Account Executive

Gusto is on a mission to grow the small business economy, handling payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR for over 500,000 small businesses nationwide. The company has teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York.

Gusto is building its PEO sales org from the ground up and is looking for a quota-carrying seller to be one of the founding members. This is a ground-floor opportunity: you'll be among the first reps closing PEO business at Gusto, working directly with the Head of PEO Sales to prove out and scale the motion. You'll drive new PEO revenue by selling Gusto's co-employment solution to both net-new prospects and the existing base of 400,000+ customers. Use AI-powered workflows as a core part of how you sell.

You'll be an early individual contributor on Gusto's founding PEO sales team, reporting to the Head of PEO Sales. You'll carry a personal book of business, run the full sales cycle end to end, and serve as a Subject Matter Expert who guides prospects through complex co-employment buying decisions. You'll partner closely with HR, benefits, and payroll counterparts.

• Own the full sales cycle: prospect, qualify, run discovery, demo, navigate complex buying groups, and close.
• Sell across both motions: close net-new prospects and convert existing Gusto payroll customers to PEO.
• Serve as a PEO Subject Matter Expert, guiding prospects through co-employment, benefits, compliance, and the practical realities of moving onto a PEO.
• Build and maintain deep knowledge of PEO compliance, co-employment regulations, and applicable state and federal employment law.
• Sell with selling-season fluency, planning around PEO's concentrated selling window (Sept–Dec, with the bulk of new business landing Jan 1).
• Work the channel: partner with broker, GA, and accountant referral sources to develop pipeline.
• Manage your pipeline rigorously: keep Salesforce clean and current, forecast accurately, and operate within the sales stages, routing, and reporting the team establishes.
• Use AI to sell smarter: leverage AI tools for prospecting, call prep, follow-up, and forecast hygiene.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Product, and the broader Sales org.

• 4+ years in a closing sales role, ideally in PEO, HCM, or benefits. Direct PEO selling experience is strongly preferred.
• Consistent, demonstrable track record of meeting and exceeding individual sales targets.
• Proven ability to own a deal end to end in a consultative, complex sale.
• Familiarity with PEO's Jan 1 selling cycle (Sept–Dec pipeline build, renewal dynamics) is a strong plus.
• Experience selling into or converting an existing customer base to a higher-tier or adjacent product is a plus.
• Understanding of broker, GA, and accountant referral channels in the PEO or benefits space.
• Strong working knowledge of inbound and outbound sales methodologies in SMB SaaS or HCM/PEO environments.
• Ability to work effectively across HR, Benefits, Product, and Marketing; excellent interpersonal skills.
• Proven, day-to-day experience integrating AI into how you work.
• Salesforce.com (SFDC) experience required; familiarity with HCM platforms and benefits administration tools preferred.

Potential compensation for this role is $102,855 to $136,000 USD for Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta metro areas and $132,245 - $165,000 USD in the San Francisco Bay Area locations. This OTE is structured with a target 60% base pay and 40% commission pay with an uncapped commission structure.

All full-time employees receive competitive base pay, benefits, and equity (RSUs).