represent Gusto in franchise communities. Attend franchise conferences, regional events, and industry gatherings to build relationships, generate pipeline, and strengthen Gusto’s presence in the franchise ecosystem
- Achieve and exceed revenue targets. Consistently deliver against quarterly targets for MRR and new customer adds while contributing insights that help scale the franchise program over time
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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