About Gusto
At Gusto, we're on a mission to grow the small business economy. We handle the hard stuff — payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR — so owners can focus on their craft and their customers. With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we support more than 400,000 small businesses nationwide and are building a workplace that reflects the people we serve.
All full-time employees receive competitive base pay, benefits, and equity (RSUs) — because everyone who helps build Gusto should share in its success. Offer amounts are determined by role, level, and location. Learn more about our Total Rewards philosophy.
AI is a fundamental part of how work gets done at Gusto. We expect all team members to actively engage with AI tools relevant to their role and grow their fluency as the technology evolves. AI experience requirements vary by role and will be assessed during the interview process.
About the Role:
The Franchise Account Executive role is an opportunity to help build and scale one of Gusto's newest growth channels. Franchise represents a massive and largely untapped market, and this team is focused on activating franchise owners across established partner networks and high-potential industries. As a Franchise AE, you'll operate in a true outbound motion — prospecting into multi-unit operators, building relationships with influential owners, and closing new business that can scale across locations.
You'll also help shape the playbook for how Gusto sells into franchise ecosystems as we grow this program into a durable revenue engine for the company.
You'll partner closely with our Franchise Partner Manager (who develops relationships with franchisors) and a dedicated BDR (focused on high-volume activations). Your role is to lead strategic pursuits, unlock influential operators, and build the repeatable sales motion for selling into franchise ecosystems.
Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:
- Own new franchise revenue generation. Prospect into franchise ownership groups within Gusto’s partner networks and target industries, building pipeline through outbound outreach and relationship development with multi-unit operators and influential franchise owners.
- Execute and refine the franchise sales playbook. Leverage the existing franchise sales motion to drive consistent pipeline and deals, while providing feedback and insights that help improve messaging, targeting, and overall execution as the program scales.
- Run the full sales cycle. Manage deals from prospecting through close, partnering with BDRs who support high-volume outreach while focusing your time on larger ownership groups and strategic franchise opportunities.
- Develop relationships with influential franchise operators. Engage multi-unit owners, directors of operations, and regional leaders to understand operational needs and position Gusto as a scalable payroll and workforce platform across multiple locations.
- Partner cross-functionally to drive franchise success. Collaborate with the Franchise Partner Manager, Sales Ops, and Marketing to activate franchise networks, support partner initiatives, and identify opportunities to expand within existing franchise relationships.
- Build referenceable wins within franchise networks. Secure early customer success stories and multi-location operators that can serve as proof points and accelerate adoption across additional franchisees.
- Drive consistent outbound pipeline generation. Maintain a disciplined outbound motion across named franchise accounts and industry segments, using a mix of calls, emails, LinkedIn outreach, and events to create new opportunities.
- Represent Gusto in franchise communities. Attend franchise conferences, regional events, and industry gatherings to build relationships, generate pipeline, and strengthen Gusto’s presence in the franchise ecosystem.
- Achieve and exceed revenue targets. Consistently deliver against quarterly targets for MRR and new customer adds while contributing insights that help scale the franchise program over time.
Here’s what we're looking for:
- 3+ years of quota-carrying B2B SaaS AE experience, ideally with outbound new business in SMB, mid-market, or franchise/multi-unit contexts.
- Proven track record as a hunter — generating your own pipeline, landing new logos, and expanding into complex accounts.
- Payroll sales experience is a strong plus.
- Experience navigating multi-unit and franchise structures (franchisors, franchisees, regional/holding companies) is a strong plus.
- Comfortable using AI tools and automation to accelerate prospecting, tailor messaging to franchise decision-makers, and improve efficiency across the sales cycle.
- Strong discovery and storytelling skills — able to uncover compliance, payroll, and onboarding pain points and tie them to ROI.
- Comfortable partnering with BDRs: coaching, collaborating on sequences, and maximizing top-of-funnel conversion.
- Entrepreneurial mindset — thrives in building new motions, testing playbooks, and iterating quickly.
- Willingness to travel 25–35% of the time to conferences and in-market opportunities.
The on-target earnings (OTE) for this role range from $134,000/yr to $155,000/yr in Denver, Atlanta, Chicago & Las Vegas, and $126,000/yr to $144,000/yr in Phoenix. This OTE is structured with a target 60% base pay and 40% commission pay with an uncapped commission structure. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate location, experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.
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). The same office expectations apply to all Symmetry roles, Gusto's subsidiary, whose physical office is in Scottsdale.
Note: The San Francisco office expectations encompass both the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas.
When approved to work from a location other than a Gusto office, a secure, reliable, and consistent internet connection is required. This includes non-office days for hybrid employees.
Our customers come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it makes our company stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for small businesses, you will find a home at Gusto.
Gusto is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. 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. We want to see our candidates perform to the best of their ability. If you require a medical or religious accommodation at any time throughout your candidate journey, please fill out this form and a member of our team will get in touch with you.
Gusto takes security and protection of your personal information very seriously. Please review our Fraudulent Activity Disclaimer.
Personal information collected and processed as part of your Gusto application will be subject to Gusto's Applicant Privacy Notice.
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Gusto San Francisco, California, USA Office
Gusto's San Francisco office is located in a vibrant, up-and-coming area nestled between Potrero Hill and the bay. Formerly a shipbuilding hub dating back to the 1800s, this dockside area retains an industrial vibe. Gusties drive, bike, or take public transportation to our office.
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