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An overview of this role
As a Senior Compensation Manager at GitLab, you'll lead the design, planning, and execution of compensation programs that help us attract, retain, and reward team members. You'll own recurring programs, including the annual focal merit cycle, and provide guidance and oversight for promotion cycles, quarterly equity grant cycles, and semi-annual bonus programs. Working closely with Total Rewards leadership and partners across People, Finance, and Legal, you'll turn program objectives into clear deliverables, establish processes and controls, and see complex cycles through from planning to closeout. Your work will help ensure accurate, timely delivery and a clear experience for leaders, People teams, and team members.
You'll be based in the United States. We prefer a West Coast location to support collaboration with stakeholders across time zones.
What you’ll do
- Lead compensation programs from design and readiness through approvals, processing, communication, and post-cycle review, including ownership of the annual focal merit cycle and oversight of promotion, quarterly equity, and semi-annual bonus cycles.
- Define program calendars, decision points, responsibilities, controls, and success measures. Coordinate dependencies and keep stakeholders informed of progress, risks, and decisions.
- Ensure compliance with eligibility rules and develop process documentation, manager resources, and communications. Advise People Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, and leaders on program application and exceptions, escalating policy and governance decisions when needed.
- Analyze compensation data and program outcomes, develop recommendations for Total Rewards leadership, and partner with Finance on budgeting, cost modeling, and reconciliation.
- Partner with People Technology and IT systems stakeholders to improve workflows, reporting, and usability.
- Validate inputs and outputs, ensure timely processing, maintain audit and control documentation, and protect confidential compensation information.
- Oversee the annual refresh of global compensation and equity ranges to ensure accuracy, and support compensation partners with program delivery and analysis.
- Lead improvements that reduce program risks and friction, strengthen consistency and transparency, and improve the team member experience. Use clear documentation and asynchronous communication to coordinate work across time zones.
What you’ll bring
- Experience designing and operating compensation programs, with expertise in corporate compensation and public company equity and a record of delivering complex merit, equity, bonus, or promotion cycles accurately from planning through closeout.
- Strong analytical and spreadsheet skills, including interpreting compensation data, building scenarios, checking assumptions, and explaining findings to decision-makers.
- An understanding of compensation governance, data integrity, and controls, with discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential information and sensitive decisions.
- The ability to translate policy and strategy into operating procedures, system requirements, and stakeholder guidance, plus experience with human resources information systems and compensation planning tools such as Pave and Workday, and comfort working on a Mac.
- Attention to detail, practical problem-solving skills, and the persistence to work through complex issues and deliver accurate outcomes. You can learn unfamiliar programs, systems, and business contexts quickly.
- The ability to build trusted partnerships, advise leaders and People teams, resolve ambiguity, and move decisions forward without relying on formal authority.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to coordinate with global partners across time zones using asynchronous practices.
- Helpful, but not required: experience supporting a global, distributed workforce, including partners in India or other locations outside the United States; compensation-cycle communications; and experience in a software or technology company.
About the team
The current Compensation team consists of 2 Global Compensation Partners and a Lead Total Rewards Program Manager that collaborates with the Compensation and Benefits teams. We provide compensation programs for 40+ countries globally. Our compensation work brings together People Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, People Operations, and People Technology. We use clear written communication and collaboration to coordinate across a distributed workforce and time zones.
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.
United States Salary Range$139,200—$235,200 USD
How GitLab Supports Full-Time Employees
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.
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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.
