Finance Associate Director, Sales Compensation, MI

Jobtailor

New York (NY)

On-site

USD 130,000 - 195,000

Full time

6 days ago

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Job summary

Jobtailor seeks a senior leader to own global sales compensation operations in the United States, ensuring accuracy, governance, and payroll integrity across modeling, calculations, and payout processes.

You will partner with Sales, Finance, Payroll, Legal, People Partners, and Compliance to forecast total plan spend, assess plan changes, and validate outcomes before payroll submission.

Qualifications

7+ years in sales compensation operations or related finance roles.
Experience with global or multinational environments.
Deep knowledge of plan mechanics, crediting rules, and payout calculations.
Strong proficiency in Excel and data modeling.
Experience supporting SOX and internal controls over financial reporting.

Responsibilities

Serve as global owner for sales compensation operations and payroll governance.
Lead compensation modeling, stress testing, and payout forecasting.
Oversee SOX controls, audit readiness, and dispute resolution.
Explain complex commission formulas to sales reps and leaders.
Collaborate with Sales, Finance, Payroll, Legal, and Compliance teams.

Skills

Sales compensation operations

Financial governance

Compensation modeling

Advanced Excel

SOX compliance

Tools

Xactly

Varicent

Anaplan

SAP Commissions

Power Query

Job description

Serve as global owner for sales compensation operations
Ensure accuracy, governance, and financial integrity of commission payments across the end-to-end process
Lead compensation modeling, stress testing, monthly commission calculations, payroll processing, SOX controls, dispute resolution, clawbacks, recoveries, and plan effectiveness analytics
Partner with Sales, Finance, Payroll, Legal, People Partners, and Compliance teams
Build and execute scenario modeling and stress-testing frameworks to forecast total plan spend
Assess financial impacts of plan adjustments, structural redesigns, and macroeconomic shifts
Generate and refine global payout estimates and compensation decision models
Analyze plan effectiveness metrics and support plan optimization and annual target-setting frameworks
Lead final validation and control oversight for global commission payroll runs
Provide final review and sign-off before payroll submission
Evaluate and authorize large payments, non-standard payouts, executive incentives, and high-value commission exceptions
Review and approve withholding, recovery, draw, guarantee, and clawback protocols
Sign off on monthly Audit and SOX controls and maintain audit readiness
Perform risk evaluations related to cancellations, retroactive adjustments, clawbacks, overrides, data integrity, and security
Conduct variance analyses, automated sanity testing, and spot-checks
Support resolution of sensitive compensation disputes and high-value grievances
Review and approve calculation overrides, custom exceptions, and commission structures tied to reductions in force
Explain complex commission formulas, crediting rules, and payout outcomes to sales representatives, managers, and senior leaders

Requirements

7+ years of relevant experience in sales compensation operations, finance governance, audit, sales operations, corporate financial modeling, or corporate incentive strategy
Experience preferably within a global or multinational environment
Strong understanding of complex sales compensation plan mechanics, including quotas, accelerators, thresholds, caps, splits, crediting rules, draws, guarantees, clawbacks, recoveries, adjustments, SPIFFs, and executive incentive structures
High-level administrative and structural knowledge of enterprise calculation platforms such as Xactly, Varicent, Anaplan, SAP Commissions, or similar systems
Deep understanding of interactions between rate tables, crediting rules, splits, formulas, and calculation logic
Advanced proficiency in Excel and data modeling, including nested logic, dynamic arrays, Power Query, large dataset reconciliation, variance analysis, scenario modeling, stress testing, and payout forecasting
Practical experience with script-based reconciliation or automation tools
Knowledge of VBA, Python/Pandas, SQL, Alteryx, or equivalent methods is a significant advantage
Ability to identify, evaluate, and mitigate payment, adjustment, override, data integrity, data security, and exception risks
Demonstrated ability to support SOX and internal controls over financial reporting
Ability to maintain audit-ready documentation, approvals, and evidence
High emotional intelligence, composure, and ability to operate during deadline-driven payroll cycles
Commitment to standardized operational checklists, SOPs, and governance workflows
Ability to deliver clear, data-backed recommendations to Sales executives, HR leaders, and Finance directors
Ability to manage sensitive compensation grievances, payout disputes, calculation overrides, and exception requests with objectivity, diplomacy, confidentiality, and sound judgment
Exceptional self-organization and deadline management
For the US location: indefinite right to work in the United States

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in sales compensation operations, financial governance, and audit processes, with a strong focus on complex compensation plan mechanics and data modeling. Proficient in managing sensitive compensation disputes and ensuring compliance with SOX controls and internal financial reporting standards.

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