Corporate Compliance Senior Program 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’re looking for an experienced compliance professional to help scale and mature Gusto’s Corporate Compliance program. In this high-impact, cross-functional role, you’ll serve as a strategic partner and trusted advisor across a wide range of compliance focus areas—including policy governance, oversight and monitoring, training, and regulatory engagements. You’ll play a key role in designing and operationalizing scalable practices that strengthen Gusto’s compliance program while enabling innovation and growth. This role reports to the Corporate Compliance team lead and works closely with business stakeholders, Legal, Compliance, CX, and our people teams to ensure Gusto’s compliance program remains effective, integrated, and AI-forward. You will be a trusted advisor on regulatory expectations, control environments, and policy governance, and play a central role in keeping Gusto’s compliance program clear, current, and actionable. Each team member is a true owner and makes a meaningful impact every day.  We’re seeking someone who thrives in ambiguity, is energized by building durable programs from the ground up, and brings a thoughtful balance of structure, collaboration, and strategic insight to their work. You’ll bring curiosity, clear communication, and strategic thinking to build compliance programs that protect Gusto and empower our teams to do their best work.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

• Program Leadership & Execution
• Lead and scale key components of Gusto’s Corporate Compliance program, including governance, oversight, and education across multiple compliance pillars.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Legal and Compliance teams, People teams, and CX teams  to ensure compliance initiatives are well-coordinated, effective, and aligned with business objectives.
• Partner with teams to design AI-forward compliance practices that enable responsible innovation and integrate seamlessly into workflows.
• Drive the implementation of company-wide compliance practices that support regulatory readiness.
• Stay current on evolving regulatory trends and help translate them into practical, enterprise-wide policies, controls, and guidance.
• Contribute to cross-functional compliance and risk initiatives, including program assessments, audits, exams, and strategic projects.
• Policy Governance and Training
• Drive Gusto’s policy governance program by coordinating across business units, supporting policy owners through the drafting and review process, and maintaining a centralized, compliant, and easy-to-navigate policy framework.
• Support internal education and awareness of corporate policies, including creation of trainings and guidance to drive policy adoption and ownership.
• Stay current on relevant regulatory trends and enforcement actions, and help translate them into actionable, company-wide practices.
• Monitoring & Reporting
• Design and execute risk-based compliance oversight activities to evaluate program effectiveness and surface trends, gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
• Lead remediation and issue management efforts across compliance domains, ensuring timely follow-up and resolution.
• Develop documentation and reporting tools to communicate compliance performance, milestones, and risks to leadership and governance stakeholders.
• Enterprise Risk Management Support
• Support Gusto’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program by contributing compliance perspectives to risk assessments, helping document and monitor key compliance risks, and coordinating with risk owners on mitigation strategies.

Here’s what we're looking for:

• 6+ years of experience in compliance, enterprise risk, internal audit, or a related discipline, preferably in a tech or financial services environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in policy governance, compliance monitoring, or regulatory program development.
• Strong understanding of compliance frameworks, including emerging AI governance standards and practical applications within a tech environment.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional programs, drive consensus, and execute across multiple teams and timelines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex regulatory information into practical guidance.
• Strategic thinking with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• Strong relationship-building skills and a track record of driving alignment and progress in a cross-functional environment.
• Comfort navigating ambiguity and scaling programs from the ground up.
• Demonstrated personal and professional use of AI tools to drive efficiency and innovation in compliance, risk management, or program development.

Nice to haves:

• Experience working in a fast-paced, high-growth technology company or regulated environment.
• Familiarity with compliance risk management frameworks such as those issued by COSO, DOJ, or ISO.
• Comfort with project management tools and methods (e.g., Asana, Gantt charts, OKRs).
• Experience supporting or responding to internal audit or regulatory inquiries.
• A passion for making compliance a value-add, not a bottleneck.

Our cash compensation amount for this role is between $110,640 - $135,465/year in Denver, between $133,615 - $164,792/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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