Sr. Compensation Manager, R&D

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">GAQ127R143</p> <p>Databricks is building the future of data and AI and world-class engineering requires world-class talent solutions. We are looking for a strategic, technical Compensation Lead to partner directly with our R&amp;D founders, and Engineering VP leadership. In this role, you won't just execute traditional pay practices; you will design first-principles equity and cash strategies to attract, retain, and motivate the sharpest systems, platform, and AI engineers on the planet.<br><br>Reporting to the Director of Compensation, you will bridge deep quantitative analysis with high-stakes executive advisory, ensuring our compensation philosophy reinforces an owner mindset across our core technology and product teams.<br><br></p> <div id="message-list_1790100421.312179"> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div><strong>The Impact you will have:</strong><br><br><strong>Scope of the role</strong><br><br>• R&amp;D Solutioning &amp; Strategic Advisory (40%): Co-create custom incentive models, specialized technical compensation structures, and high-impact retention frameworks tailored specifically to hyper-competitive R&amp;D skill sets.<br><br>• Lifecycle Compensation Management (30%): Own the end-to-end execution of merit, refresh equity, and promotion cycles across global engineering cohorts, serving as the primary advisor for strategic executive hires and key retention scenarios. Build and leverage automation and AI solutions to efficiently support complex and nuanced cases.<br><br>• Enterprise Framework Development (30%): Scale Databricks’ global compensation structure, refining market pricing models, pay-for-performance mechanics, and equity strategies.<br><br><strong>What you'll bring</strong><br><br><strong>R&amp;D Compensation Mastery</strong><br>• Technical Domain Depth: Deep understanding of the competitive landscape for core engineering, infrastructure, and AI/ML talent—including aggressive startup equit