Senior Operations Manager

About Gusto

Gusto is a modern, online people platform that helps small businesses take care of their teams. On top of full-service payroll, Gusto offers health insurance, 401(k)s, expert HR, and team management tools. Today, Gusto offices in Denver, San Francisco, and New York serve more than 400,000 businesses nationwide.

Our mission is to create a world where work empowers a better life, and it starts right here at Gusto. That’s why we’re committed to building a collaborative and inclusive workplace, both physically and virtually. Learn more about our Total Rewards philosophy .

About the Role:

We are seeking a highly tech-savvy and forward-thinking Operations Manager to build the operational foundation that will allow this service to scale. This isn't a typical operations role. You will be at the cutting edge of applying AI and automation to the professional services world. You will be the crucial bridge between our front-line consultants and our product teams, translating real-world learnings into tangible product improvements that will impact hundreds of thousands of businesses. If you are passionate about building efficient systems, fascinated by the potential of AI, and want to be at the nexus of service and product innovation, this role is for you.

About the Team:

You'll be joining a dynamic and entrepreneurial team at the heart of Gusto's next wave of innovation. Our HR Consulting Services group provides expert guidance to Gusto's clients, helping them navigate the complexities of HR and build great places to work. We are more than a service team; we are the human-in-the-loop intelligence engine that informs the future of Gusto's product.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

• Architect the Future of Work: Design, implement, and continuously improve the end-to-end operational workflows for our HR consulting team, from client onboarding to service delivery and feedback collection.
• Spearhead AI Integration: Go beyond just using tools. You will work directly with Gusto's internal AI and Machine Learning teams to co-develop our human-in-the-loop (HITL) strategy. You'll help test, train, and refine proprietary AI models by creating robust feedback mechanisms from our consultants, directly shaping the intelligence of our future product.
• Translate Insights into Product Reality: Own the critical process of translating raw, qualitative consultant insights and client friction points into structured, data-backed business cases and product requirements . You won’t just pass along notes; you'll build the quantitative argument for why and how we should build.
• Act as a Core Product Partner: Serve as an embedded stakeholder within the product development lifecycle. You will actively participate in product discovery sessions, sprint planning, and quarterly roadmap reviews , ensuring the voice of the consultant and the operational realities of our service are central to every decision.
• Lead a Culture of Tech Adoption: Champion and manage the rollout of new technologies, creating training materials and best practices to ensure our consultants can effectively collaborate with their AI-powered "co-pilots." You'll define and measure the impact of this tech on key business metrics.
• Drive Performance with Data: Define, track, and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) for the team, such as consultant productivity, client satisfaction (CSAT), service level agreements (SLAs), and the ROI of our tech investments. Use this data to tell a story and drive strategic decisions.
• Own the Operational Tech Stack: Manage the administration and optimization of the tools our team relies on, including CRM (e.g., Salesforce), project management software, and internal knowledge systems.

Here’s what we're looking for:

• Experience: 10+ years of experience in an operations role, such as business operations, professional services operations, or consulting operations, preferably within a high-growth tech, SaaS, or B2B services environment.
• Deep Product Partnership: Proven ability to work effectively as a strategic partner to Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Scientists . You know how to translate business needs into technical requirements and vice-versa.
• Advanced Tech Stack Proficiency: Hands-on experience with modern operational and AI tooling is essential. Ideal candidates will have strong proficiency with project management software ( Asana ), collaboration suites ( Google Suite ), and generative AI platforms ( Google Gemini, ChatGPT ). Familiarity with the Gusto platform, modern HR & Recruiting tools , and AI agent/automation platforms (e.g., Sana, N8N ) is highly desirable.
• People Leadership: Experience leading, mentoring, or managing a team is a strong plus . You will be a key influencer and guide for the consulting team's operational rhythm and professional development.
• Process-Oriented Mindset: You are a natural systems thinker who excels at process mapping, identifying bottlenecks, and designing elegant, scalable solutions.
• Analytical Prowess: Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn complex data into actionable insights. Proficiency with data analysis tools (e.g., Looker, Tableau, advanced spreadsheet functions) is a major plus.
• Scrappy & Adaptable: You are comfortable with ambiguity and thrive in a fast-paced, startup-like environment where you may need to build things from the ground up.
• People Management Experience: Experience managing and empowering a team, or desire to do so, preferred.

Our cash compensation amount for this role is between $154,000 - $180,000/year in Denver and most other major cities, and between $181,000 - $210,000/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.

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.

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.

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