Growth Data Science Leader

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. With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, Gusto is building a workplace that reflects the people it serves. All full-time employees receive competitive base pay, benefits, and equity (RSUs).

Gusto is looking for an experienced, hands-on people manager to lead a data science and analytics team supporting Growth product initiatives. This role sits at the heart of how Gusto uses data — and increasingly AI — to understand, shape, and scale its products. You will manage a team of data scientists and analysts while also personally diving into the details, working closely with Product, Engineering, Design, Marketing, Sales, and Finance to deliver insights and frameworks that inform strategy, optimize user experiences, and accelerate business growth. This role is the equivalent to a Senior Manager/Director-level role.

• Lead and develop a team of data scientists – hire, empower, and coach team members; set a high bar for analytical quality and career growth.
• Shape product and business strategy through data – partner with Product and cross-functional leaders to identify opportunities, prioritize investments, and influence long-term product roadmaps.
• Develop and scale measurement frameworks – define key metrics, design monitoring systems, and ensure product initiatives — including AI-powered features — are rigorously tracked and evaluated.
• Support experimentation and decision-making – support inferential analyses and experimentation (e.g., A/B tests, segmentation, funnel analysis), including designing evaluations for AI and ML-driven systems.
• Partner on AI-powered product development – collaborate with ML Engineering and Product to bring intelligent features to life (personalization, predictions, intelligent automation).
• Balance strategic and hands-on impact – dive deep into data, review and refine analyses, and ensure insights are both technically sound and business-relevant.
• Influence senior leadership – communicate insights and recommendations clearly, framing trade-offs and shaping executive decision-making.

• 10+ years of experience in data science or related fields, with at least 4 years managing and scaling high-performing data science teams.
• Deep expertise in product analytics – experience with user acquisition, activation, retention, engagement, or expansion in SaaS or product-led environments.
• Technical fluency – advanced coding skills, strong statistical reasoning, and familiarity with experimentation frameworks.
• AI product intuition – experience working at the intersection of data science and AI product development.
• Strategic and business acumen – demonstrated ability to connect insights to product and business goals.
• Executive communication skills – proven experience presenting insights to senior stakeholders.
• Cross-functional collaboration – history of working closely with Product, Engineering, and go-to-market teams.
• Hands-on experience with ML applications in product contexts (e.g., personalization, churn prediction, customer segmentation, or LLM-powered features) is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with multi-product SaaS ecosystems and customer lifecycle analytics is desirable.

Cash compensation is targeted at $185,000 - $217,000 in Denver, and $218,000 - $255,000 in San Francisco and New York. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate experience and expertise. All full-time employees receive competitive base pay, benefits, and equity (RSUs).

Gusto has physical office spaces in Denver, San Francisco, and New York City. Employees 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 San Francisco office expectations encompass both the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas.

Apply through the provided Gusto job posting link.