Director of Sales Incentive Compensation, GitLab
$167-313k
+ Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
One DevOps platform
Be an early applicant
One DevOps platform
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$167-313k
+ Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
1001+ employees
Company mission
To make it so that everyone can contribute. When everyone can contribute, users become contributors and we greatly increase the rate of innovation.
Role
Who you are
- This role requires a unique combination of strategic thinking, analytical rigor, operational excellence, and change management expertise, and reports directly to the VP of Revenue Strategy and Operations
- 8+ years of progressive compensation experience with at least 5 years focused specifically on sales compensation design and operations
- 5+ years of people management experience building and leading compensation teams
- Deep expertise in B2B SaaS sales compensation including experience with multiple sales roles (AEs, SEs, CSMs, Channel, etc.) and complex go-to-market motions
- Proven track record designing compensation plans that drove measurable improvements in sales productivity, behavior change, and business outcomes
- Experience managing global compensation programs across multiple geographies with varying regulations and market practices
- Background in high-growth SaaS companies ($500M+ ARR preferred) with experience scaling compensation operations
- Familiarity with compensation management systems (Xactly, CaptivateIQ, Varicent, or similar platforms)
- Advanced Excel/Google Sheets modeling skills including complex formulas, scenario analysis, and financial modeling
- Exceptional quantitative and analytical capabilities with attention to detail and accuracy
- Understanding of quota-setting methodologies and the relationship between territory assignment, quota, and compensation
- Exceptional executive presence and communication skills with ability to influence C-level executives and board members
- Strong change management capabilities to drive adoption of new compensation programs and handle resistance
- Ability to explain complex compensation structures in simple, compelling terms to diverse audiences
- Cross-functional collaboration skills with ability to build partnerships across Sales, Finance, People, Legal, and Operations
- Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement
What the job involves
- As Director of Sales Incentive Compensation, you will own the strategic design, implementation, and operational management of all incentive compensation programs across the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) organization
- This includes Sales, Customer Success, Professional Services, Channel/Partnerships, and Revenue Operations roles
- You will serve as the subject matter expert on compensation philosophy and practices, partnering with executive leadership to design plans that drive strategic behaviors, optimize sales productivity, and support GitLab's revenue growth objectives while maintaining cost efficiency and market competitiveness
- Own the end-to-end compensation strategy for all CRO organization roles including Account Executives, Solutions Architects, Customer Success Managers, Professional Services, Channel/Partner roles, and Revenue Operations
- Lead annual compensation plan development in partnership with CRO, Sales Leadership, Customer Success, and Finance; translate business objectives into effective incentive structures
- Design role-specific compensation frameworks including base/variable splits, quota-to-OTE ratios, accelerators, decelerators, thresholds, and performance tiers aligned to role expectations and market standards
- Develop compensation governance frameworks including plan approval workflows, exception handling, change management protocols, and ongoing plan maintenance processes
- Model compensation scenarios to optimize the balance between motivational impact, cost efficiency, competitive positioning, and predictability; conduct sensitivity analysis on various business outcomes
- Partner with People/Total Rewards to ensure CRO compensation programs align with GitLab's overall compensation philosophy, internal equity principles, and total rewards strategy
- Conduct market benchmarking and competitive analysis to ensure compensation packages attract and retain top talent while maintaining fiscal discipline
- Design incentive mechanisms that drive strategic behaviors including new logo acquisition, expansion, consumption growth, multi-year deals, product mix, and customer retention
- Create SPIFs, contests, and accelerator programs to address short-term business priorities and accelerate specific outcomes (pipeline generation, deal velocity, strategic initiatives)
- Develop compensation analytics frameworks to track plan effectiveness, cost efficiency, and business impact
- Analyze payout distributions and attainment curves to ensure plans drive desired bell curve distribution and identify outliers requiring intervention
- Track key compensation metrics including average earnings, payout ratios, cost-per-dollar-sold, plan leverage, and quota attainment distribution
- Model the impact of compensation changes on representative behavior, company costs, revenue outcomes, and team morale
- Conduct ongoing plan performance reviews comparing actual results against design intent; recommend mid-year adjustments when warranted
- Build executive dashboards providing visibility into compensation spend, attainment trends, and plan performance against objectives
- Perform ROI analysis on compensation investments including SPIFs, accelerators, and special programs
- Partner with Sales Analytics to integrate compensation data with broader revenue performance analytics
- Serve as trusted advisor to CRO and Sales Leadership on all compensation-related matters including plan design, policy decisions, and individual situations
- Present compensation recommendations to executive leadership, Finance leadership, and board compensation committees
- Lead annual compensation communication campaigns including plan rollouts, training sessions, manager enablement, and field team Q&A
- Manage compensation inquiries from field teams, providing clear explanations of plan mechanics, policies, and individual situations
- Partner with Sales Enablement to incorporate compensation understanding into onboarding programs and ongoing training
- Collaborate with Finance/FP&A on compensation expense planning, budget management, and actual-vs-plan reporting
- Work with Legal and Compliance teams to ensure plan structures meet regulatory requirements across global markets
- Engage with Total Rewards/People teams on holistic compensation philosophy, market data, and employee experience
Our take
GitLab is an open-source collaboration platform for developers. It enables teams to build code quickly from anywhere without compromising on security or quality. GitLab already has an estimated 30M+ users from all over the world.
According to a 2021 GitLab report, 60% of developers can release code 2x faster with DevOps platforms that bring teams together and accelerate processes. It stands out by catering to programmers of all experiences. Gitlab's version control system helps streamline the process of creating, maintaining, and deploying code, whoever you are.
GitLab was in the right place to capitalise on the recent trend toward rapid digital transformation and remote working. This trend is expected to grow, and with it, GitLab's popularity. With its successful 2021 IPO and the patronage of major brands such as Nasdaq and Jaguar Land Rover, GitLab is expected to solidify its position as the go-to platform for development teams.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
15% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 8 rounds)
Sep 2019
$268m
SERIES E
Dec 2018
$20m
SERIES D
Total funding: $434.7m
Company benefits
- We offer benefits to manage your health, wealth, and well-being regardless of location
- Flexibility in schedule to be there for life’s important moments
- Equity compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan offered
- Generous Paid Time Off
Company HQ
Financial District, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Sid Sijbrandij
(CEO)Studied Physics at the University of Twente. Interned at P&G and IBM. Was Lead Architect at the Netherlands' Ministry of Justice from 2009 to 2012. Founded app store Comcoaster in 2008, and then co-founded GitLab in 2012.
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