AI / Automation & Governance Owner

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:

This role requires a deep understanding of AI/ML lifecycle management, technical governance, and operational strategy. You will collaborate closely with leaders across all CXPI sub-teams (Data, Quality, WFM, and Tool Administration) and CX leadership to ensure our automation and AI initiatives adhere to enterprise standards, maintain long-term technical stability, and align with strategic CX goals.

About the Team:

As the AI / Automation & Governance Owner, you will be a strategic leader within the CX Planning & Insights (CXPI) team, reporting to the Head of Strategy and Tool Administration. You will be responsible for establishing and driving the foundational governance, standards, and technical stability for all internally built AI and automation tools supporting the CXPI organization. This role is critical to scaling our internal AI capabilities safely, efficiently, and responsibly.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

• Develop, implement, and maintain guiding principles, policies, and a governance framework for how AI tools are created, maintained, and retired within CXPI.
• Build and maintain CXPI’s automation and AI systems, ensuring long-term technical stability, performance, and scalability across the organization.
• Define technical standards, design patterns, and best practices for AI/automation development, deployment, and monitoring, ensuring consistency and quality across all CXPI sub-teams.
• Create and manage a centralized repository and inventory for all internally developed AI models and automation artifacts, ensuring proper version control and accessibility.
• Partner with legal, compliance, and security teams to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with AI development, ensuring ethical and regulatory compliance.
• Act as the subject matter expert, developing educational materials and providing guidance to CXPI developers and stakeholders on AI/automation standards and governance practices.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation related to AI/automation architecture, governance policies, system roadmaps, and key decision logs.
• Establish and manage a prioritized backlog of AI and automation tools and needs, focusing on efforts with the highest customer impact.
• Design, develop, and maintain internal AI and automation tools, contributing to the CX organization's robust tool set.
• Write, maintain, and update your own code for both released and new automations.

Here’s what we're looking for:

• 5-7+ years of progressive experience in technical program management, software development, AI/ML engineering, or strategic operations, with a focus on governance and technical stability.
• Proven experience establishing and implementing governance frameworks for technical domains, ideally for AI, Machine Learning, or complex automation systems.
• Deep understanding of the AI/ML lifecycle (e.g., development, deployment, monitoring, maintenance) and best practices for technical debt management.
• Experience building and maintaining production-grade automation or AI systems. Familiarity with modern data and ML engineering principles is a strong plus.
• Exceptional ability to synthesize complex technical requirements into clear, actionable, and compliant governance policies for a diverse set of technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong communication and influence skills with a track record of driving consensus and adoption of new technical standards across multiple sub-teams.
• Proficiency in relevant tools for code repositories, version control, project management, and automation platform management (e.g., Git, Jira, MLOps platforms).
• Experience in a high-growth environment or supporting a customer experience (CX) organization is a plus.
• Experience writing and maintaining your own code related to automation is a plus.

Our cash compensation amount for this role is $94,285/yr to $122,571/yr in Denver & most major metro locations, and $114,695/yr to $149,104/yr 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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