Senior Sales Compensation Analyst

Guardianlife; Town of Bethlehem (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian Life is seeking a Senior Sales Compensation Analyst to lead complex analysis, design, and continuous improvement of incentive compensation programs for our Group Sales Distribution organization. You will partner with senior leaders, own advanced modeling across multiple data sources, and drive initiatives that strengthen decision-making and governance.

Responsibilities include end-to-end administration of programs, executive-ready reporting, and cross-functional collaboration to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 6+ years of progressive professional experience in sales compensation, compensation, finance, sales operations, business analytics, payroll, or a related field.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data, identify trends and anomalies, evaluate business impact, and develop actionable recommendations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications, including the ability to build and validate complex models and reporting tools.
• Demonstrated experience working with large and complex datasets, reconciling information across multiple sources, and producing accurate executive-level reporting.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex compensation concepts, influence decisions, and tailor communications for senior leadership and varied stakeholder audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end administration of complex sales incentive compensation programs, including payment calculations, validation, exception management, payroll coordination, and timely delivery of accurate reporting.
• Own advanced analysis and modeling across multiple data sources to assess plan performance, identify risks and opportunities, resolve discrepancies, and provide actionable insights that support business decisions.
• Partner with senior leadership to evaluate, model, design, and implement annual incentive compensation plans and strategic enhancements aligned with business objectives, sales strategy, and financial parameters.
• Develop and deliver executive-ready presentations, plan documents, analytics, and performance reporting that clearly communicate compensation program design, results, risks, and recommended actions.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and lead compensation workstreams supporting new products, distribution channels, organizational changes, system enhancements, and other strategic business initiatives.
• Build trusted relationships with sales leaders and key business partners across Finance, Payroll, HR, Legal, Technology, and Sales Operations to anticipate needs, provide guidance, and influence decisions through data-driven recommendations.
• Establish and maintain strong governance, documentation, and quality controls; proactively assess risks and support audit, compliance, and remediation activities.
• Lead root-cause analysis and resolution of complex compensation issues, balancing accuracy, plan integrity and business outcomes.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Communication

Stakeholder management

SQL

Automation/AI tools

Presentation skills

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Access

Visual Basic

SQL

Data visualization tools

Job description

Position Summary

Do you enjoy turning complex data into meaningful business insights and translating those insights into compensation strategies that drive sales performance? Guardian's Group Distribution Compensation team is seeking a Senior Sales Compensation Analyst to lead complex analysis, administration, design, and continuous improvement of incentive compensation programs for our Group Sales Distribution organization. In this role, you will serve as a strategic and consultative partner to senior business leaders, independently lead high-impact compensation initiatives, collaborate across functions, and leverage advanced analytics, automation, and emerging technologies to strengthen decision-making. You will help ensure compensation programs are accurate, scalable, well-governed, and aligned with evolving business priorities and sales strategies.

You Are

A highly analytical and solutions-oriented professional who brings sound judgment, business acumen, and a continuous improvement mindset to complex work. You are comfortable operating with a high degree of independence, translating ambiguous business needs into practical solutions, and influencing stakeholders through clear, data-driven recommendations. You balance strategic thinking with disciplined execution, manage multiple priorities, and maintain a high level of accuracy, confidentiality, and customer focus. You also contribute to the development of team capabilities by sharing expertise, establishing effective practices, and providing guidance to others.

You Have

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 6+ years of progressive professional experience in sales compensation, compensation, finance, sales operations, business analytics, payroll, or a related field.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data, identify trends and anomalies, evaluate business impact, and develop actionable recommendations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications, including the ability to build and validate complex models and reporting tools.
• Demonstrated experience working with large and complex datasets, reconciling information across multiple sources, and producing accurate executive-level reporting.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex compensation concepts, influence decisions, and tailor communications for senior leadership and varied stakeholder audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep experience administering complex sales incentive compensation programs, including plan governance, payment validation, and issue resolution.
• Strong knowledge of compensation design, financial modeling, plan mechanics, controls, and end-to-end plan administration.
• Experience with Microsoft Access, Visual Basic, SQL, data visualization tools, or comparable technologies used to automate and enhance analysis and reporting.
• Experience supporting large or complex sales organizations, distribution teams, or multiple compensation plans and channels.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional projects involving compensation, payroll, finance, sales performance, systems, or process transformation.
• Experience applying AI-enabled tools, automation, advanced analytics, or data visualization to improve reporting, decision-making, controls, and operational efficiency.

You Will

• Lead the end-to-end administration of complex sales incentive compensation programs, including payment calculations, validation, exception management, payroll coordination, and timely delivery of accurate reporting.
• Own advanced analysis and modeling across multiple data sources to assess plan performance, identify risks and opportunities, resolve discrepancies, and provide actionable insights that support business decisions.
• Partner with senior leadership to evaluate, model, design, and implement annual incentive compensation plans and strategic enhancements aligned with business objectives, sales strategy, and financial parameters.
• Develop and deliver executive-ready presentations, plan documents, analytics, and performance reporting that clearly communicate compensation program design, results, risks, and recommended actions.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and lead compensation workstreams supporting new products, distribution channels, organizational changes, system enhancements, and other strategic business initiatives.
• Build trusted relationships with sales leaders and key business partners across Finance, Payroll, HR, Legal, Technology, and Sales Operations to anticipate needs, provide guidance, and influence decisions through data-driven recommendations.
• Establish and maintain strong governance, documentation, and quality controls; proactively assess risks and support audit, compliance, and remediation activities.
• Lead root-cause analysis and resolution of complex compensation issues, balancing accuracy, plan inten