Head of Gusto Controls

At Gusto, we're 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.

We’re looking for a Head of Internal Controls to join Gusto’s Finance, BizOps & Strategy team. This leader will partner with accounting and technical leaders to build and scale a forward-thinking internal controls environment that supports Gusto’s growth and operational maturity.

As the Head of Internal Controls, you will lead Gusto’s controls program across business process controls and IT controls. The scope includes the proprietary and third-party systems supporting Gusto’s payroll, health benefits, retirement, and other financial products.

You will build the team, set the program’s strategy, and embed practical controls into how Gusto’s products, systems, and financial processes are designed and operated. You will also define what an AI-forward internal controls function can look like, both by applying AI to controls work and by establishing oversight of AI-enabled financial processes and software development.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on controls leader who has built or scaled an ICFR program and led experienced teams. They can engage collaboratively with accounting and technical leaders, understand proprietary systems and complex data flows, and translate risk into controls that support the business without creating unnecessary operational burden.

• Build and lead Gusto’s internal controls function, bringing business process controls and IT controls together under a single program and developing the team needed to support both areas.
• Own Gusto’s risk-based ICFR framework across financial processes and the systems and data that support them, including scoping, control design, documentation, testing, issue evaluation, and remediation.
• Strengthen the control environment supporting Gusto’s complex operations, proprietary systems, and evolving products.
• Partner early with Accounting, Finance, Product, Engineering, Data, Security, and Risk to build control and auditability into new products, systems, and processes without creating unnecessary manual work or disruption.

Our cash compensation amount for this role is between $188,510 - $232,496/year in Denver and between $221,275 - $272,906/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.

At Gusto, we don't use titles the traditional way, as a signal of rank or hierarchy. Instead, our titles describe two things at once — your craft (what you do, e.g. Engineering, Design) and your scope of ownership (what you're accountable for) — which is why you'll see something like "Head of X" instead of a rank word like "Director" that tells you neither. Because of this, the title on this posting may look different from what you'd expect based on the scope and seniority of the role, and from how similar roles are typically titled elsewhere. If you have questions about how this role compares to your current title or level, your recruiter can help translate.

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.

Reliable, consistent presence: We expect regular and predictable attendance, whether you're working in-office, hybrid, or fully remote, so that you stay closely connected to your team, customers, and stakeholders in real time and ensure colleagues and customers receive the timely support and responsiveness they deserve.

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.