Org Design and Compensation
Premise: great GTM teams are built from clear roles, fair comp, and ramp discipline. We over-invest in the first 30 hires because each one sets the standard for the next 100.
1. Org chart — end of FY27 target
CEO
│
┌────────────────┬─────────┼─────────┬────────────────┐
│ │ │ │ │
CFO CTO/CPO CRO CMO VP CS
│ │ │
┌──────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────┴────────┐
│ │ │ │
VP Sales Dir of Inside Dir of Demand Brand+ Dir CS Dir CS
Enterprise Sales Sales Ops Gen Dir Content Enterp. Mid+SMB
Dir
│ │ │
┌───────┴──┐ ┌─────┴─────┐ ┌──────┴─────┐
│ │ │ │ │ │
AE×12 SE×4 ISR×40 SDR/BDR×16 CSM Ent CSM Mid+SMB
×6 ×22
Implementation×12 Support×22
Dir of Partnerships
│
▼
PAM×3 Partner Ops×1
Headcount summary
| Function | EoFY26 | EoFY27 |
|---|---|---|
| Sales (incl. SDR, AE, ISR, SE, ops) | 30 | 76 |
| Marketing | 9.5 | 21 |
| Customer Success (CSM, IM, Support) | 21 | 69 |
| Partnerships | 3 | 5 |
| PLG (Lead + growth + lifecycle + onboarding) | 5 | 9 |
| GTM Ops + Enablement | 3 | 6 |
| Total GTM | 71.5 | 186 |
2. Phased hiring plan (12-quarter sequence)
Q1 FY26 (Apr-Jun 2026) — Foundation
Must-hires (Day 0-90):
- VP Sales
- VP Customer Success
- Director of Inside Sales
- Director of Partnerships
- CMO (or upgrade existing role)
- 2 Enterprise AEs (Mumbai, Bangalore)
- 1 Sales Engineer
- 4 Inside Sales Reps
- 2 BDRs
- 2 SDRs
- 1 Implementation Manager
- 4 L1 Support Engineers
- 2 CSMs (mid-market)
- 1 Content Lead + 1 SEO Manager
- 1 Performance Marketer
- 1 Designer
- 1 Sales Operations
Total Q1 hires: ~25
Q2 FY26 (Jul-Sep 2026) — Velocity
Hires:
- 2 more Enterprise AEs
- 1 more SE
- 4 more ISRs
- 2 more BDRs
- 1 more CSM (SMB)
- 1 more Implementation Manager
- 2 Content writers
- 1 Lifecycle Marketer
- 1 PLG Lead
- 1 Field Marketing Manager
Total Q2 hires: ~16
Q3 FY26 (Oct-Dec 2026) — Scale prep
- 4 more ISRs
- 2 more BDRs
- 1 Director of Customer Marketing
- 1 PR/Analyst Relations
- 2 PAMs (Partnerships)
- 2 more L1 Support
- 1 L2 Support Engineer
Total Q3 hires: ~13
Q4 FY26 (Jan-Mar 2027) — Stabilize
- 2 more ISRs
- 1 CSM Enterprise
- 1 Customer Marketing Manager
- 1 Video Producer
- 2 more Implementation Managers
Total Q4 hires: ~8
FY27 — Aggressive scale
Add: 6 more enterprise AEs, 3 more SEs, 25 more ISRs, 8 more BDRs/SDRs, 8 more CSMs, 8 more Implementation Managers, 14 more L1/L2 support, more marketing across all functions.
3. Role definitions
CRO / VP Sales
- Owns: all new revenue
- Reports to: CEO
- Level: C-suite or VP
- Comp range: ₹80 lakh - ₹1.6 Cr CTC (60/40 base/var)
- Quota: team-rollup ARR
- Hiring profile: 12+ years SaaS sales leadership, India SMB/mid-market experience, ideally hospitality vertical, has scaled teams 0→50 reps
Enterprise AE
- Owns: 25 named accounts (T4/T5)
- Reports to: VP Sales
- Comp range: ₹35-65 lakh CTC (60/40 base/var, accelerator at 100%/120%)
- Annual quota: ₹3.5 Cr ARR
- Hiring profile: 6+ years enterprise SaaS sales, hospitality/operations vertical preferred, strong network in Indian hotel chains, MEDDPICC/CHAMP discipline
Inside Sales Rep (ISR)
- Owns: SMB pipeline + closures (T2/T3)
- Reports to: Team Lead → Director of Inside Sales
- Comp range: ₹12-22 lakh CTC (70/30 base/var)
- Annual quota: ₹70 lakh ARR
- Hiring profile: 3-5 years inside sales, ideally India SMB SaaS or hospitality industry, Hindi + English fluent, willing to dial 50/day
Sales Engineer
- Owns: technical demos + scoping for enterprise deals
- Reports to: VP Sales (dotted to Product)
- Comp range: ₹25-40 lakh CTC (80/20 base/var)
- Hiring profile: Engineering background + customer-facing comfort, 5+ years SaaS pre-sales, hospitality preferred
SDR/BDR
- Owns: Outbound prospecting + meeting booking
- Reports to: Team Lead → Director of Inside Sales
- Comp range: ₹8-14 lakh CTC (65/35 base/var)
- Target: 22 booked meetings/month, 60%+ qualified
- Hiring profile: 1-3 years sales experience, hunter mentality, high activity tolerance, Indian-market familiarity
CMO / VP Marketing
- Owns: brand + demand + pipeline
- Reports to: CEO
- Comp range: ₹75 lakh - ₹1.4 Cr CTC (65/35 base/var)
- Hiring profile: 10+ years B2B SaaS marketing leadership, India market expertise, has built marketing-sourced pipeline at scale
VP Customer Success
- Owns: NRR + customer satisfaction
- Reports to: CEO
- Comp range: ₹65 lakh - ₹1.2 Cr CTC (60/40 base/var)
- Hiring profile: 8+ years CS leadership in B2B SaaS, hospitality preferred, has scaled CS through high-growth phase
Customer Success Manager
- Owns: customer book (10-50 accounts depending on tier)
- Reports to: Director of CS
- Comp range: ₹15-30 lakh CTC (70/30 base/var)
- Targets: GRR ≥ 95%, expansion ≥ 15%
- Hiring profile: Service-oriented, technically-fluent, hotel industry knowledge a plus
Implementation Manager
- Owns: 90-day onboarding
- Reports to: VP CS
- Comp range: ₹14-22 lakh CTC (75/25 base/var)
- Targets: 90%+ on-time go-lives, ≥ +40 NPS at Day 30
- Hiring profile: Project management discipline, hospitality operations experience preferred, calm under pressure
Director of Partnerships
- Owns: partner program + partner-sourced revenue
- Reports to: CRO
- Comp range: ₹40-65 lakh CTC (60/40 base/var)
- Hiring profile: 8+ years channel leadership in B2B SaaS, hospitality vendor ecosystem network preferred
Content Lead / SEO Manager / Performance Marketer / etc.
Each functional marketing role: 3-7 years experience, comp range ₹12-25 lakh CTC, 80/20 base/var typically.
4. Compensation philosophy
Principles
- Pay for outcomes, not effort — variable comp tied to measurable outcomes
- Pay above market for top performers — 90th percentile retention strategy
- Pay base sufficient to live well — base never below 60% of CTC for non-sales
- Equity for everyone — every full-time hire gets equity (ESOPs vesting 4-year, 1-year cliff)
- Transparent comp bands — published internally; every role has a public band
- Geographic adjustments — Mumbai/Bangalore +10%, Tier-2 metros -5%, remote-friendly
Comp band structure
For every role:
- Band 1: entry / junior (0-3 years exp)
- Band 2: experienced (3-7 years)
- Band 3: senior (7+ years)
- Band 4: principal / lead (10+ years, exceptional)
Each band has ±20% range. Promotion within band based on impact; jump bands based on scope.
Variable comp design (Sales)
Quota attainment to commission rate:
0-25% → no commission (clawback territory)
25-50% → 50% commission rate
50-100% → 100% commission rate
100-150% → 130% commission rate (accelerator)
150-200% → 150% commission rate (super-accelerator)
200%+ → 175% commission rate (capped, with VP approval)
Special bonuses:
New logo (T2+): ₹15k each
New logo (T4+): ₹50k each
Switch-from-competitor: ₹25k each (T2+)
Reference customer signed up: ₹10k each
Variable comp design (CS)
NRR-based:
< 95% → 50% of variable
95-105% → 100% of variable
105-120%→ 130%
> 120% → 150%
Plus:
Expansion deal closed in book: 25% of standard sales comp on expansion
Reference customer cultivated: ₹10k each
Case study published: ₹15k each
Variable comp design (Marketing)
Quarterly bonus structure:
Marketing-sourced pipe target met: 100% of quarter target
+15% if exceeded by 10%
+30% if exceeded by 25%
Brand-metric milestone (e.g., DA threshold): one-time ₹50k team bonus
5. Equity plan
ESOP pool: 12% of company on Day 0, refreshed at each round
| Role | Default grant (% of vested equity) | Cliff |
|---|---|---|
| C-suite (CRO, CMO, VP CS, CFO, CTO) | 0.5-1.5% | 1 year |
| VP / Director | 0.2-0.5% | 1 year |
| Senior IC | 0.05-0.15% | 1 year |
| Junior IC | 0.02-0.05% | 1 year |
- Vesting: 4 years, 1-year cliff, monthly thereafter
- Refresh grants every 2 years on tenure (smaller, recognises continued contribution)
- Acceleration: 50% on change-of-control, 100% if dual-trigger (CoC + termination)
6. Ramp expectations
Enterprise AE
| Month | Expectation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Onboarding, certifications, account research |
| 2 | First customer-facing demos |
| 3-4 | First pipeline ($5+ cr in pipe by EoM4) |
| 5-6 | First closes (T2/T3 if any, building T4/T5) |
| 7-12 | Quota-attainment 70%+ |
| 13+ | Full quota |
Ramp comp protection: 100% of base + 60% of OTE variable guaranteed for first 6 months (pro-rated against actual performance).
Inside Sales Rep
| Month | Expectation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Onboarding, certifications |
| 2 | First demos |
| 3 | First closes |
| 4-6 | 70%+ quota |
| 7+ | Full quota |
Ramp comp protection: 100% base + 50% OTE variable for first 4 months.
CSM
| Month | Expectation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Onboarding, shadow existing CSMs |
| 2 | Book assigned, transition meetings |
| 3-4 | Full book ownership |
| 5+ | Full performance |
Marketing roles
| Month | Expectation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Onboarding |
| 2-3 | First campaigns shipped |
| 4-6 | Pipeline contribution measured |
7. Performance management
Reviews
- Quarterly check-ins — every IC with their manager
- Annual review — comp, promotion, scope
- OKRs — quarterly, individual + team
- 360 reviews — twice-yearly for managers
- Skip-level meetings — quarterly with skip-level manager
Performance tiers
| Tier | % of team | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Top performer (exceeds) | ~25% | Above-market comp adjustment, equity refresh, promotion fast-track |
| Strong performer (meets) | ~55% | Annual market-rate adjustment, equity continues |
| Developing (below) | ~15% | Coaching plan, 90-day review |
| Underperformer | ~5% | PIP (30-60-90 day) or exit |
PIP discipline
- Triggers: 2 consecutive quarters below target OR significant single-quarter miss
- 30-60-90 day plan with clear metrics
- Weekly check-ins with manager + skip-level
- Exit if no improvement at 90-day mark
8. Hiring discipline
Hiring bar
- 2-step interview structure: rep round → cross-functional round
- Reference checks mandatory for all senior hires
- Final-round panel includes a hiring manager + at least one cross-functional peer
- Hiring decisions are unanimous (no override by hiring manager alone)
- 60-day no-regret exit window — if a hire isn't working, exit gracefully
Diversity targets
- Gender: ≥ 35% women across GTM teams by EoFY27 (currently ~28% in Indian SaaS)
- Geographic spread: representation across 8+ cities
- Customer-facing roles: ≥ 50% from non-Tier-1 city backgrounds
- Owner: VP People (to be hired)
Interview standardisation
Every role has:
- Job description with clear competencies
- Standard interview rubric
- Anti-bias guidance
- Compensation band published
- Equity range published
- Onboarding plan templated
9. Onboarding the GTM hire
Day 1
- Welcome kit (laptop, swag, KeyNova handbook)
- Intro to manager + buddy
- HR + benefits + ESOP onboarding
- Tool access (Salesforce, Slack, Gong, etc.)
Week 1
- Company overview, customer overview, product overview
- Shadow 5 customer conversations
- Read all CLAUDE.md / sales-and-marketing docs
- Get manager-set 30-60-90 plan
Week 2-4
- Role-specific certifications (sales, CS, marketing, etc.)
- Demo certification (for sales)
- Implementation certification (for CS)
- First customer touchpoint (shadowed by mentor)
Day 30
- Manager 1:1 review
- Set goals for next 60 days
- Onboarding feedback survey
Day 90
- First performance review checkpoint
- Confirm "stay or go" mutual fit
- Goal setting for next 90 days
10. Culture and values
Operating values (we live these, don't just print them)
- Be precise. Numbers, not vibes. Specifics, not generics.
- Be useful, not impressive. Customer outcomes > internal theater.
- Honour the operator. Hoteliers run hard businesses. Don't condescend.
- Ship and learn. Default to action; correct fast.
- Trust, then verify. Hire grown-ups; check evidence.
- Speak plainly. No jargon, no posturing.
- One team. Sales, CS, Product, Engineering are colleagues, not departments.
Anti-patterns we explicitly reject
- "Always be closing" culture — pressures bad-fit deals → churn
- Quota-or-die one-quarter focus — burns out reps
- Marketing-sales war — both miss when they fight
- Customer-success-as-account-management — CSM is a strategic role
- Hero culture — sustainable systems > individual heroes
- Politics over performance — only outcomes matter
11. Remote-friendly + office strategy
Office locations
- Bengaluru (HQ) — Engineering + Senior leadership + Inside Sales hub
- Mumbai — Sales + Marketing (West) + Customer Success
- Delhi NCR — Sales (North) + Enterprise team
- Pune — Inside Sales hub (Y2)
- Hyderabad — Sales (South)
Remote roles
- Marketing, design, content (anywhere)
- Some CSM roles (after Year 1 maturity)
- Engineers (Bengaluru anchored but flexible)
In-person mandates
- All sales: hub-based, in office 3+ days/week
- All CS: hub-based, in office 3+ days/week (customer travel as needed)
- Marketing/Content: hybrid (2 days/week)
- Quarterly all-hands in-person (rotating city)
12. Comp benchmarks (used for band-setting)
Annual review against:
- Mercer SaaS India comp survey
- Radford / Aon comp data
- Public data from comparable SaaS companies (Razorpay, Zoho, Freshworks, Postman)
- Industry-specific (Hotelivate compensation surveys)
Target percentile: 75th percentile for IC roles, 90th percentile for senior leadership.
13. Key hires-to-make priority list (Q1 FY26 critical path)
- VP Sales — Day -30 search start, Day 0 offer extended, Day 30 join
- VP Customer Success — Day -30 start, Day 60 join
- CMO (or upgrade existing) — Day -30 start, Day 30 onboard
- Director of Inside Sales — Day 30 start, Day 75 join
- Director of Partnerships — Day 30 start, Day 90 join
- 2 Enterprise AEs (Mumbai, Bengaluru) — by Day 60
- Content Lead — by Day 30
- First 4 ISRs — by Day 60
- 2 Implementation Managers — by Day 75
- Director of Product Marketing (for sales enablement) — by Day 90
14. Anti-fragile org practices
- Rotation programs (sales/CS/product cross-pollination)
- Skip-level meetings quarterly
- Anonymous feedback channels (Officevibe / 15Five)
- Exit interviews recorded + patterns surfaced to leadership
- "Stay interviews" with top performers annually
- Career-pathing transparency — everyone knows the next 2 levels
- Internal mobility — first dibs on roles for current employees
Last reviewed: 2026-05-16 — needs CEO + Board sign-off on senior hires + comp bands