Director, Compensation

About The Role

We are seeking a hands-on, strategic, and analytically driven Director of Compensation to lead the design and execution of enterprise-wide compensation strategy. This includes developing and driving all aspects of Compensation, equity-based programs, variable pay, bonuses, and ensuring that our functional programs support our diverse enterprise workforce.

In this critical leadership role, you will own the end-to-end strategy for compensation across base pay, equity, variable pay, bonuses, and performance-based incentive structures—ensuring alignment with business priorities, market competitiveness, and scalable growth. A core focus will be building differentiated reward frameworks that directly drive performance and improve retention across Tech, Sales, Retail, and Operations.

You will partner closely with HR, Finance, Sales, Retail, Operations, Tech and Executive Leadership to architect compensation and rewards strategies that translate business objectives into measurable behaviors and outcomes. This includes developing innovative incentive models that motivate high performance, strengthen frontline engagement, and support a diverse, enterprise-scale workforce.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience building and scaling compensation programs in complex organizations, with a track record of modernizing reward structures to improve performance and retention. Experience with executive compensation design and administration is highly desirable, along with exposure to public company environments and governance frameworks.

You are equally comfortable operating strategically at the executive level and executing in a highly hands-on capacity. Familiarity with leveraging AI-enabled tools to enhance compensation analytics, modeling, and operational efficiency is strongly preferred.

You bring strong leadership, executive communication skills, and project management discipline, and thrive in a fast-paced environment where compensation strategy is a key driver of business success.

What You Get To Do Every Day

• Evaluate current-state compensation programs, structures, in light of a fast-moving environment and evolving macro-environment.
• Assess and prepare for future-state needs and recommend data-driven enhancements enterprise wide.
• In partnership with the VP, Total Rewards, own and evolve our compensation strategy in alignment with business priorities.
• Innovate and introduce AI tools and process approaches into our compensation department that enable greater productively and/or better outcomes.
• Lead compensation market analyses across the organization to ensure competitive market pricing and internal equity, informing compensation and benefits decisions.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to benchmark roles and design competitive total rewards packages.
• Lead the annual rewards cycle, including merit and promotion reviews, in close partnership with FP&A on budget modeling.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and consultant to business leaders on the company's total rewards philosophy.

What You Bring To The Role

Minimum Requirements:

• 7+ years of progressive compensation experience with increasing scope and responsibility, including leadership of enterprise compensation strategy and execution.
• Proven track record of designing, implementing, and scaling impactful compensation, incentive, and retention programs in high-growth environments, with a strong focus on sales operations and retail organizations.
• Deep expertise in sales compensation design, including incentive plan architecture, and performance-based reward structures strongly preferred.
• Experience in executive compensation design and administration strongly preferred.
• Experience in public company environments, including exposure to compensation committee processes, governance frameworks, and regulatory considerations strongly preferred.
• Experience in high-growth environments, including B2C, retail, or sales-led B2B organizations, with demonstrated ability to scale compensation programs in fast-paced, evolving business models preferred.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to lead multiple complex, cross-functional workstreams simultaneously.
• Strong analytical skills with expertise in data modeling, forecasting, and compensation metrics to drive insights and decision-making.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence and align cross-functional partners and executive leadership.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment while managing multiple competing priorities with strong organizational discipline.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity, with the ability to adapt quickly to changing business needs and priorities.
• Highly motivated self-starter with a strong sense of urgency and ability to deliver high-quality work under pressure.
• Strong ability to develop and mentor talent
• Ability to travel up to 10%.

Preferred Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field.
• Deep experience in sales compensation design, including incentive plan architecture, quota setting, and performance-based reward structures strongly preferred.
• Experience in executive compensation design and administration strongly preferred.
• Experience in public company environments, including exposure to governance, compensation committee processes, and regulatory considerations, strongly preferred.
• Experience in high-growth environments, including B2C, retail, or sales-led B2B organizations, with exposure to scaling compensation programs in fast-moving, evolving business models preferred.

Compensation, Benefits, + Perks

The expected salary range for this role is $195,000.00-$235,000.00. To determine starting pay we carefully consider a variety of factors, including primary work location and an evaluation of a candidate’s skills, experience, market demands, and internal parity. Additionally, salary is just one component of TRR’s total rewards package. Depending on role, employees may also be eligible for a bonus program, incentive pay and benefits.

The RealReal is the world’s largest online marketplace for authenticated, resale luxury goods, with 40 million members. With a rigorous authentication process overseen by experts, The RealReal provides a safe and reliable platform for consumers to buy and sell their luxury items. We have hundreds of in-house gemologists, horologists, and brand authenticators who inspect thousands of items each day. As a sustainable company, we give new life to pieces by thousands of brands across numerous categories—including women's and men's fashion, fine jewelry and watches, art, and home—in support of the circular economy. We make selling effortless with free virtual appointments, in-home pickup, drop-off, and direct shipping. We handle all of the work for consignors, including authenticating, using AI and machine learning to determine optimal pricing, photographing and listing their items, as well as shipping and customer service.

The RealReal is committed to providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, or Veteran status. We will consider qualified applicants for a position regardless of arrest or conviction records. At TRR, People Come First. That’s why diversity and inclusion are vital to our priorities as an equal opportunity employer. You can read about our Diversity Equity and Inclusion program here (https://www.therealreal.com/trr/diversity).

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.