Senior Manager, Variable Compensation

Relation Insurance Services; Overland Park (KS); On-site; USD 125,000 - 211,000; Full time

Job summary

Relation Insurance Inc. is seeking a Senior Manager, Variable Compensation to lead the design, governance, and continuous improvement of our variable pay programs across automated and manual workflows.

You will partner with Sales, Finance, and Operations leadership to ensure accurate payouts, data integrity, and compliance, while guiding integration efforts during acquisitions and delivering actionable leadership insights.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent required.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field strongly preferred.
• Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible experience in variable compensation, commissions administration, financial analysis, accounting operations, or related analytical work.
• Minimum of 3 years of demonstrated experience leading teams and/or people leaders in a compensation, finance, or operational environment.
• Strong knowledge of commission and incentive compensation calculations, reconciliations, reporting, plan administration, and operational controls.
• Experience managing or overseeing complex compensation issues across both standardized and exception-based/manual workflows.

Responsibilities

• Leads operational oversight and governance of variable compensation programs across automated and non-automated compensation workflows, ensuring accurate, complete, and timely payouts in accordance with plan provisions.
• Serves as the senior escalation point for complex compensation issues.
• Establishes and monitors operational controls, review procedures, documentation standards, and audit-ready practices to support payment accuracy, data integrity, confidentiality, and compliance with applicable pay requirements and company standards.
• Leads compensation-related acquisition and integration readiness, including review of historical compensation practices, transition risk identification, cutover planning, testing oversight, issue escalation, and post-close stabilization to support accurate and timely compensation payments for acquired teams.
• Reviews and oversees monthly variable compensation calculations, reconciliations, adjustments, and payout reporting across responsible workstreams.
• Ensures strong coordination between automated and manual compensation processes.
• Partners with Sales, Finance, and leadership to support implementation and administration of commission and incentive plans, policy changes, compensation memos, and related communication.
• Identifies, evaluates, and improves variable compensation processes.
• Oversees reporting and analysis from multiple systems and data sources, ensuring data validation, exception research, and integrity of compensation-related information. Develops and delivers compensation reporting, dashboards, and leadership insights that identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Supports preparation and review of commission statements, summaries, dashboards, presentations, and recommendations for finance and sales leadership.
• Leads or supports process, workflow, and system enhancements.
• Supports audits, internal controls, confidentiality requirements, and compliance with applicable pay requirements and company standards.
• Leads hiring, onboarding, coaching, development, performance management, and workforce planning.
• Identifies opportunities to leverage technology, automation, reporting tools, and AI-enabled solutions to improve compensation processing, validation, exception management, workflow efficiency, and leadership reporting.
• Assists with related accounting, finance, operational, and analytical projects and performs special projects and other duties as assigned.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Pivot tables

Data analysis

Communication

Financial analysis

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration

Tools

Internal systems

Job description

WHO WE ARE

Relation Insurance is a leading, innovative company with a strong commitment to excellence and a passion for delivering cutting-edge solutions to our clients. As a key player in the insurance market, we pride ourselves on our dynamic culture, collaborative environment, and continuous drive for success. With a rich history and a bright future ahead, we are looking for exceptional individuals to join our team and contribute to our ongoing growth and success.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

The Senior Manager, Variable Compensation leads the execution, governance, and continuous improvement of Relation’s variable compensation programs across automated and non-automated workflows. The individual in this role serves as a senior escalation point for complex compensation matters, owns key compensation processes and controls, supports acquisition readiness and integration activity and partners with Sales, Finance, and Operational leadership to strengthen accuracy, consistency, reporting, scalability, and compliance across the function.

A GLIMPSE INTO YOUR DAY

• Leads operational oversight and governance of variable compensation programs across automated and non-automated compensation workflows, ensuring accurate, complete, and timely payouts in accordance with plan provisions.
• Serves as the senior escalation point for complex compensation issues.
• Establishes and monitors operational controls, review procedures, documentation standards, and audit-ready practices to support payment accuracy, data integrity, confidentiality, and compliance with applicable pay requirements and company standards.
• Leads compensation-related acquisition and integration readiness, including review of historical compensation practices, transition risk identification, cutover planning, testing oversight, issue escalation, and post-close stabilization to support accurate and timely compensation payments for acquired teams.
• Reviews and oversees monthly variable compensation calculations, reconciliations, adjustments, and payout reporting across responsible workstreams.
• Ensures strong coordination between automated and manual compensation processes.
• Partners with Sales, Finance, and leadership to support implementation and administration of commission and incentive plans, policy changes, compensation memos, and related communication.
• Identifies, evaluates, and improves variable compensation processes.
• Oversees reporting and analysis from multiple systems and data sources, ensuring data validation, exception research, and integrity of compensation-related information. Develops and delivers compensation reporting, dashboards, and leadership insights that identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Supports preparation and review of commission statements, summaries, dashboards, presentations, and recommendations for finance and sales leadership.
• Leads or supports process, workflow, and system enhancements.
• Supports audits, internal controls, confidentiality requirements, and compliance with applicable pay requirements and company standards.
• Leads hiring, onboarding, coaching, development, performance management, and workforce planning.
• Identifies opportunities to leverage technology, automation, reporting tools, and AI-enabled solutions to improve compensation processing, validation, exception management, workflow efficiency, and leadership reporting.
• Assists with related accounting, finance, operational, and analytical projects and performs special projects and other duties as assigned.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THIS ROLE

• High School diploma or equivalent required. Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field strongly preferred.

• Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible experience in variable compensation, commissions administration, financial analysis, accounting operations, or related analytical work, including responsibility for complex compensation programs spanning multiple regions, business units, acquisition integrations, or compensation workstreams.

• Minimum of 3 years of demonstrated experience leading teams and/or people leaders in a compensation, finance, or operational environment.

• Strong knowledge of commission and incentive compensation calculations, reconciliations, reporting, plan administration, and operational controls.

• Experience managing or overseeing complex compensation issues across both standardized and exception-based/manual workflows.

• Working knowledge of accounting principles and U.S. regulatory pay requirements.

• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, complex formulas, and data analysis; proficiency with reporting tools, internal systems, and compensation-related workflows. Must be computer literate with the ability to learn new software/systems.

• Strong analytical, critical thinking, problem-solving, and organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple deadlines, projects, meetings, and escalations.

• Strong communication and relationship-management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across Sales, Finance, operational teams, and leadership.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound judgment, and uphold high standards of data integrity.

WHY CHOOSE RELATION?

• Competitive pay.
• A safe and healthy work environment provided by our robust benefit program including family health and wellness programs, 401K, employee assistance programs, paid time off, paid holidays and more.
• Career advancement and development opportunities.

Note: The above is not all encompassing of the full position description.

Relation Insurance Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. At Relation, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is presented within this posting.

You may also be eligible to participate in a discretionary annual incentive program, subject to the rules governing the program, whereby an award, if any, depends on various factors, including, without limitation, individual and organizational performance.

$125,000.00 - $211,000.00