Head of AI and Machine Learning Engineering

About Gusto

At Gusto, were on a mission to grow the small business economy We handle the hard stuff — payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR — so owners can focus on their craft and their customers

With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we support more than 500,000 small businesses nationwide and are building a workplace that reflects the people we serve.

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. Learn more about our Total Rewards philosophy .

AI is a fundamental part of how work gets done at Gusto. We expect all team members to actively engage with AI tools relevant to their role and grow their fluency as the technology evolves. AI experience requirements vary by role and will be assessed during the interview process.

About the Role

Gusto sits at the center of many of the most important workflows for small businesses, which creates a meaningful opportunity to use rich product and customer data to build AI- and ML-powered systems that improve customer experiences, automate complex work, support better decision-making, and help small businesses thrive

As Gusto becomes more AI-native, we are evolving how AI, ML, risk modeling, and platform capabilities come together across our products and internal systems.

We are seeking a strategic Head of AI/MLE to lead this next chapter In this key leadership role, you will define how Gusto builds, deploys, evaluates, and scales AI/ML systems across the company

You will lead a broad organization spanning Machine Learning Engineering, ML Platform, Risk Data Science, and AI Scientists, while partnering closely with senior business leaders to shape where AI can create durable customer and business impact.

As the Head of AI/MLE at Gusto, you will be responsible for unifying classical ML and GenAI into a coherent technical strategy, maturing the platform for broader self-service adoption, and shaping how AI-native products and production systems are built at Gusto

Your teams will help translate business problems into end-to-end AI/ML systems, from experimentation and prototyping through evaluation, deployment, monitoring, feedback loops, and operational governance.

Your leadership will be critical in setting the technical direction, operating model, and quality bar for AI at Gusto You will help teams move quickly where speed and learning matter most, while ensuring production systems meet high standards for reliability, measurement, safety, and long-term maintainability

This is a senior technical executive role for someone who ca