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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.
This role requires a unique combination of strategic thinking, analytical rigor, operational excellence, and change management expertise. You will lead a team responsible for all aspects of the compensation lifecycle—from annual plan design through monthly commission processing—ensuring accuracy, compliance, and alignment with business goals.
What you'll doStrategic Compensation Design & Planning- 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
- 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
- Expert-level proficiency 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
- Familiarity with ASC 606 revenue recognition and implications for commission earning and payment timing
- 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
The base salary range for this role’s listed level is currently for residents of the United States only. This range is intended to reflect the role's base salary rate in locations throughout the US. Grade level and salary ranges are determined through interviews and a review of education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities of the applicant, equity with other team members, alignment with market data, and geographic location. The base salary range does not include any bonuses, equity, or benefits. See more information on our benefits and equity. Sales roles are also eligible for incentive pay targeted at up to 100% of the offered base salary.
- Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being
- Flexible Paid Time Off
- Team Member Resource Groups
- Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Growth and Development Fund
- Parental leave
- Home office support
Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Additionally, studies have shown that people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every single qualification. If you're excited about this role, please apply and allow our recruiters to assess your application.
Country Hiring Guidelines: GitLab hires new team members in countries around the world. All of our roles are remote, however some roles may carry specific location-based eligibility requirements. Our Talent Acquisition team can help answer any questions about location after starting the recruiting process.
Privacy Policy: Please review our Recruitment Privacy Policy. Your privacy is important to us.
GitLab is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. GitLab’s policies and practices relating to recruitment, employment, career development and advancement, promotion, and retirement are based solely on merit, regardless of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression), national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information (including family medical history), discharge status from the military, protected veteran status (which includes disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans, and Armed Forces service medal veterans), or any other basis protected by law. GitLab will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. See also GitLab’s EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.
