Retirement Compliance Specialist

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). AI is a fundamental part of how work gets done at Gusto, and all team members are expected to actively engage with AI tools relevant to their role.

As a Retirement Compliance Specialist, you'll serve as a subject-matter expert on ERISA compliance and 401(k) plan administration within Gusto's Retirement Services organization. You'll be part of the Retirement Compliance team, focusing on work that needs specialist judgment: independent quality assurance, training, complex corrections, and consultation on ambiguous or high-risk plan provisions. You'll translate dense legal plan documents and ERISA requirements into guidance that Sales, Conversion Ops, and Customer Experience teams can act on confidently.

The Retirement Compliance team ensures every 401(k) plan Gusto administers stays compliant with IRS and ERISA requirements, from conversion through ongoing operation. The team utilizes AI to shift towards higher-value, specialist work: quality assurance, training, escalation support, and complex ERISA analysis. You'll work closely with Conversion Ops, Sales, and Legal & Compliance, and help shape the tools and processes the broader organization relies on.

• Serve as the ERISA/compliance escalation point for Conversion Ops and Sales on complex plan provisions, eligibility questions, and Adoption Agreement interpretation.
• Own end-to-end quality assurance for the plan review process — validating each build against the signed Adoption Agreement, and developing internal tooling and business rules that support the review process at scale.
• Conduct plan reviews for new and converting 401(k) plans, translating complex legal plan documents into clear, accurate guidance for internal teams and customers.
• Build and deliver internal training and reference materials so Conversion Ops, Sales, and Customer Experience teams can handle routine plan questions independently.
• Partner with Legal & Compliance on regulatory interpretation and sign-off for higher-risk plan changes.
• Identify and champion opportunities to use AI tools and automation to reduce manual review time while strengthening accuracy across plan setup and compliance workflows.

• 3–5 years of experience in 401(k)/defined contribution plan administration, compliance, or ERISA
• Strong working knowledge of IRS and ERISA regulations governing retirement plans, including eligibility, testing, and corrections.
• Experience reviewing plan documents (Adoption Agreements, plan provisions) and translating them into operational guidance.
• Comfort partnering cross-functionally with Sales, Conversion Ops, and Legal & Compliance on ambiguous, escalated issues.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills — able to distill complex ERISA concepts for audiences without a compliance background.
• Experience building training materials or documentation for non-specialist teams.
• AI literacy: comfortable using and helping refine AI-assisted tools for plan review and setup, and identifying where automation can responsibly take on routine work.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills, even under deadline pressure.
• Professional designations such as QKA, QPA, CRPS, or C(k)P are a plus, but not required.

Cash compensation range: $62,400 to $78,000/year in Phoenix, $67,755 to $83,000/year in Denver, and $74,285 to $91,000 in LA. Additional locations will vary based on geographical pay approach. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate location, experience, and expertise.

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 same office expectations apply to all Symmetry roles, whose physical office is in Scottsdale. 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.

Gusto is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law. Gusto is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans.