Hybrid opportunity at
GustoSenior Product Design Manager, Payroll
Gusto is looking for a Senior Product Design Manager, Payroll to join its hybrid team in San Francisco. Gusto builds products that handle payroll, benefits, 401(k)s,…
Career Tools
About This Role
Gusto is looking for a Senior Product Design Manager, Payroll to join its hybrid team in San Francisco. Gusto builds products that handle payroll, benefits, 401(k)s, and human resources for over 500,000 small businesses nationwide. In this high-visibility position, the chosen candidate will lead end-to-end design for the payroll platform, guiding the UX strategy for one of the company's most vital product lines. This role suits an experienced design leader…
Job Description
Gusto is looking for a Senior Product Design Manager, Payroll to join its hybrid team in San Francisco. Gusto builds products that handle payroll, benefits, 401(k)s, and human resources for over 500,000 small businesses nationwide. In this high-visibility position, the chosen candidate will lead end-to-end design for the payroll platform, guiding the UX strategy for one of the company's most vital product lines.
This role suits an experienced design leader who wants to tackle complex regulatory and financial domains. The person in this position will manage a team of designers, establish long-term user experience visions, and champion automation and artificial intelligence initiatives that simplify payroll workflows. Collaboration with cross-functional partners across product, engineering, data, research, operations, and compliance is core to the day-to-day work.
The ideal candidate will have extensive background in product design and team management, alongside hands-on experience incorporating artificial intelligence and automation into user experiences. Candidates must be comfortable working a hybrid schedule from the San Francisco office approximately two to three days per week.
Responsibilities
- Lead end-to-end design for payroll products to ensure accurate and timely payments for small businesses
- Develop and communicate a long-term user experience vision to unite multiple teams around payroll strategy
- Partner with product, engineering, data, and operations to establish roadmaps and strategic plans
- Drive product initiatives utilizing artificial intelligence and automation to minimize manual work while protecting accuracy and trust
- Collaborate with research and data teams to transform user insights into practical user experience priorities
- Advocate for design quality, user needs, and platform health to influence product and technical strategies
- Establish standards for design execution, including evaluating artificial intelligence-assisted outputs
- Define and scale shared patterns, principles, and standards to encourage consistency and velocity
- Manage, mentor, and provide hands-on support for a team of product designers
- Support the broader people platform by ensuring seamless integration between payroll, benefits, time tracking, and external tools
Requirements
- Possess eight to ten or more years of product design experience
- Have at least three years of experience leading and managing design teams
- Demonstrate experience designing within complex fields such as financial products, healthcare, or regulated environments
- Show a history of setting user experience direction across multiple teams to influence product strategy
- Demonstrate the ability to align cross-functional partners and represent design in strategic discussions
- Exhibit deep systems thinking with a record of turning interconnected workflows into simple and intuitive experiences
- Display clear communication and storytelling skills to explain design decisions to partners at all levels
Qualifications
- Demonstrated ability to evaluate artificial intelligence-generated design directions, knowing when to apply or override them
- Experience leading product initiatives centered on artificial intelligence or automation, including managing errors and preserving user agency
- Experience guiding a team through an AI workflow transition and establishing new operational norms
Core Skills
Benefits
- Competitive compensation package including equity-based compensation through restricted stock units
- Total rewards designed to support financial and personal goals
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the employment type and location for this job?
This is a full-time position based in San Francisco with a hybrid remote status, requiring employees to work from the office approximately two to three days per week.
What is the salary range for this role?
For candidates in San Francisco, Seattle, and New York, the cash compensation range is $202,000 to $279,000 per year, with final offers determined by factors such as experience and expertise.
What level of experience is required?
Applicants need eight to ten or more years of product design experience, which must include at least three years of leading and managing design teams in complex domains.
How do I apply for this position?
The provided job posting does not specify application instructions.
Sample Interview Questions
AI-generated questions tailored to this specific role — a preview of the full practice set.
