Compensation

Components of compensation

Base pay

At Sourcegraph, we aim to hire the best possible talent. Our band entry points are benchmarked to the 75th percentile of US technology company market data, and the top of band is 15% above the band entry point. We revisit salary bands every six months to ensure our compensation remains up to date and market competitive.

Equity

We are an early-stage company, and every Teammate can have a huge impact on our success. We want to make sure that everyone has a financial stake in our success and that contributions are rewarded.

• See Equity FAQ.
• See How and when stock option grants are calculated.

Benefits and perks

• See benefits and perks

Commissions and bonuses

We provide variable compensation in the form of commissions for roles that are measured by numerical performance (including certain roles in the Sales and Customer Engineering organizations), but we do not use recurring formal bonuses otherwise.

How market data informs our compensation bands

The People Team re-evaluates compensation bands every six months to ensure continued market competitiveness. Our use of market data is the cornerstone of our compensation philosophy.

To ensure a data-driven approach to compensation, Sourcegraph subscribes to two salary surveys, Radford and Option Impact. We also may consider ad hoc data, such as data collected during the recruiting process, to adjust bands. We bias toward larger data sets and therefore use Radford as our primary benchmarking tool.

Survey data is used to set band entry points at the 75th percentile of US market data, and top of band at 15% above the band entry point. This means that our compensation band entry points are market competitive from the outset, with plenty of room to grow as Teammates progress in the band. By establishing competitive band entry points, we attract and retain the best talent while maintaining a compensation philosophy that is location agnostic.

We are committed to adjusting our compensation bands in response to market shifts, or as scope of roles within Sourcegraph evolve.

How new hire compensation decisions are made

New Teammates are hired at the 75th percentile of market for their role. Our philosophy is to make offers that are market competitive and consistent, in order to ensure candidates feel appropriately valued and aren’t forced to negotiate. We believe that opening up offers to negotiations can lead to inequitable and biased compensation in the long-term, and we strive to reduce the impact of negotiations on offers and raises as much as possible.

In business-critical cases, we may make exceptions and allow an offer above the entry point of the band, however, this will require a business case that will need to be approved by the Department-Executive, VP of Talent, and CEO. We are extremely conscientious of internal parity and make exceptions only in cases where differences can be justified.

How leveling decisions are made

Sourcegraph leveling decisions anchor on the Leveling Guidelines.

Pay transparency at Sourcegraph

At Sourcegraph, Teammates are able to view all compensation bands used in our organization, including their own. When a band has more than 5 Teammates in it, all salaries within that band are also visible. We believe that full transparency of our compensation bands creates clear accountability for all compensation decisions, and ensures pay parity.

Our compensation bands are published internally. We periodically add new bands as new roles are hired for.

How to view our internal compensation bands

Our compensation bands are internally viewable to all Teammates in Assemble. Assemble is live for all Managers effective 2022-09-29. Assemble will go live for all Teammates effective 2022-10-14.

Logging into Assemble

1. Navigate to: https://app.assemble.inc/
2. Log in using Google SSO

To find your band:

Finding your band is a two step process.

Step 1: Look up your job code in Bamboo

1. Login to Bamboo
2. Click “My Info” on the top of the page
3. Select the “Job” tab on your profile
4. Scroll down to the “Compensation” header
5. Find your Radford Job Code

Step 2: Use your job code to find your band in Assemble

1. Navigate to: https://app.assemble.inc/
2. Log in using Google SSO
3. Click “Foundations” on the left sidebar
4. Select your Department
5. Select your Career Ladder (this should match your job title)
6. Find your Title + Radford job code

• You’re also able to see other job codes/bands within your own career ladder on this page.

To find your team’s comp bands (people managers only)

1. Click “People” on the left navigation bar
2. Select “My Team” at the top of the page
3. Bands will be visible on this page

Assemble displays placement in band as “Below” “In Band” or “Above Band.” As a reminder, we expect Teammates to be within the band. Teammates new to role will be at the entry point of band.

Pay transparency questions

Will pay data be anonymized or aggregated in any way or will we be able to see exactly who makes what?

Yes, data will be anonymized. We’ve discussed full pay transparency (that is, seeing exactly who makes what) but received mixed feedback. We are still discussing this possibility but have no short-term plans to publish pay data for each individual. If more than 5 individuals hold a title, we will publish a list of salaries in that band.

What components of pay are transparent?

Compensation bands reflect cash pay, or cash+commission-based pay for commissionable Teammates. We share cash pay because its value is easier to quantify and, therefore, easier to share

Who can see our compensation bands?

Compensation will be transparently available internally only. During the Recruiting process, our Recruiting Team will share our transparent approach to compensation with candidates.

May I opt out of my own compensation being transparent?

If fewer than 5 individuals hold your title at Sourcegraph, your salary will not be published. We are implementing a 5 person threshold to anonymize data.If you share a role (that is, same job title & job level) with 5 or more individuals, your salary will be published internally, although not along with your name.

Is it legal for a company to publish compensation for Teammates everywhere that we operate?

Yes. Some countries limit demographic data shared along with compensation. We will not share demographic data with our compensation bands on an individual level. We will conduct equality reviews as we look at compensation at Sourcegraph holistically.

Why do some bands list the number of teammates at each pay ratehave scatterplots, while others do not?

Pay bands with more than 5 teammates will visually display where all teammates fall in the band. Bands with fewer than 5 teammates will show just the range - not individual salaries within that range.

General compensation questions

My pay is out of band - what does that mean for me?

We do not allow salaries to fall below our established pay entry points. We do, however, allow salaries to exceed the tops of our bands. We strive to give meaningful merit and promotion-related increases, regardless of position in the band - this means individuals paid above their band can still receive increases. We may also utilize other options to reward performance.

Can I see the full survey data for my role?

No. Unfortunately, our survey contracts restrict us from widely distributing data.

How often are bands updated?

We update bands once every six months.In rare instances, we will update bands when an individual is hired from outside of Sourcegraph higher than the band entry point, if our surveys suggest the market has significantly changed from when the band is set. When bands are updated, we provide market adjustments so no one falls below the band entry point.

Generally speaking, revisiting bands every six months helps avoid market volatility and allows us to extend offers to external candidates consistent with internal pay.

Where do I learn more about leveling at Sourcegraph?

For information about leveling at Sourcegraph at a high level, check out the Sourcegraph Leveling Guide.

For department specific career development frameworks, check out this handbook page.

Where can I view my level? Where can I view my colleague’s levels?

You can view your job level in BambooHR. From the BambooHR homepage, click “My Info” on the top navigation bar. Select the Job tab and scroll down to the Compensation section. Levels are listed in the field, “Compensation Category and Level.”

Currently, you cannot view other teammates’ job levels. We are constantly evaluating and expanding our pay transparency policy and this may change in the future.

I received an external offer higher than my current pay and/or the entry point of our band. Will Sourcegraph counter offer? Does that indicate below-market pay here?

Congratulations! We support our Teammates in growing through their careers, even if it might mean you’re leaving us.

Generally speaking, we do not provide counter offers, for the same reason we try not to negotiate starting offers - we believe it can lead to inequitable and biased compensation in the long-term. Our philosophy is to target the 75th percentile as our band entry point for every role and level, so that we are consistently paying above market. We do use external offers as a data point to ensure we are remaining competitive and our bands are accurate and up to date however, so we are always open to a discussion! If we find our band has a low sample size, or may be inaccurate or lagging for any reason, we may consider making an adjustment to the band that would apply to all teammates in that role and level.

How do we address currency fluctuations?

Because we benchmark to US-based data and offer location-independent pay, we use currency conversations for international Teammates. The Sourcegraph Finance team is responsible for determining the currency conversion rate used when Teammates are paid in their local currency as opposed to US dollars. The currency conversion rate is applied to base salary and bonuses/commissions.

To determine a fair and reasonable currency conversion rate, and in order to ensure that all teammates are paid consistently, the Sourcegraph Finance team will review currency conversion rates on an annual basis, and the currency conversion rates that are determined at these intervals will be used for all pay adjustments, and all new hires, for the 12 months following this review.

To calculate the currency conversion rate, the Sourcegraph Finance team will take the trailing 12-month average.

Inflation is currently high in the US, and other parts of the world. How is inflation taken into account?

By pulling market data and benchmarking our roles every 6 months, we move as the market moves. Our compensation data is updated quarterly, and we pull the data every 6 months, which keeps our compensation bands up to date with the market. This ensures we stay competitive, and continue to pay at the 75th percentile, in times of stability or market volatility and inflation.

My level is M4 and I have a director title. My colleague is M5 with a director title. Why is there a difference?

Our internal titles vary from team to team, so you may notice some job codes where levels may not match titles in this way. When we match our internal jobs to external salary survey data by focusing on core competencies, rather than title naming conventions.

My level surprises me, or I’m not sure what my level is - who can I speak to?

Start with your manager if you have any questions about your compensation level or Radford code match. You can also reach out to your People Partner to discuss!

If we hire externally into the entry point of our salary bands, why are some Teammates paid higher in band, or even above band?

Most individuals were hired into Sourcegraph at the 75th percentile of market at the time their offer was made. We offer several opportunities for Teammates to receive increases that reward and recognize their impact. Read about our merit increase philosophy here.

How do I move up in my band?

We regularly evaluate compensation regularly. We believe deeply in rewarding and recognizing impact. Strong performance at Sourcegraph will result in regular compensation increases, both based on impact and also as the result of a promotion. Learn more about our impact reviews here.

I’m at the entry point of the band, does that mean I’m underpaid?

No, our band entry points are set competitively at the 75th percentile of US salaries. Teammates have regular opportunities to receive pay increases through our impact review cycles and promotion. We hire all new Teammates into our band entry points - it’s how we’re able to hire and retain amazing talent!