About the RoleGusto's Finance team is rebuilding planning, forecasting, and analysis with AI at the center. As Staff FP&A AI Architect, you'll design and lead the technical and process architecture that turns FP&A from a manual, spreadsheet-driven cycle into an automated, insight-generating function. You're a hybrid: deep enough in finance to understand driver-based planning, variance analysis, and board reporting, and deep enough in data and AI to design the systems that automate them. You'll partner with the CFO org, FP&A, Accounting, Data, and Engineering.
About the TeamThis is a new role on the Enterprise AIT team, which drives the intelligent transformation of Gusto's enterprise systems by integrating AI, automation, and advanced analytics across internal applications. The team works closely with Finance, Business Ops, IT, and Security, and this role brings dedicated AI architecture capacity to FP&A and the CFO org.
What You'll Do- Set the strategy: Define the multi-year architecture and roadmap for AI-enabled planning, forecasting, and reporting, prioritizing use cases by value, feasibility, and risk.
- Build forecasting systems: Architect driver-based, ML-assisted forecasts for revenue, headcount, opex, and cash, combining statistical models with LLM workflows and benchmarking against human forecasts.
- Automate analysis: Build agentic workflows for variance commentary, flux analysis, scenario modeling, board and QBR narratives, and ad-hoc "ask the numbers" questions.
- Own the finance data foundation: Work with Data Engineering on governed data models connecting the GL, billing, CRM, HRIS, and planning tools, so AI outputs are traceable and auditable.
- Embed controls and trust: Establish evals, human-in-the-loop checkpoints, lineage, and audit trails that meet SOX, security, and privacy requirements.
- Evaluate and select tools: Drive build-vs-buy decisions across planning platforms, LLM providers, and orchestration frameworks.
- Lead through influence: Mentor analysts and engineers, create reusable patterns and templates, and drive AI adoption across Finance.
- Measure impact: Report on cycle-time reduction, forecast accuracy, analyst capacity freed, and decision latency.
What We're Looking ForRequired- 10+ years in FP&A, corporate finance, finance systems, data science, or finance engineering, including 3+ years designing or leading AI/ML or advanced automation for finance
- Strong FP&A fundamentals: driver-based modeling, operating plans, rolling forecasts, SaaS or fintech metrics, variance analysis
- Hands-on experience with LLMs and agentic systems (prompting, RAG, tool use, evals) and classical forecasting (time series, regression, ensembles)
- Proficiency in SQL and Python, a modern data stack (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, dbt), and BI tools
- Experience with enterprise planning platforms and ERP/GL systems
- Track record shipping production-grade solutions under SOX, data governance, and security review
- Exceptional communication: able to explain model behavior to a CFO and system design to an engineer
Nice to have- Payroll, HR tech, fintech, or SaaS finance experience
- Experience building internal tools with Engineering
- Familiarity with MCP-style integrations and AI governance frameworks
- CPA, CFA, or an advanced quantitative degree
Ideal AttributesFinance-fluent builder, systems thinker, rigorous about trust (evals, lineage, and human-in-the-loop as design requirements), pragmatic on build vs. buy, influencer and teacher, and outcome-driven.
AI Fluency ExpectationsExpert/Transformer level, expected to set AI standards for Finance. Advanced in LLM platforms (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini), agent frameworks and MCP, and Python/SQL; proficient in Snowflake/Databricks/dbt, planning platforms (Anaplan, Adaptive, Pigment), ERP/GL (NetSuite), and BI tools.
Our cash compensation amount for this role is targeted at $185,000-$205,000 /yr in Denver & most remote locations, and $225,000-$250,000 /yr for San Francisco, Seattle & New York. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.
At Gusto, we don't use titles the traditional way, as a signal of rank or hierarchy. Instead, our titles describe two things at once - your craft (what you do, e.g. Engineering, Design) and your scope of ownership (what you're accountable for) - which is why you'll see something like "Head of X" instead of a rank word like "Director" that tells you neither. Because of this, the title on this posting may look different from what you'd expect based on the scope and seniority of the role, and from how similar roles are typically titled elsewhere. If you have questions about how this role compares to your current title or level, your recruiter can help translate.
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). The same office expectations apply to all Symmetry roles, Gusto's subsidiary, whose physical office is in Scottsdale.
Note: 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. This includes non-office days for hybrid employees.
Reliable, consistent presence: We expect regular and predictable attendance, whether you're working in-office, hybrid, or fully remote, so that you stay closely connected to your team, customers, and stakeholders in real time and ensure colleagues and customers receive the timely support and responsiveness they deserve.
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.
