Senior Director, GTM People Business Partner

Kong•Sacramento, CA

2d•$192,000 - $356,000

About The Position

Kong is hiring a Senior Director, GTM People Business Partner to serve as the senior people leader for its global go-to-market organization. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, the role sits on the Chief Revenue Officer’s leadership team and partners with leaders across Direct Sales, Sales Engineering, Sales and Business Development, Channels, Revenue Operations and Enablement in the Americas, EMEA and APJ. This builder’s role will shape how Kong’s revenue organization is designed, led, compensated and developed as the company expands globally and shifts its sales motion from API management to AI connectivity. The position leads the GTM People Business Partner team and contributes to Kong’s People operating model, including the effects of AI and automation on HR work.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in People, including 5+ years as lead business partner to a CRO, Chief Sales Officer or SVP of Sales at a B2B software company that at least doubled revenue during the candidate’s tenure.
Background in infrastructure, developer-platform, API, cloud or open-source software, with knowledge of technical sellers, solutions engineers, channel teams and how an open-source funnel feeds enterprise sales.
Experience designing sales organizations with Finance and Revenue Operations, including coverage models, spans and layers, role architecture, leveling and ramp-adjusted capacity plans.
Fluency in sales compensation, including OTE and pay-mix benchmarking, quota setting, accelerators and SPIFs, plan rollout, exceptions and disputes, and plans for usage-based products.
Track record running performance management and talent reviews for quota-carrying teams in the US and in EMEA or APJ, including exits and restructures under different employment laws.
Experience assessing and developing sales leaders, building succession plans for a revenue leadership team and coaching VP-level executives.
Data fluency, including the ability to build and defend a people dashboard and bring analysis rather than anecdotes to CRO staff meetings.
Executive presence and judgment trusted by both a CRO and a CPO, with speed and discretion on sensitive issues.
Based in Southern California, or able to spend regular in-person time with GTM leadership, with travel to San Francisco and the field.

Nice To Haves

Experience through a platform-to-AI shift in a company’s sales motion.
Experience integrating an acquired team into a sales organization.
Experience in a People function that uses AI and automation in recruiting and operations.
Experience partnering with Customer Success and Business Development as well as direct sales.
Experience building or leading a team of People Business Partners.

Responsibilities

Advise the CRO and GTM leadership on organization, talent, leadership and culture, and translate the annual revenue plan into a people plan.
Design the GTM organization, including coverage models, spans and layers, regional structures, role architecture and leveling for sales, solutions engineering, SDR/BDR, partner and enablement roles.
Partner with Finance, Revenue Operations and Talent Acquisition on ramp-adjusted capacity planning, hiring sequence by territory and start date, and monthly GTM hiring reviews.
Partner with Global GTM Compensation and Total Rewards on sales compensation philosophy, OTE and pay-mix benchmarks, quota-setting fairness, rollout, exceptions and disputes.
Lead quarterly talent and attainment reviews, calibration, promotion criteria and fair, timely performance management across US, EMEA and APJ employment law contexts.
Assess first- and second-line sales leaders, own succession plans for the CRO’s leadership team, coach senior leaders, and launch a front-line sales manager program with Sales Enablement.
Define 30/60/90-day plans with Enablement and Talent Acquisition, track time to quota, identify causes of early attrition and run targeted retention plans.
Own GTM engagement insights and follow-up actions, manager effectiveness, belonging, inclusion and distributed-team norms.
Lead GTM employee relations, investigations, restructures and international employment compliance with Legal and regional People leads.
Build the GTM people dashboard covering attrition, ramp, attainment distribution, span of control, hiring velocity and representation, and present it at every QBR.
Lead the people side of territory realignments, compensation-plan changes, reorganizations, acquisition integrations and the field’s shift to AI connectivity.
Lead the GTM People Business Partner team and help shape Kong’s People operating model, including how AI and automation change HR work.