Principal HR Manager

About Gusto

At Gusto, we're on a mission to grow the small business economy. We handle the hard stuff—like payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR—so owners can focus on their craft and customers. With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we’re proud to support more than 400,000 small businesses across the country, and we’re building a workplace that represents and celebrates the customers we serve. Learn more about our

Total Rewards philosophy

.

About The Role

We’re seeking a seasoned people leader to join our leadership team and manage a portfolio of senior HR professionals. You’ll be a key driver in scaling our operations while pioneering the future of AI-enabled HR services and maintaining our high-touch, human-centered approach to client service.

Here’s What You’ll Do Day-to-day

Lead and develop

a team of senior HR consultants with extensive industry experience through empowering, empathetic leadership

Scale operations

through innovative process optimization, AI integration, and technology enablement to dramatically improve consultant-to-client efficiency

Pioneer AI-native HR

by partnering with product teams to leverage automation tools that augment human expertise and create new service possibilities

Drive performance

across client satisfaction, retention, and consultant productivity metrics in a high-growth environment

Navigate ambiguity

and build scalable systems from the ground up as we define the future of fractional HR services

Coach and inspire

consultants to exceed their own expectations, building trust through authenticity while being a hands-on player-coach when needed

Collaborate with peer leaders

on hiring strategy, process innovation, and cross-functional initiatives

Here’s What We're Looking For

15+ years of innovative HR experience

with deep understanding of evolving HR practices and emerging trends

8+ years of people management experience

with proven track record scaling teams in high-growth, rapidly-scaling companies

Empowering leadership philosophy

that gains trust through authenticity and pushes people to achieve beyond what they thought possible

Innovation mindset

with experience building new business models, processes, or service offerings from scratch

AI and technology fluency

with vision for how emerging tools can transform professional services delivery

Experience In Scaling Companies

at various growth stages, ideally in services, consulting, or technology-enabled businesses

Systems thinking

combined with strong interpersonal skills and comfort operating in ambiguous, rapidly-changing environments

Experience Managing Senior Professionals

who serve external clients while building scalable operations

Track record of creative problem-solving

and building processes that maintain service quality while dramatically increasing efficiency

Passion for HR technology space

and staying at the forefront of industry innovation

Experience In Consulting, Customer Success, Or Professional Services With Technology Integration

Familiarity with AI/ML applications in professional services or HR

Previous experience scaling operations through significant growth inflection points

Non-traditional career path with diverse functional experience and innovation focus

Our cash compensation amount for this role is $158,000 to $185,000 in Denver & most major metro locations, and $185,000 to $215,000 for San Francisco & New York. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate location, experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Gusto has physical office spaces in Denver, San Francisco, and New York City. Employees who are based in those locations will be expected to work from the office on designated days approximately

2-3 days

per week (or more depending on role). The same office expectations apply to all Symmetry roles, Gusto's subsidiary, whose physical office is in Scottsdale.

Note: The San Francisco office expectations encompass both the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas.

When approved to work from a location other than a Gusto office, a secure, reliable, and consistent internet connection is required. This includes non-office days for hybrid employees.

Our customers come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it makes our company stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for small businesses, you will find a home at Gusto.

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. Gusto considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Gusto is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. We want to see our candidates perform to the best of their ability. If you require a medical or religious accommodation at any time throughout your candidate journey, please fill out

this form

and a member of our team will get in touch with you.

Gusto takes security and protection of your personal information very seriously. Please review our

Fraudulent Activity Disclaimer

.

Personal information collected and processed as part of your Gusto application will be subject to

Gusto's Applicant Privacy Notice

.