Government Affairs Lead; Small Business Healthcare and HR Policy

Government Affairs Lead (Small Business Healthcare, Benefits, and HR Policy)

Washington, DC;

Denver, CO;

San Francisco, CA;

New York, NY

About Gusto

At Gusto, we're on a mission to grow the small business economy. We handle the hard stuff—like payroll, health insurance, 401(k) s, and HR—so owners can focus on their craft and customers. With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we’re proud to support more than 400,000 small businesses across the country, and we’re building a workplace that represents and celebrates the customers we serve.

Learn more about our Total Rewards philosophy.

About the Role

As a Government Affairs Lead, you are a senior policy leader with deep expertise in small business healthcare, benefits, and HR policy and are highly proficient in using AI as a core part of your work. You will drive Gusto’s policy agenda with a focus on strengthening the regulatory and legislative environment for small and medium-sized businesses—especially in areas that shape how they hire, pay, retain, and provide benefits for their teams.

You will apply in-depth functional knowledge and AI-enabled analysis to develop solutions to complex policy challenges, particularly those impacting healthcare affordability and access, payroll and HR operations, benefits administration, workplace compliance, and the evolving employer–employee relationship. As Gusto’s product suite expands, you will also work across the organization to anticipate and engage on other policy issues affecting Gusto’s customers, using AI to surface trends, synthesize information quickly, and model potential impacts.

This role requires understanding the interrelationships between policy disciplines—from healthcare and labor regulation to taxation, benefits, and the future of work—and the ability to deliver creative, effective strategies for multifaceted issues. You will position Gusto to anticipate and influence legislative and regulatory proposals, develop and promote best-practice frameworks for policy change management, and ensure Gusto is consistently recognized as a leading voice for small business.

You will represent Gusto before government officials, lead industry coalitions, and serve as a senior advisor to internal leaders navigating complex policy matters. This may include directing the activities of others and requires someone who can see around corners, recognize policy trends, and guide the organization through the full lifecycle of public policy change—from idea to implementation—with AI as a key enabler.

This role requires understanding the interrelationships between different policy disciplines and providing creative and effective solutions to multifaceted issues. You will be responsible for positioning Gusto proactively to respond to and influence proposed regulatory and legislative policy changes, while developing and promoting best practices for policy change management that optimize outcomes for Gusto and our customers.

You will represent Gusto before government officials, lead industry association working groups, and serve as a senior advisor on complex policy matters across the organization. This position may include directing the activities of others and requires someone who can see around corners, recognize policy trends, and understand the full spectrum of public policy change from proposal through implementation.

About the Team

The Government Affairs team is at the forefront of shaping the policy landscape for small businesses and their employees. We are the bridge between Gusto's innovative products and the complex world of legislation and regulation. We work to ensure that public policy empowers entrepreneurship and creates a more equitable and efficient environment for our customers to thrive.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day

• Develop comprehensive government affairs strategies with a strong focus on small business healthcare, tax, HR, and benefits policy, while aligning with Gusto’s broader business objectives.
• Use AI tools to monitor, summarize, and forecast legislative and regulatory developments, and to identify emerging policy risks and opportunities.
• Guide the creation of new…