Principal Product Manager, Payroll Platform

Gusto

. Define the vision, strategy, and roadmap for the Payroll Platform .

Posted 10/8/2026full-timeUnited StatesLead💰 $179,000 - $260,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in defining product vision and strategy for a Payroll Platform, with a strong focus on API design, migration, and adoption metrics. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and ensure system reliability and compliance while leveraging AI for innovative solutions.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Product Management ExperienceAPI Design and DevelopmentPlatform OwnershipMigration LeadershipAI Prototyping and Tool Design

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Product ManagementAPI DevelopmentSystem DesignData ModelingMigration StrategyMetrics DefinitionAutomation ExpansionControls and AuditabilityTechnical FluencyEvidence-Based Decision Making

Soft Skills

LeadershipCollaborationCredibility with EngineersJudgment in Platform DecisionsCommunication

Tools & Technologies

Unified Payroll APIAI AgentsLLMsPrototyping ToolsData Analytics Tools

Industry Keywords

PayrollPaymentsFintechTaxCustomer Outcomes

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define the vision, strategy, and roadmap for the Payroll Platform
Decide what belongs in the shared platform versus what teams build on top, including API contracts, common pay-input interfaces, and system boundaries
Drive adoption by teams, partners, and agents building on payroll
Define and use metrics for adoption, reliability, error rates, and customer outcomes
Lead work across engineering, design, data, and compliance
Partner with platform-consuming teams and make speed-versus-safety trade-offs explicit
Build a unified payroll API
Lead migrations of existing users and systems onto the unified API
Enable support for different worker types and new ways to pay people
Define payroll actions, controls, audit trails, and evaluations for safe AI-agent operation
Prototype and test with AI, expanding agent autonomy based on evidence

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years of direct Product Management experience
Experience owning a platform, API, or developer product used by other teams or partners, and driving adoption
Technical fluency in APIs, data models, and system design
Experience leading a migration to a new API or interface
Credibility with senior engineers
Strong platform judgment regarding shared systems, contracts, and difficult-to-reverse decisions
Experience designing trustworthy systems with controls, auditability, and evidence-based automation expansion
Hands-on experience building with LLMs or agents, including tool design and evaluations
Experience using AI to prototype and ship, and explaining related choices and trade-offs
Experience leading multi-team work across engineering, design, and data
Experience connecting platform metrics to customer outcomes
Payroll, payments, tax, or fintech experience is a plus, not required

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive base pay
Health insurance
401(k)
Equity (RSUs)
Approximately 2–3 days per week in the office for employees based in Denver, San Francisco, or New York (or more depending on role)
Secure, reliable, and consistent internet connection required when working from an approved non-office location
Equal opportunity employer
Reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans