Senior Principal, Sales Compensation Design & Strategy

At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet.

Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500 companies.

As the Senior Principal, Sales Compensation Design & Strategy, you will design and manage Cloudflare's Sales Compensation Plans across all customer facing teams including Sales, Technical Sales, Partner Sales, and Customer Success & Experience, to ensure they are motivating, aligned with Cloudflare's strategy, and industry leading.

Responsibilities

• Executive Leadership & Design Authority: Lead the Sales Compensation Design Process with the Executive Steering Committee, including CRO, CFO, and CPO level stakeholders.
• Drive C-level discussions on compensation philosophy, pay-for-performance outcomes, and strategic trade-offs.
• Architect new metrics that align seller incentives with Cloudflare's developer platform and AI product strategy.
• Create a 3-year roadmap for the Sales Compensation Design function.

AI-Native Compensation Design

• Build the AI Compensation Design Framework and Application - an internal capability that uses AI to accelerate plan modeling, scenario simulation, payout forecasting, and what-if analysis across thousands of sellers and territories.
• Leverage AI to design high-quality SPIFFs and incentive structures.
• Track ROI of comp plans, SPIFFs, and incentive programs using AI-driven analytics.

Cross-Functional Execution

• Collaborate with GTM Strategy, Operations, Finance, HR, IT, and Product to ensure effective deployment of compensation plans and GTM strategy.
• Lead compensation enablement and change management for the global Sales team.

Required Experience & Skills

• 15+ years of experience in Sales Compensation Design in a fast-paced tech company or as a management consultant.
• Demonstrated fluency with AI tools and AI-augmented workflows.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to architect new metrics for emerging business models.
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills, with proven experience presenting to and influencing C-level executives.

Compensation

• For New York City and Washington based hires: Estimated annual salary of $220,000 - $303,000
• For Colorado based hires: Estimated annual salary of $200,000 - $275,000
• For San Francisco Bay Area based hires: Estimated annual salary of $230,000 - $317,000