This role is ideal for a seasoned backend engineer with at least 7 years of experience who sits at the intersection of infrastructure and security. You should h
Work type: onsite
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: $186,000 – $222,000/yr
Type: Full-time
This role is ideal for a seasoned backend engineer with at least 7 years of experience who sits at the intersection of infrastructure and security. You should have a deep background in building large-scale distributed systems, specifically focusing on identity management (AuthN/AuthZ) and data protection. This isn't just a "checker" role; it’s a builder role where you will develop the platforms that allow AI and product teams to ship safely. The compensation is competitive for the San Francisco market, offering up to $210,000 in base salary plus equity. You’ll be working in a hybrid environment (2-3 days on-site in SF) on a high-leverage team that is currently defining how a major fintech handles the emerging risks of LLMs and AI production services. **You might be a good fit if you...** * Have extensive experience with SAML, SSO, RBAC, and modern policy engines like OPA or SpiceDB. * Are proficient in Ruby, Python, or Kotlin and enjoy building secure APIs and high-availability services. * Are excited about solving "ambiguous" AI security problems, like threat modeling for LLMs. * Prefer a hybrid work style and can commute to a San Francisco office a few times a week.
About Gusto
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 400,000 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](https://gusto.com/about/careers/total-rewards).
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.
About the Role:
We're hiring two Senior Software Engineers for our Product & AI Security Engineering team. You'll own and evolve the security foundations behind Gusto's products and AI/LLM experiences—securing core services, data, and AI-powered features. You'll partner across the company to solve high-impact problems and ship reliable, secure features quickly and safely. No prior security domain experience required—we're looking for strong backend engineers who are excited to grow into this space.
About the Team:
The Product & AI Security Engineering team sits at the intersection of product, platform, and AI at Gusto. We prioritize high‑leverage projects that reduce risk, harden our foundations, and unlock faster delivery for other teams. We build security tools and services, embed with partner teams when needed, and set best practices for authentication, authorization, and safe data handling—especially as we adopt AI and LLMs.
Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:
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 daysper 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](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEfl7Bp-Twz7LLlhGlha46CrxZ9Kacgakmarf3K2TbnaEgKQ/viewform) and a member of our team will get in touch with you.
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Personal information collected and processed as part of your Gusto application will be subject to [Gusto's Applicant Privacy Notice](https://gusto.com/about/careers/applicant-privacy-notice).