Director, Sales Compensation & Operations – Impact & Strategy

Staples, Inc.; Framingham (MA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO 22 days

Discounts

401(k) match

Wellness programs

Job summary

Staples is seeking a Director of Sales Compensation to lead the execution, governance, and optimization of incentive programs for a national sales organization.

The role partners with Sales, Finance, HR, and Sales Operations to drive profitable growth, optimize plans, and ensure compliance. Responsibilities include leadership, analytics, and governance across compensation strategy and systems.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in sales compensation, finance, or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Lead the variable compensation execution team and ensure timely payments.
• Model and execute commissions, SPIFFs, and incentive programs.
• Lead monthly and quarterly close processes with accruals and payout validation.
• Administer and configure the ICM tech stack (Anaplan, Xactly, Varicent) with high accuracy.
• Apply SOX-compliant controls and audit procedures for all comp data.
• Draft plan documents and governance charters with cross-functional partners.
• Develop dashboards and reporting for seller attainment and outcomes.
• Lead workstreams for strategic projects (M&A, new GTM models).
• Evaluate plan effectiveness and propose enhancements based on performance.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Analytical skills

Executive presence

People leadership

Change management

Cross-functional collaboration

Attention to detail

Integrity and accountability

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Master's degree or MBA

CCP/CSCP certification

Tools

Anaplan

Xactly

Varicent

Excel

SQL

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Staples is business to business. You’re what binds us together.

The Director, Sales Compensation is responsible for leading the execution, governance, and optimization of Staples' sales incentive compensation programs. Partnering closely with Sales, Finance, HR, and Sales Operations leaders, this role ensures compensation plans drive profitable growth, motivate desired sales behaviors, and align with company objectives. The Director oversees compensation strategy, operations, systems, analytics, and governance supporting a complex national sales organization.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead the variable compensation execution team. Ensure timely and accurate payments and serve as a business partner to Sales Leadership and our Sales Operations partners.
• Model and execute variable compensation plans (commissions, SPIFFs, and incentive programs) that drive desired sales behaviors and align with business objectives.
• Lead monthly and quarterly close processes: calculate accruals, validate attainment data, review payout files, and ensure accurate and timely seller payments.
• Administer and configure the incentive compensation management (ICM) tech stack (e.g., Anaplan, Xactly, Varicent): roadmap, configuration, data integrity, and user adoption, achieving >98 % calculation accuracy.
• Apply and enforce established policies, SOX-compliant controls, and audit procedures for all comp-related data flows; remediate exceptions within 30 days.
• Partner with Sales Operations, HR, and Legal to draft plan documents, governance charters, and dispute-resolution processes; ensure 100 % participant acknowledgement each plan year.
• Develop and deliver dashboards and reporting that provide actionable insights into seller attainment, compensation performance, and business outcomes.
• Lead sales-comp workstream for strategic projects (e.g., M&A sales-comp transition, new GTM models) delivering on-time, on-budget outcomes.
• Evaluate compensation plan effectiveness and recommend enhancements based on business performance, market practices, and evolving sales strategies.

What you bring to the table:

• Strategic business acumen
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Executive presence and influencing capability
• People leadership and coaching skills
• Change management expertise
• Effective cross-functional collaboration
• Strong attention to detail and execution focus
• High integrity, confidentiality, and accountability

What’s needed- Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, Human Resources, or related field or equivalent work experience.
• 10+ years of experience in sales compensation, finance, sales operations, compensation, or related fields.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing teams.
• 3+ years of experience leading implementation, enhancement, optimization, or administration of an incentive compensation management (ICM) platform.
• Experience supporting sales compensation programs involving complex organizational transformations, M&A integrations, or significant go-to-market changes.
• Experience managing large-scale compensation budgets, accruals, and payout processes.
• Advanced Excel proficiency.
• Experience with compensation management platforms (Anaplan, Xactly, Varicent, or similar).
• Experience working across Sales, Finance, HR, and Operations.
• Experience presenting business recommendations to senior leadership.

What’s needed- Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree or MBA.
• Experience leading compensation system implementations or transformations.
• Experience supporting M&A integrations, sales reorganizations, or go-to-market changes.
• Professional certification such as CCP, CSCP, or equivalent.
• Experience using SQL, Power BI, Tableau, or similar analytics tools.

We Offer:

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups
• 22 days of PTO and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays + 1 floating holiday)
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more!

The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to include the candidate's experience, skill set, education, geography, business considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for bonuses, or other forms of variable compensation.