Revenue Compensation Analyst

<div class="content-intro"><p><strong>About Tailscale&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>Tailscale is making safe connection effortless by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more. We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, sensible, and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital.</p></div><h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>About the Role</strong></span></h3> <p>We're looking for a Revenue Compensation Analyst<strong> </strong>to join our Revenue Operations team. This is a highly visible role at the intersection of Sales, Finance, People, and Revenue Operations that directly impacts how we motivate and reward our go-to-market organization.</p> <p>You'll own the end-to-end administration of our Revenue compensation programs, from monthly commission processing and audits to annual plan implementation, while partnering closely with Revenue Leadership on compensation design, quota modeling, and incentive strategy.</p> <p>This role is ideal for someone who enjoys balancing operational excellence with strategic problem solving. You'll ensure every salesperson is paid accurately and on time while helping shape compensation programs that drive the right behaviors and support the company's growth.</p> <h3>Key Responsibilities</h3> <p><strong>Own Revenue Compensation Operations</strong></p> <ul> <li>Manage the end-to-end commission process, ensuring accurate and timely monthly payouts across all variable compensation plans.</li> <li>Validate commission calculations through detailed audits of Salesforce, compensation systems, and payroll data.</li> <li>Partner with Payroll and Finance to deliver accurate commission payments and support monthly close activities.</li> <li>Administer CaptivateIQ, including participant management, quota uploads, territories, crediting rules, rate tables, and plan configuration.</li> <li>Maintain compensation documentation, plan logic, calculation methodologies, policies, and audit procedures.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Partner on Compensation Strategy</strong></p> <ul> <li>Partner with Revenue Operations and Revenue Leadership to design, model, and refine sales compensation plans, SPIFFs, accelerators, and incentive programs.</li> <li>Build financial models to evaluate plan economics, quota attainment, payout curves, and cost of compensation.</li> <li>Support annual compensation planning, quota setting, territory planning, and compensation rollouts.</li> <li>Conduct market benchmarking and analyze industry trends to ensure compensation programs remain competitive and effective.</li> <li>Evaluate the effectiveness of current plans and recommend improvements that better align incentives with company objectives.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Deliver Insights Through Analytics</strong></p> <ul> <li>Develop recurring reporting on attainment, payouts, commission spend, quota performance, and sales productivity.</li> <li>Analyze compensation data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities across segments, roles, and territories.</li> <li>Build scenario models to evaluate changes in compensation plans, quota methodologies, and organizational structure.</li> <li>Partner with Revenue Leadership, Finance, and RevOps to provide recommendations that improve performance and drive business outcomes.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Support the Go-to-Market Organization</strong></p> <ul> <li>Serve as the primary point of contact for compensation questions from sales managers and individual contributors.</li> <li>Investigate and resolve commission disputes professionally, accurately, and with strong customer service.</li> <li>Manage compensation letters, SPIFF administration, opportunity splits, territory changes, and quota assignments.</li> <li>Ensure new hires, promotions, transfers, and terminations are accurately reflected across compensation systems.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Improve Systems &amp; Processes</strong></p> <ul> <li>Continuously identify opportunities to automate manual processes and improve data quality.</li> <li>Partner with cross functionally to enhance integrations between Salesforce, commission platforms, HRIS, payroll, and ERP systems.</li> <li>Leverage AI and automation tools to improve reporting, streamline workflows, and reduce administrative effort.</li> <li>Lead cross-functional projects that improve scalability, governance, and operational efficiency.</li> </ul> <h3>What We Are Looking For</h3> <ul> <li>3–6+ years of experience (Analyst) or 5–8+ years (Senior Analyst) in Sales Compensation, Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, Finance, or Strategic Operations</li> <li>Experience administering variable compensation plans in a high-growth SaaS or technology company</li> <li>Strong understanding of sales compensation principles, quota methodology, incentive design, and GTM operating models</li> <li>Hands-on experience with a compensation platform such as CaptivateIQ, Xactly, Everstage, Forma.ai, Spiff, or similar</li> <li>Advanced Excel and/or Google Sheets skills, including complex financial modeling and scenario analysis</li> <li>Strong working knowledge of Salesforce CRM</li> <li>Experience partnering with Payroll, Finance, and Accounting on commission processing</li> <li>Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail</li> <li>Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex compensation concepts simply</li> <li>Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment</li> <li>Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field</li> </ul> <h3>Nice to Have</h3> <ul> <li>Experience supporting multiple GTM functions (Sales, SDR, Customer Success, Partnerships, Solutions Engineering)</li> <li>Experience with SQL, Sigma, Tableau, Looker, or Power BI</li> <li>Familiarity with ARR-based SaaS metrics and forecasting</li> <li>Experience implementing or administering compensation software</li> <li>Experience using AI tools to improve reporting, automation, and operational efficiency</li> </ul> <h3>What Success Looks Like</h3> <p>Within your first year you will:</p> <ul> <li>Own accurate, on-time commission processing with strong audit controls and minimal manual intervention.</li> <li>Become a trusted advisor to Sales, Finance, and Revenue Leadership on compensation-related questions.</li> <li>Improve the scalability and automation of our compensation operations.</li> <li>Deliver meaningful analysis that influences compensation design, quota planning, and territory strategy.</li> <li>Help build compensation programs that are transparent, motivating, and aligned to company growth.</li> </ul> <p>As a company, we strive to maintain fair and equitable compensation practices within our team across all roles and all levels. Tailscale's compensation package includes base salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits. The salary range displayed on each job posting represents the target range for a new hire's base salary. Individual offers may vary based on experience and skill set.</p><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p>For this position, our pay ranges reflect target OTE (on target earnings), inclusive of base salary and variable compensation tied to the attainment of quarterly sales targets.</p></div><div class="title">US Pay Range (OTE)</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$120,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$150,000 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><p><em data-stringify-type="italic">Frequently cited statistics show that people who identify with historically marginalized groups ar