- Location
- San Francisco California USA
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Director
- Compensation
- $195,000–235,000/year
- Department
- Human Resources, People & Culture
- Posted
- Nov 3, 2026
About The RealReal
The RealReal is a US luxury consignment marketplace founded in 2011. It sells pre-owned fashion, jewelry, watches, art and home furnishings through its website and stores. Its teams authenticate, price and photograph goods before they go on sale.
The RealReal seeks a strategic, hands-on Director of Compensation to lead enterprise-wide strategy across base pay, equity, variable pay, bonuses, and performance incentives, with a focus on performance and retention across Tech, Sales, Retail, and Operations. The role partners with HR, Finance, executive leadership, and business teams, and leads market analysis, annual rewards reviews, and compensation modernization, including AI-enabled approaches. Expected annual salary is $195,000–$235,000; starting pay depends on work location, skills, experience, market demands, and internal parity.
Role & Responsibilities
- Evaluate existing compensation programs and structures in light of a fast-moving business and evolving macroeconomic conditions.
- Assess future-state needs and recommend data-driven improvements across the enterprise.
- Own and evolve compensation strategy with the VP of Total Rewards, aligning it with business priorities.
- Introduce AI tools and process approaches to improve productivity and outcomes within the compensation function.
- Lead compensation market analyses to support competitive 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, partnering with FP&A on budget modeling.
- Advise business leaders as a subject matter expert on the company’s total rewards philosophy.
Qualifications
- At least 7 years of progressively responsible compensation experience, including leadership of enterprise compensation strategy and execution.
- Proven ability to design, implement, and scale impactful compensation, incentive, and retention programs in high-growth environments, especially in sales operations and retail organizations.
- Deep expertise in sales compensation design, including incentive plan architecture and performance-based reward structures.
- Experience designing and administering executive compensation.
- Experience in public-company environments, including exposure to compensation committee processes, governance frameworks, and regulatory considerations.
- Experience in high-growth B2C, retail, or sales-led B2B organizations, with the ability to scale compensation programs in fast-paced, evolving business models.
- Strong project management skills and the ability to lead multiple complex, cross-functional workstreams simultaneously.
- Strong analytical skills, including data modeling, forecasting, and compensation metrics to drive insight and decision-making.
- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to influence and align cross-functional partners and executive leadership.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment while managing competing priorities with strong organizational discipline.
- Comfort operating amid ambiguity and adapting quickly to changing business needs and priorities.
- Highly motivated self-starter with a strong sense of urgency and the ability to deliver high-quality work under pressure.
- Ability to develop and mentor talent.
- Ability to travel up to 10%.
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field.
Skills
Experience
At least 7 years of progressively responsible compensation experience, including enterprise compensation strategy and execution.
Education
Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field.
Workplace
This position is based in San Francisco, California, USA.
Explore jobs in the USA.
Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 195,000 to USD 235,000 per annum.
Benefits
Employees may be eligible for a bonus program, incentive pay, and benefits, depending on the role.
Culture
A consignment passes through several hands. Authentication specialists examine the item, merchandising teams prepare the listing and client teams work with the person who consigned it.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like The RealReal, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Compensation Director», «Director of Total Rewards», «Head of Compensation», «Director of Rewards Strategy», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.