[Remote] Staff Software Engineer, AI Developer Tools

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Gusto is dedicated to supporting small businesses and is looking for a Staff Software Engineer to join their AI Developer Tools team. The role focuses on architecting AI platforms that enhance developer productivity by reducing friction in the software development lifecycle through advanced AI tools and automation.ResponsibilitiesArchitect AI Core Infrastructure: Design, scale, and maintain the internal platform and APIs that integrate LLMs into the developer workflow, with a heavy focus on autonomous agents, custom retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and smart context-delivery systemsDrive Technical Leadership & Vision: Establish engineering best practices for building with AI at Gusto, including robust evaluation frameworks (evals), guardrails for code safety, and strategies for optimizing model latency and token spendCollaborate & Evangelize: Partner closely with product engineering teams to uncover systemic friction points, and collaborate with core Infrastructure and Security teams to ensure all AI tooling is scalable, compliant, and secureOptimize Feedback Loops: Identify and eliminate critical bottlenecks in the local-to-production lifecycle at scale across GustoMaintain Enterprise Reliability: Treat AI infrastructure with production-grade rigor. Monitor system health, diagnose complex integration or networking issues, and mitigate model drift or downtimeSkills8+ Years of Systems Expertise: You are a seasoned engineer who is highly comfortable navigating massive, complex codebases and delivering production-grade, distributed softwareProduction AI Experience: You have a proven track record of moving AI beyond prototypes. You possess a deep understanding of prompt engineering, fine-tuning, RAG architectures, and orchestrating multi-agent workflowsDeveloper-First Mindset: You are passionate about Developer Experience and Productivity. You intuitively understand what makes an internal tool frictionless, fast, and empowering for other engineersStrategic Execution: You don't just build wrappers; you think deeply about data privacy, security, cost management, and systemic reliability when deploying AI solutionsExceptional Communication: You can seamlessly translate bleeding-edge AI capabilities into clear, actionable infrastructure strategies, mentoring junior engineers and aligning cross-functional stakeholders along the wayWorking as a Team: You work across team boundaries and bring other teams and groups along with you towards our strategic visionBenefitsAll full-time employees receive competitive base pay, benefits, and equity (RSUs) — because everyone who helps build Gusto should share in its success.Stock equity is additional.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).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.Gusto considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.Gusto is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures.Company OverviewGusto is an HR and payroll platform that simplifies complex tasks, empowering businesses to focus on what matters most. It was founded in 2011, and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA, with a workforce of 1001-5000 employees. Its website is https://www.gusto.com.Company H1B SponsorshipGusto has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 8 in 2026, 49 in 2025, 54 in 2024, 19 in 2023, 37 in 2022, 24 in 2021. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.