Head of Compensation Analytics & AI Strategy

Databricks Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 196,100 - 299,550; Full time

Job summary

Databricks is seeking a compensation analytics leader to drive enterprise-wide analytics and AI-enabled data strategy. You’ll transform compensation data into insights, support senior leadership with data-driven pay decisions, and partner with Finance on budget planning and governance.

The role combines compensation expertise with data governance, privacy, and strategic thinking to anticipate market trends and elevate decision making across the company.

Qualifications

• Data fluency: transform raw, complex data into insights and tooling.
• SQL: strong querying ability for analytics.
• Tableau/BI: proficient in dashboards and analytics platforms.
• Python: hands-on experience applying AI to compensation analytics.
• Global compensation knowledge and pay-for-performance design.

Responsibilities

• Own enterprise-wide compensation analytics and the benchmarking process.
• Lead AI and data strategy within the Compensation function.
• Collaborate with Finance on cash, equity budgets, and spend modeling.
• Track market trends and provide data-backed recommendations for pay decisions.

Skills

Data fluency

SQL

Tableau

Python

AI for compensation

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field

Tools

Excel

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

United States

(GAQ327R301)

Databricks is seeking a data-driven compensation professional to lead our Compensation Analytics & Intelligence function. This role will provide centralized compensation analytics and intelligence to drive better, faster, and more consistent decision-making through the effective use of data. This is a key role within the Compensation function at Databricks.

This is a builder’s role for someone who lives at the intersection of compensation, data, and strategy. You will transform enterprise-wide compensation data into insights and operational tooling, serve as the function’s go-to lead for AI and data strategy, and act as a trusted thought partner to senior leaders on the company’s most complex pay challenges — all while maintaining the highest standards for data governance, privacy, and security. In a talent market this dynamic, you will be the person who sees where the market is moving before it moves.

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 team member who brings rigor, intelligence, and world-class craft to that mission.

The impact you will have:

Scope of the role

This is a hands-on, high-impact role that will effectively cover the below areas and the anticipated time spent on each:

• Company-wide program analytics (35%) — Own enterprise-wide compensation analytics: the market benchmarking process, total comp budget forecasting, and the analytical backbone for major program decisions.
• AI & data strategy lead (25%) — Serve as the Compensation function’s lead on AI and data strategy.
• Partnership with Finance (20%) — Partner with Finance teams on cash compensation budgets and spend. Collaborate on equity budget and spend modeling in close partnership with the Exec & Equity comp lead.
• Competitive intelligence & QBR reporting (10%) — Track market trends and spikes/cool-downs across cash, equity, and total rewards.
• Strategy & program design partnership (10%) — Provide thought partnership on major comp program design and company-wide strategic problems

What we look for:

We’re looking for someone who has the following strengths

Analytics

• Data fluency — This is the heart of the role. Exceptional analytical skills with a proven ability to transform raw, complex data into insights, tooling, and recommendations. You see the story in the numbers and build the systems that surface it.
• Know your tools — Advanced capabilities required in gSheets and Excel. Strong working fluency in SQL and experience with BI / analytics platforms (e.g., Tableau, AI/BI) strongly preferred; Python and hands-on experience applying AI to comp analytics are a meaningful plus.
• Lead on AI — Genuine enthusiasm and sound judgment for how AI can responsibly transform compensation work, paired with a sharp instinct for data privacy, governance, and the downstream implications of how sensitive data is handled.
• Know your craft — Solid foundation in job architecture, comp frameworks, market pricing, year-end and midyear pay cycles, global compensation practices, and pay-for-performance design.
• Be rational — Ability to balance deep comp knowledge with business solutioning from a first-principles viewpoint.

Operational & partnership excellence

• Build innovatively & scale effectively — Create frameworks and solutions that not only solve today’s issues but anticipate future needs.
• Operational capability — Connect the dots between systems, players, and programs to seamlessly deliver compensation analytics and tooling.
• Savvy collaborator & trusted advisor — Comfortable leading conversations with Finance and senior leadership, navigating at times competing priorities and opinions, and supporting sensitive, high-stakes compensation decisions with sound judgment and data-backed recommendations.

Pay Range Transparency

Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents the expected base salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings for commissionable roles. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipated utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page here .

Zone 1 Pay Range

$217,800 — $299,550 USD

Zone 2 Pay Range

$196,100 — $269,600 USD

Zone 3 Pay Range

$185,200 — $254,650 USD

Zone 4 Pay Range

$174,200 — $239,600 USD

About Databricks

Databricks is the data and AI company. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including Comcast, Condé Nast, Grammarly, and over 50% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to unify and democratize data, analytics and AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow. To learn more, follow Databricks on Twitter ,LinkedIn and Facebook .

Benefits

At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click here .

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.

Compliance

If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

First Name *

Last Name *

Preferred First Name *

Email *

Phone

Country *

Phone *

Location (City) *

Resume/CV *

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

LinkedIn Profile

Website

How did you hear about this job?

Are you legally authorized to work in the country in which you are applying? * Select...

Do you now or will you in the future need sponsorship for employment visa status in the country in which you are applying? * Select...

Do you currently or have you previously worked for Databricks in the past? * Select...

Please confirm whether any of the below applies to you. Select all that apply.Note: This information will only be used to ensure compliance with U.S. sanctions and export controls. *

Citizen or permanent resident of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, or Syria

Ordinarily a resident of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria or the Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, or Kherson regions of Ukraine

Ordinarily a resident of Russia or Belarus and not willing to relocate for a Databricks role

None of the above

If you selected a response to the prior question other than “none of the above,” please confirm whether any of the following also applies to you. Select all that apply. *

U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder)

Individual granted asylum in the U.S.

Individual granted refugee status in the U.S.

Individual granted citizenship in a country other than Cuba, Iran, North Korea, or Syria

Individual granted permanent residency in a country other than Cuba, Iran, North Korea, or Syria

None of these apply to me

Not applicable (i.e., I selected “none of the above” for the prior question)

Tell us about a complex dataset or operational challenge (such as a global pay-equity audit, an equity pool modeling exercise, or a comprehensive market-pricing refresh) where you built a custom tool, model, or automated workflow to extract insights and drive a major compensation decision.In your response, please walk us through:1. The specific tools, databases, or technologies you used to build this solution (e.g., advanced Excel/gSheets, SQL, Python, Tableau, or AI-assisted workflows) and why you chose them.2. How you designed the data structure to ensure scalability, and the specific safeguards you implemented to protect data privacy, governance, and sensitive employee information.3. How you translated the raw outputs of your model into a clear narrative that successfully convinced leadership to take action. *

Tell us about a time when a standard, "by-the-book" compensation framework or industry benchmark simply did not fit the unique business reality of a specific team, region, or high-stakes talent situation. How did you use first-principles reasoning to design a custom solution?In your response, please address:1. The conflict between the standard comp framework (e.g., rigid pay bands, standard equity guidelines, or geographic differentials) and the pragmatic needs of the business.2. The specific data and core business logic you used to build a new, rational solution from scratch rather than just falling back on standard practices.3. How you balanced this custom solution with the need to maintain overall consistency, fairness, and cost control across the wider organization. *

Describe a time when you designed and rolled out a new compensation tool, dashboard, or analytical framework (e.g., a real-time equity model, a revamped merit cycle tracker, or automated pay-equity reporting) that had to scale across the organization while navigating competing priorities from Finance or senior leadership.In your response, please walk us through:1. How you architected the tool or framework to ensure it solved immediate operational bottlenecks while anticipating future system growth, data flows, and team expansion.2. The specific technical, system, or process integrations (connecting HRIS, compensation tools, finance systems, etc.) you had to orchestrate to make the delivery seamless.3. How you navigated different opinions or pushback from key stakeholders (especially Finance or senior leadership) to earn their trust and secure final alignment on your recommendation. *

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Databricks’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305

Page 1 of 1

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 04/30/2026

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp .

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
• Diabetes
• Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
• Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
• Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
• Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
• Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
• Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
• Short stature (dwarfism)
• Traumatic brain injury

Disability Status Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.