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Salary: USD 62,400 - 91,000 / annual
Gusto is seeking a Retirement Compliance Specialist to serve as a subject-matter expert on ERISA compliance and 401(k) plan administration within the Retirement Services organization. This role is part of the Retirement Compliance team, which focuses on specialist-judgment work: independent quality assurance, training, complex corrections, and consultation on ambiguous or high-risk plan provisions.
You will be a trusted resource across the business, translating dense legal plan documents and ERISA requirements into guidance that Sales, Conversion Ops, and Customer Experience teams can act on confidently. The Retirement Compliance team ensures every 401(k) plan Gusto administers stays compliant with IRS and ERISA requirements, from conversion through ongoing operation. The organization is leveraging AI to shift toward higher-value, specialist work, and you'll help shape the tools and processes the broader organization relies on as this transition continues.
Day-to-day responsibilities include:
- Serve as the ERISA/compliance escalation point for Conversion Ops and Sales on complex plan provisions, eligibility questions, and Adoption Agreement interpretation.
- Own end-to-end quality assurance for the plan review process, validating each build against the signed Adoption Agreement and developing internal tooling and business rules that support the review process at scale.
- Conduct plan reviews for new and converting 401(k) plans, translating complex legal plan documents into clear, accurate guidance for internal teams and customers.
- Build and deliver internal training and reference materials so Conversion Ops, Sales, and Customer Experience teams can handle routine plan questions independently.
- Partner with Legal & Compliance on regulatory interpretation and sign-off for higher-risk plan changes.
- Identify and champion opportunities to use AI tools and automation to reduce manual review time while strengthening accuracy across plan setup and compliance workflows.
Gusto is a mission-driven company focused on growing the small business economy by handling payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR. The company supports more than 500,000 small businesses nationwide and has teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York. All full-time employees receive competitive base pay, benefits, and equity (RSUs). Hybrid employees in Denver, San Francisco, New York, or Scottsdale are expected to work from the office approximately 2-3 days per week.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 3–5 years of experience in 401(k)/defined contribution plan administration, compliance, or ERISA
- Strong working knowledge of IRS and ERISA regulations governing retirement plans, including eligibility, testing, and corrections
- Experience reviewing plan documents (Adoption Agreements, plan provisions) and translating them into operational guidance
- Comfort partnering cross-functionally with Sales, Conversion Ops, and Legal & Compliance on ambiguous, escalated issues
- Strong written and verbal communication skills — able to distill complex ERISA concepts for audiences without a compliance background
- Experience building training materials or documentation for non-specialist teams
- AI literacy: comfortable using and helping refine AI-assisted tools for plan review and setup, and identifying where automation can responsibly take on routine work
- Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills, even under deadline pressure
- Professional designations such as QKA, QPA, CRPS, or C(k)P are a plus, but not required
