FinTech & Payments Compliance Lead San Francisco, CA - Gusto : Job Details

Gusto is a modern, online people platform that helps small businesses take care of their teams. On top of full-service payroll, Gusto offers health insurance, 401(k)s, expert HR, and team management tools. Today, Gusto offices in Denver, San Francisco, and New York serve more than 400,000 businesses nationwide.

Our mission is to create a world where work empowers a better life, and it starts right here at Gusto. That's why we're committed to building a collaborative and inclusive workplace, both physically and virtually.

We are seeking a FinTech & Payments Compliance Lead to oversee compliance activities for our consumer financial products, commercial financial services, and payments offerings. This individual will report to the Head of Financial Services Compliance and play a critical role in developing and scaling our compliance program. They will collaborate closely with business leaders, product teams, legal, and compliance stakeholders to ensure regulatory adherence and an effective, scalable compliance framework.

The ideal candidate thrives in a cross-functional, fast-paced environment and is passionate about financial inclusion and empowering teams to build sustainable, compliant financial products. This role requires a deep understanding of financial services compliance, particularly in consumer protection, payments, and banking regulations. You will be an embedded compliance partner to key areas of Gusto's business which will enable financial services offerings and payment solutions for our customers.

Here's what you'll do day-to-day:

• Establish deep partnership with key business stakeholders to provide practical, business-oriented compliance guidance on complex regulations in lending, embedded finance, and payments.
• Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, and Compliance teams on new product launches, strategic partnerships, and marketing collateral review to ensure robust compliance alignment and support business growth.
• Assist in the development, implementation, and ongoing enhancement of Gusto's broader Compliance Management Program to ensure alignment with federal and state regulatory requirements.
• Partner with our Government & Regulatory Affairs team to own FinTech & Payments change management processes to track, communicate, and implement new regulatory requirements affecting products, services, and business operations.
• Conduct product- and partner-specific program requirements including collaborating with banking partners to design and execute external audit schedules.
• Support vendor onboarding, risk assessments, and due diligence reviews. Serve as a liaison with Gusto's Payments and FinTech banking partners for program audits and compliance reporting.
• Oversee consumer protection and Payments compliance controls related to Deposit Account Banking compliance, Lending Compliance, and a wide range of federal and state requirements (e.g. TILA, TCPA, CAN-SPAM, UDAAP, NACHA, Reg E, TISA, etc.).
• Implement and oversee product compliance monitoring, training, risk assessments, and third-party audits for multiple financial services products.
• Work closely with engineering, product, and operations teams to enhance compliance controls, policies, and documentation in response to evolving regulations.
• Support compliance examinations, regulatory inquiries, and responses to findings.
• Assist in identifying, escalating, and resolving compliance issues related to financial services products.

Here's what we're looking for:

• 8-10+ years of relevant compliance experience in an in-house legal, compliance, or risk function at a regulated financial institution or fintech company.
• Proven experience in building and scaling compliance programs and driving compliance strategy.
• Proven ability working as an embedded expert supporting Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, and Compliance teams on new product launches, strategic partnerships, and marketing collateral review processes.
• Strong expertise in financial services and payments compliance, including familiarity with consumer protection regulations TILA, TISA, FDCPA, FCRA, ECOA, Reg E, UDAAP, and NACHA.
• Experience in compliance risk management program development and maturation.
• Ability to remediate compliance gaps and address audit findings.
• Passion for building products and services for small businesses and their employees.
• A “Builder” mindset with a keen interest in leveraging AI forward technology and a history of successful third-party interactions (e.g. strategic partners, regulators, etc.).
• Strong problem-solving skills with a business-oriented approach to legal and regulatory risks.
• Ability to analyze and distill complex regulations into actionable guidance for business partners.
• A collaborative, adaptable mindset—no job is too big or too small.

Our cash compensation amount for this role is between $147,000 - $183,000/year in Denver, and between $174,000 - $216,000/year for New York/San Francisco. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate location, experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.

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 days per week (or more depending on role).

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.