Jobs / United States / Databricks
Sr. Compensation Manager, R&D
Databricks · 🇺🇸 Mountain View, California; San Francisco, California
Sponsorship verdict
Sponsorship possible
One solid signal, not two — worth applying, and worth asking about sponsorship early.
- Employer is on a government sponsor recordThe US Department of Labor certified 445 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 78 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
- The posting doesn’t mention sponsorshipSilence isn’t a refusal — ask the recruiter before investing much time.
- No salary bar for this routeH-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area. Cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b, rules effective 2026-02-27.
- What Databricks paid sponsored hires in similar roles3 certified filings for “Sr. Staff Product Operations Manager” (Operations Research Analysts) in CA: $104k–$187k, median $126k. Most were filed at wage level II (33%) — 2 lottery entries, ≈31% projected selection odds for cap-subject employers. Source: US Department of Labor LCA disclosure data (Oct 2025 – Jun 2026).
- Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
US H-1B: cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level — Level I gets 1 entry, Level IV gets 4 (DHS projected selection odds ≈15% at Level I to ≈61% at Level IV). Universities and non-profit research employers are cap-exempt. The $100,000 fee for new petitions from abroad is currently blocked by a court order (appeal pending).
A verdict summarises public evidence; it is not legal advice and never a guarantee — the employer and the immigration authority decide. Sign in to factor in where you can already work.
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Sponsor Radar — Databricks
The US Department of Labor certified 445 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 78 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
Past sponsorship or register membership never guarantees sponsorship for this vacancy or for you. Full Sponsor Radar for Databricks →
About the role
GAQ127R143 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&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. 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. The Impact you will have: Scope of the role • R&D Solutioning & Strategic Advisory (40%): Co-create custom incentive models, specialized technical compensation structures, and high-impact retention frameworks tailored specifically to hyper-competitive R&D skill sets. • 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. • Enterprise Framework Development (30%): Scale Databricks’ global compensation structure, refining market pricing models, pay-for-performance mechanics, and equity strategies. What you'll bring R&D Compensation Mastery • Technical Domain Depth: Deep understanding of the competitive landscape for core engineering, infrastructure, and AI/ML talent—including aggressive startup equity structures, tech-sector refresh strategies, and specialized software compensation models. • First-Principles Thinking: Ability to look beyond standard survey data to build custom, business-aligned compensation solutions from scratch. • Advanced Analytics: Mastery of Excel/Google Sheets required. Hands-on experience with SQL, Python, Tableau, or AI-driven analytics tools is a strong plus. Executive Partnership & Scale • Trusted Advisory: Confidence and credibility to partner directly with technical founders and executive leadership on high-stakes, sensitive pay decisions, M&A integrations, and critical offers. • Scalable Operations: Experience building scalable compensation solutions and operationalizing comp programs across complex systems without sacrificing speed or precision. 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 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 anticipates 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 About Databricks Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, A