Director, Compensation

Director, Compensation

Databricks is seeking a seasoned compensation leader to serve as a Director, Compensation, driving strategic impact across the business while leading and developing a team of client compensation partners. Reporting to the VP, Total Rewards, this role is responsible for building and delivering best‑in‑class compensation programs that help attract, retain, and motivate world‑class talent across Databricks.

At Databricks, we don't believe compensation is just a number; it's a tool to recognize that every employee is an owner and a part of our success. We are looking for a leader who combines deep technical compensation expertise with exceptional people leadership and a passion for building scalable, equitable programs.

This is a high‑impact, people leadership role that will effectively cover the following areas and the anticipated time spent on each:

• Leading, coaching, and developing a team of three to four client compensation partners (25%)
• Partnering with the VP Rewards and other team members to drive enterprise‑wide compensation strategy, design, and program delivery (30%)
• Collaboration with People team members, business leaders, and other cross‑functional partners on complex, sensitive compensation matters (25%)
• Operational excellence, tooling, and continuous improvement of compensation infrastructure (20%)

• Know your craft — Deep mastery of job architecture, compensation frameworks, market pricing, year‑end and mid‑year pay cycles, global compensation practices, and pay‑for‑performance design; demonstrated experience designing and scaling programs across a fast‑growing, global organization
• Know your data — Exceptional analytical horsepower with the ability to translate complex data into clear narratives, recommendations, and executive‑ready insights; strong command of competitive trends in cash, equity, and total rewards; advanced capabilities in gSheets and Excel; proficiency in Tableau, SQL, Python, or AI‑assisted analytics is a strong plus
• Know the competition — Expert‑level knowledge of tech compensation practices, particularly around equity strategy (new hire, refresh, and performance‑based), and an ability to benchmark and evolve programs to stay ahead of the market
• Be rational — Ability to hold the tension between compensation philosophy, first‑principles reasoning, and pragmatic business solutioning; comfortable making and defending difficult tradeoffs in ambiguous situations

• Develop talent — Proven track record of leading, mentoring, and growing a team of compensation professionals; ability to set a clear vision, delegate with confidence, and create an environment where the team does their best work
• Drive accountability — Set clear goals and expectations, create feedback loops, and hold the team to a high bar while remaining a supportive and empowering manager
• Model the craft — Remain hands‑on where needed; serve as a thought partner and technical escalation point for your team on complex or high‑stakes compensation decisions

• Build innovatively & scale effectively — Architect frameworks and solutions that address today’s challenges while anticipating the needs of a rapidly scaling organization; champion consistency and repeatability without sacrificing flexibility
• Leverage AI and automation — Define and execute a roadmap for next‑generation compensation tooling and data infrastructure; actively leverage AI to improve market pricing, decision quality, manager enablement, and workflow efficiency; champion a culture of continuous improvement through technology
• Operational capability — Connect the dots across systems, stakeholders, and programs to deliver compensation products and cycles with precision and at scale; ensure data, workflows, and governance are built to support compliant, scalable execution
• Savvy collaborator — Partner closely with People Business Partners, Finance, Legal, and senior business leadership to understand, anticipate, and solve complex talent and business needs; navigate competing priorities and organizational dynamics to drive the…