Senior Manager of Compensation, Thumbtack
$178-256k
Salary varies by location
Local services marketplace app
Be an early applicant
Local services marketplace app
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$178-256k
Salary varies by location
1001+ employees
Company mission
Thumbtack's mission is to help homeowners care for their homes, all the way from minor retouching to fundamental remodelling projects.
Role
Who you are
- Compensation Expertise: 10+ years driving core comp programs and advising leaders; deep knowledge of market pricing, equity, and variable pay design. 
- Analytical Rigor: Advanced modeling and scenario analysis skills; ability to simplify complexity and recommend clear, defensible actions. 
- Consultative Partnership: Credibility with senior leaders; you challenge constructively, influence decisions, and communicate the “so what” with clarity. 
- Operational Excellence: Proven track record running multi-step programs with precision (e.g. sequencing, risk management, and quality controls that hold up under pressure)
- Systems & Data Fluency: Comfortable improving compensation workflows and tools; you use data to spot trends, anticipate issues, and raise program quality. 
- Enablement & Communication: Skill in building readable docs/training that help managers make consistent, fair pay decisions
What the job involves
- The People Ops & Compensation team powers Thumbtack's ability to attract, retain, and enable the talented people who help millions of homeowners and local pros thrive
- We build fair, competitive compensation programs that reflect our commitment to both business sustainability and employee success
- From designing job architecture and market positioning to running seamless annual cycles and equipping managers with clear guidance, we ensure every compensation decision aligns with our mission and values
- Our work creates the foundation for a high-performing, values-driven culture where Thumbtackers can do their best work and have a meaningful impact
- As Senior Manager, Compensation, you'll be the advisor and operator who makes that happen
- Compensation is more than spreadsheets and cycles, it's how we signal what we value, reward impact, and keep great people excited about building with us
- You'll own the programs that touch every Thumbtacker (merit, bonus, and equity) and you'll do it with a combination of analytical rigor and executive presence that makes complex tradeoffs feel clear and actionable
- This role sits at the intersection of strategy and execution
- One day you're modeling scenarios for executive leadership, the next you're building manager toolkits that actually get used, and the day after that you're advising leaders through tough comp decisions with empathy and data in equal measure
- You'll report to our Senior Director of People Operations & Compensation, partner across Finance and People teams, and directly manage a high-performing compensation analyst you'll help grow
- Program Leadership: Own annual/quarterly compensation cycles (merit, bonus, equity), with clear calendars, checklists, and go/no-go gates that keep stakeholders aligned and deliverables on time. 
- Market Strategy & Architecture: Maintain job architecture, leveling, and market ranges using current survey data; recommend targeted adjustments to stay competitive and equitable. 
- Insights & Tooling: Build models and dashboards that connect pay outcomes to budget, performance, and attrition; improve systems and workflows in partnership with People Ops and Finance. 
- Executive Readiness: Build crisp analyses and narratives for executives and the Board by translating scenarios, tradeoffs, and risk into simple decisions and next steps. 
- Governance & Quality: Establish controls, audits, and documentation that raise data accuracy, ensure pay decisions align with policy, and withstand SOX/Comp Committee scrutiny. 
- Enablement & Comms: Create manager toolkits, FAQs, and training that clarify the “what/why” of programs and drive consistent adoption across teams. 
- People Leadership: Manage and develop one compensation analyst; set clear goals, coach for excellence, and scale repeatable processes the team can run quarter after quarter
Our take
ThumbTack is a local services marketplace app that pairs customers with skilled professionals. Instead of simply searching for a professional, users provide ThumbTack with details of the job they need completing and the professionals then pitch their services to the potential customer using credits. ThumbTack makes its money by charging the professional for these credits.
It positions itself as something a little different in a saturated local services space that is dominated by companies like Angie’s List, TaskRabbit, Yelp, eBay, and Amazon. It also focuses on a broad range of professionals, from traditional home services like electricians and painters to photographers, personal trainers, and birthday party magicians.
The COVID-19 pandemic saw a boost in business for ThumbTack as more people stayed at home and made changes to their properties, increasing the demand for home professionals. In fact, after 2019, the company doubled in value to $3.2 billion with its 2021 raise. Now its updated app has 30 new features, and the company is partnering with the likes of trade-powering platform and Unicorn ServiceTitan, indicating Thumbtack's sustained sway in the market.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-5% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 9 rounds)
Jun 2021
$275m
LATE VC
Jul 2019
$150m
SERIES F
Total funding: $699.4m
Company benefits
- Parental leave
- Health insurance
- Community matters | Sure, our ways of connecting have changed. But we haven’t missed a beat, from virtual concerts to “TTversary” celebrations to weekly catch-ups
- Always be improving | We bring out the best in our colleagues — and our product — by pushing each beyond what we believe we’re capable of. We give honest feedback, even when it’s hard
- Wellness is a way of life | We promote balance with generous PTO and company-wide holidays — and find our centers every Wellness Wednesday with yoga featuring a Thumbtack pro
- A worthy mission | In a world where tech is often seen as eroding good jobs, we’re helping small business owners thrive. Our product makes entrepreneurship accessible to everyone
- Driven by our values | Our values are the compass by which we make all our decisions. Each one matters: Lead with why, Make it count, Own it, Choose teamwork, and Say what you mean
- Plus, amazing benefits | All the benefits you’d expect, plus a few more: generous parental and fertility benefits, $1800 for Thumbtack services per year and a $1200 remote work stipend
- Virtual-first working model coupled with quarterly in-person events and Camp Thumbtack
- 20+ company-wide holidays including two week-long shutdowns
- Libraries (collaborative workspaces) in San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Toronto, and Manila
- Cell phone and WiFi reimbursements
- Subscriptions and Employee Assistance Program for mental health and well-being
Company HQ
SoMa, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Marco Zappacosta
(CEO)Having studied at Columbia University, Marco co-founded Thumbtack in August 2008. He has served as CEO since January 2009.
Jonathan Swanson
(Chairman)Jonathan started his career creating financial market reports for the White House before co-founding Thumbtack in 2008. Currently Founder at Powerset and Athena.
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