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Salary: USD 168,000 - 190,000 / annual
Gusto is hiring a Staff Recruiter for Design & Specialized Tech to join the SpecTech recruiting team within the Invite (talent acquisition) organization. SpecTech is responsible for hiring builders across design, product management, and data roles—the specialized technical talent that directly impacts Gusto's product and growth.
In this role, you will own end-to-end recruiting for design and specialized tech positions, operating as a talent advisor rather than a pure requisition-filler. You'll run specialized, requirement-based searches from pre-search strategy through offer acceptance, working across all design craft areas (Product Design, Design Systems, Content Design, UX Research, Service Design, Brand Studio, Design Operations) and flexing into Product Management and Data hiring when business priorities shift.
Key responsibilities include:
- Executing full-cycle recruiting with a focus on sourcing-first, data-driven approaches and high candidate experience standards
- Conducting tailored outbound campaigns and building always-on, bar-raiser pipelines by mapping the market and understanding talent landscape
- Providing talent advisory to hiring leaders through calibration sessions, data-backed recommendations, and clear trade-off analysis on level, location, and compensation
- Guiding candidates through a high-touch, honest, and caring experience with real SLAs, ensuring people feel seen and heard regardless of outcome
- Leveraging AI strategically across top-of-funnel sourcing, market analysis, and interview processes; building new AI-enabled approaches and testing tools to amplify team impact
- Building cross-functional relationships with Compensation, People Partners, Executive Operations, and Candidate Experience teams to keep hiring moving
- Developing the San Francisco design community in-person through local events and relationship-building, so Gusto becomes a known name in the SF design scene
You'll work alongside a lean, high-performing team that genuinely cares about each other and the craft of recruiting. The role balances hiring for today's needs with nurturing relationships for the future, pairing operational rigor with human judgment to maintain quality even as you leverage AI.
Gusto is on a mission to grow the small business economy by handling payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR so owners can focus on their craft. The company supports over 500,000 small businesses nationwide and has offices in Denver, San Francisco, and New York.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Full-cycle recruiting depth: typically 8+ years in specialized tech recruiting, with meaningful time specializing in design recruiting
- Data fluency: ability to read, research, and interpret data across multiple tools; turn data into clear next moves and compelling narratives for hiring partners; prioritize full requisition loads and catch bottlenecks
- Sourcing as a craft: know what great talent looks like across all backgrounds; understand where to find it and how to assess it; proven knack for spotting bar raisers and building always-on pipelines
- Cross-functional partnership: proven ability to work across Compensation, People Partners, Executive Ops, and Finance to keep hires moving
- Executive presence: history of partnering with senior leaders; ability to walk into a room, read the audience, and speak with credibility
- Bias for action and resilience: move things forward and stay steady when searches get difficult
- AI fluency: leverage AI to shape search strategy, surface market truth, and build agents/skills that carry advisory judgment to the whole team
