Staff Software Engineer, Embedded Payroll , Developer Experience at Gusto

This role is designed for a seasoned backend expert with at least 8 years of experience who views "developers" as their primary customer. You should have a track record of building high-scale APIs and a passion for Developer Experience (DevEx). While the seniority level is listed as mid-level in the metadata, the requirements and "Staff" title clearly target high-level technical leaders capable of mentoring others and influencing platform-wide architecture. The compensation is highly competitive, reaching up to **$260,000** for the San Francisco area, plus benefits. You’ll be joining a high-growth "Embedded" team that functions like a startup within a mature company, offering the stability of an established brand with the creative challenge of building a world-class developer platform. Note that this is a **hybrid on-site** role requiring 2-3 days in the San Francisco office. **You might be a good fit if you:** * Have extensive experience designing and maintaining public-facing APIs and developer tooling. * Are proficient in backend systems, particularly **Ruby on Rails** or similar frameworks. * Enjoy technical mentorship and translating complex business requirements into elegant code. * Are proactive about using and implementing **AI-assisted development tools** (like Cursor or Copilot) to improve team velocity.