Channel Partnerships Manager (VC, Accelerator & Community)

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:

Gusto is looking for an VC Partnerships Manager to own and scale our relationships across venture capital firms, accelerators, and founder communities.

This role sits at the intersection of partnerships, community, and go-to-market strategy. You’ll be responsible for shaping how Gusto engages with the startup ecosystem in a way that is thoughtful, scalable, and aligned with long-term business priorities. Rather than managing a broad set of one-off relationships, this role focuses on building high-leverage, programmatic ecosystem partnerships that consistently show up early in a founder’s journey.

You’ll partner closely with teams across various Partnerships teams, Marketing, Events, and Sales to define the right portfolio, engagement model, and success metrics for this motion.

About the Team:

The Channel Partnerships function sits within Gusto’s broader Partnerships organization. We work cross-functionally to extend Gusto’s reach through trusted partners and communities, while ensuring our motions scale sustainably over time.

This team acts as a connective layer between the startup ecosystem and Gusto’s go-to-market engine—balancing long-term relationship building with clear ownership, guardrails, and outcomes.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

• Own and manage Gusto’s ecosystem partnerships across VC firms, accelerators, and founder communities
• Define and maintain a clear partner portfolio, including which partners warrant 1:1 investment versus scaled engagement
• Build repeatable, programmatic partnership motions (e.g., accelerator cohorts, founder education, marketplace or platform integrations)
• Serve as the Tier 1 point of contact for a core group of high-impact ecosystem partners
• Collaborate closely with Partner Marketing and Events to design scalable programs and moments of engagement
• Partner with Recruit and other internal teams to align on net-new partner sourcing over time
• Track and evaluate ecosystem impact across metrics such as ARR, pipeline influence, and founder reach
• Represent Gusto externally within the startup ecosystem with credibility and authenticity

Here’s what we're looking for:

• 5+ years of experience in partnerships, ecosystem development, venture programs, or adjacent roles
• Deep familiarity with the startup ecosystem, including founders, operators, investors, or accelerators
• Experience building or managing partnerships in a way that balances relationship depth with scalability
• Strong judgment around where to invest time and where to say “not now”
• Comfort working cross-functionally and influencing without direct authority
• Ability to translate ambiguous inputs into clear strategy and execution plans

Our cash compensation amount for this role is $113,060 to $145,500 for Denver metro areas and $146,120 to $175,000 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.

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