Joblaze summary

In the role of Product Counsel at Gusto, the individual will provide comprehensive legal support for the development and scaling of payroll, fintech, and tax products, ensuring compliance with complex regulations. Key skills include a strong legal background, particularly in technology and regulated industries, along with experience in leveraging AI tools for legal processes. This position is ideal for a seasoned legal professional with a collaborative mindset and a track record of driving innovation in product development. Gusto's Legal & Compliance team emphasizes a proactive approach to legal counsel, aiming to facilitate growth and enhance the customer experience.

Joblaze insights

Listed 17 days ago — first seen on Joblaze October 27, 2026. Last confirmed on Gusto's careers page November 13, 2026.
Salary band is above the typical range for comparable tech roles (median ~$129,582).
Starts above 94% of 1240 comparable senior other roles in United States we track (median $143,000 across 184 companies).

Quick facts

Is the Product Counsel, Payroll and Fintech role remote?: It's hybrid — Gusto expects some on-site time in San Francisco, CA - Hybrid.
What's the salary range?: Gusto lists $221,275–$272,906 for this role.
How much experience is required?: At least 7 years of relevant experience for this Product Counsel, Payroll and Fintech role.
Where is the role based?: Gusto is hiring for this position in San Francisco, CA - Hybrid.
What seniority level is this role?: Gusto targets senior candidates for this position.
Is this full-time or contract?: Full-time for this Product Counsel, Payroll and Fintech role at Gusto.

From the original posting

About Gusto

About the Role:

We’re looking for a Product Counsel to join our growing Product Commercial Legal team and redefine how we advise on payroll, fintech and tax products at scale. This is not a “keep the lights on” product counsel role—it’s a transformational opportunity to build the function of the future, powered by AI and cutting-edge process design while working collaboratively within our consumer fintech and payments products to support the risk-adjusted development of Gusto’s payroll, benefits and HR services.

At Gusto, Legal & Compliance operates as an AI-native team. We expect every team member to actively leverage AI tools to improve quality, scale, and speed, while designing right-sized human-in-the-loop controls to ensure accuracy and quality.

In this role, you will own Gusto’s end-to-end legal advisory support of product development, review, updates, and advancements in partnership with product managers, engineers, design, business development, commercial, privacy, security, risk and other stakeholders while also leading the adoption of AI-driven review tools. You will set the standards, playbooks, and tooling that allow Gusto’s product legal function to scale with speed and intelligence as the company grows.

You’ll be the driver of innovation: determining thresholds for review, implementing smarter ways of working, and leading the way in educating our legal and compliance teams—and the business at large—on new industry practices and breakthroughs in smarter product development and counseling. If you’re energized by building from the ground up, pushing boundaries, and leaving a mark on how in-house legal can operate in this new AI-powered era, this role is your chance to do just that.

About the Team:

Gusto’s Legal & Compliance team partners with product teams to enable innovation, facilitate responsible company growth, accelerate the Gusto roadmap, and provide compliant products to our customers, through solution-focused counsel on legal and business risks. We are passionate about using groundbreaking technology and excellent service to elevate the experience of small business owners and their employees. Each team member is a true owner and makes a tremendous impact every day.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

Navigate complex regulatory frameworks to design and mature Gusto’s core products including, payroll, fintech, tax and payments.
Look around corners, creatively solve problems, and help define business strategy as Gusto expands its functionality to meet the needs of US businesses that have hired or are preparing to hire employees and/or contractors.
Counsel the Product, Engineering, Design, and Business Teams and help them navigate a range of issues related to payroll products and/or partnerships, domestic and international payments, data privacy, and tax.
Contribute to the development of scalable processes to manage legal risk and accelerate product expansion.
Partner closely with our Commercial Team to advise on product risk, work through redlines, and negotiate with counterparties.
Actively test, pilot, and recommend next-gen AI solutions, ensuring the Product Legal team is always on the leading edge of innovation.

Here’s what we're looking for:

JD degree and a member of a State bar/ active license to practice law.
7+ years of combined legal experience, with experience working in an in-house legal department at a technology company.
Experience supporting the development of payroll, fintech, tax and payment products and the launches and scaling of highly regulated, yet innovative, domestic and global products.
Demonstrated ability to build consensus and build strong relationships.
Demonstrated success in working collaboratively to help business clients understand and own risk-based decisions.
Experience creatively solving problems, balancing legal risk and business needs.
Attention to detail and the ability to follow through in a fast-paced environment.
A collaborative approach and demonstrated ability to work well under pressure, cross-functionally, and independently.
Experience in working closely with Commercial or Contracts Counsel to support deal closure.
Experience with AI review tools (GCAI or similar).
Demonstrated success building and improving processes, not just running them.
A passion for showing that Product Legal is a driver of innovation and business impact, not a blocker.

Here’s what we’d love to see you bring to the table:

A passion for AI and technology as drivers of legal transformation.
Familiarity with regulated industries (e.g., financial services, payroll/tax SaaS, healthcare).
Creative problem-solving skills and the confidence to take smart risks.
Energy, curiosity, and a drive to be part of something groundbreaking.
A team-first approach, with no job too big or too small.

Our cash compensation amount for this role is between $199,150 - $245,618/year in Denver and between $221,275 - $272,906/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.

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.

Standard company text repeated across Gusto's postings is omitted here.

Product Counsel, Payroll and Fintech

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