Incentive Compensation Manager

An overview of this role

As an Incentive Compensation Manager, you will be responsible for the strategic design, implementation, and operational management & enablement of all incentive compensation programs across the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) organization. This includes Sales, Customer Success, Professional Services, Channel/Partnerships roles. You will serve as the subject matter expert on sales compensation philosophy and policy, 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 report to the Director of Incentive Compensation and be 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 Do

• 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
• Design compensation mechanics that bridge traditional SaaS (ARR/subscription) and consumption-based (usage/metered) revenue motions, including hybrid quota structures, draw mechanics, and milestone-based incentives where revenue recognition is non-linear
• Leverage AI-powered tools and automation to develop self-service rep inquiry agents, streamline commission calculations, and enhance plan modeling capabilities
• 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