People Partner Lead, Engineering

About the role

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.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted partnerships with Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT leaders — understanding what's happening in their teams, surfacing friction early, and navigating performance management, promotions, leveling, and employee relations matters with good judgment.
• Synthesize People data — gPulse results, Gustofied performance cycles, attrition signals, headcount trends — into clear, actionable reads for R&D leaders before they have to ask.
• Support and operationalize core talent programs including performance cycles, calibration discussions, promotion processes, and manager enablement.
• Reinforce high performance standards, accountability, and clarity around expectations, feedback, and growth across Engineering, Data Science, and Security/IT.
• Serve as the liaison between R&D and Gusto's broader People team (Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, L&D, People Ops), translating company-wide programs into what they mean specifically for technical orgs — and surfacing R&D context back to the center.
• Proactively identify risks, friction points, and opportunities for improvement using People insights and organizational data.
• Build lightweight but scalable People frameworks, operating mechanisms, and repeatable processes that improve consistency across the business.
• When org changes are decided, own end-to-end execution — transition planning, communication sequencing, Workday updates, leader enablement, and follow-through until nothing is left unresolved.

Requirements

• 10+ years of HRBP or People Partner experience, with meaningful time supporting technical organizations — Engineering, Data Science, Security, or similar.
• A strong operator mindset. You've executed complex People work — not just advised on it. You know what a well-run reorg looks like from the inside.
• A strong bias toward action and a high speed of execution. You'd rather move and adjust than wait for the perfect answer — and when you decide to move, you move quickly.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and partner with senior technical leaders. You have opinions, you share them, and you push back when something doesn't make sense — but you don't need to own the answer.
• Deep experience with performance management, calibrations, promotions, and organizational design.
• Strong analytical instincts. You're comfortable in spreadsheets and can tell a story with People data without over-engineering it.
• You build credibility through follow-through. Leaders trust you because you do what you say you'll do.
• Sound judgment that accounts for Gusto, not just R&D. You make People decisions that hold up beyond your client group — ones your COE partners can build for and that don’t create one-off exceptions that ripple across the company. You proactively build COE relationships because you know that’s what makes the model work.
• AI-native mindset. You actively use AI to do your work better — synthesizing data, drafting communications, building lightweight workflows or agents to eliminate repetitive work. You know when to reach for AI, when to iterate on what it gives you, and when to keep the human in the loop. You don't just follow AI trends; you experiment with them.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related field.
• Experience with People systems such as Workday, BambooHR, or Gusto.
• Experience with performance management tools and platforms.
• Experience with organizational design and change management.
• Experience with data analysis and reporting tools.

Skills

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and environments.

Benefits

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.

Pay

The cash compensation amount for this role is between $158,300 - $195,237/year in Denver and between $185,955 - $229,345/year for New York/San Francisco. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate location, experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Schedule

Employees who are based in Gusto's physical office spaces in Denver, San Francisco, and New York City will be expected to work from the office on designated days approximately 2-3 days per week (or more depending on role).

Company Culture

Gusto is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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