Sales Compensation Design lead

About the role

We’re building the next generation of Revenue Operations excellence and looking for a Sales Compensation Design Lead to drive the design, planning, implementation, governance, enablement, and analysis of Sage’s sales incentive compensation plans across global regions. You’ll lead strategic design, governance, and operations of incentive compensation plans, ensuring alignment with Sage’s evolving go-to-market landscape. This role acts as the primary point of contact for sales compensation processes and policies, collaborating with teams across sales and go-to-market organizations.

You’ll join a collaborative, forward-thinking team modernizing Sales Compensation, with the opportunity to reshape and build a next-generation framework that scales across the organization, drives growth, and impacts how Sage exceeds its sales goals.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and evolution of Sage’s sales compensation strategy, plans, policies, and governance framework, ensuring alignment with company growth objectives and go-to-market transformation initiatives in each region.
• Partner with regional sales and GTM leaders to evaluate business priorities, identify incentive opportunities, and translate strategic objectives into effective compensation designs.
• Serve as a key contributor to Sage’s Sales Compensation Center of Excellence, driving plan design innovation, policy simplification, governance improvements, and scalable global processes.
• Work with Sales Ops to ensure sales compensation design and quota frameworks are aligned.
• Collaborate with Sales Operations, Finance, Rewards, HR, and other stakeholders to address sales compensation-related issues.
• Review analytics to examine and communicate the effectiveness of sales incentive programs, policies, and processes.
• Resolve complex compensation and policy issues through root-cause analysis, stakeholder partnership, and process improvement recommendations.
• Establish, centralize, and build enablement materials for the field around sales incentive compensation plans and self-service lookups for sales teams in Xactly.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience as a sales compensation design specialist, preferably with a global B2B SMB organization.
• 8+ years of advanced data analysis and financial modeling experience (Excel/Google Sheets), with a proven ability to model plan design changes and predict financial/behavioral outcomes.
• 8+ years of experience with Incentive Compensation Management systems (e.g., Xactly, Varicent).
• Strong understanding of sales compensation, plan design policies, plan operations, sales processes, compliance, and plan enablement.
• Experience influencing executive-level stakeholders through data-driven recommendations and business case development.
• Excellent troubleshooting skills to diagnose complex issues and identify effective solutions.
• Ability to deliver clear and concise written and verbal communications for internal stakeholders.
• Proven track record of managing multiple projects and initiatives simultaneously.
• Strong stakeholder management skills—able to influence across all levels of the organization.
• Exceptional organizational discipline with a focus on delivery quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, matrixed, and ambiguous environments where priorities shift and outcomes matter.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries (top 5% of similar-sized companies, according to Comparably).
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) retirement match (100% matching up to 4%).
• 32 days paid time off (21 personal days, 10 national holidays, 1 floating holiday).
• 18 weeks paid parental leave for birth, adoption, or surrogacy (offered 1 year after start date).
• 5 days paid yearly to volunteer (through Sage Foundation).
• $5,250 tuition reimbursement per calendar year (starting 6 months after hire date).
• Sage Wellness Rewards Program ($600 wellness credit and $360 fitness reimbursement annually).
• Library of on-demand career development options and ongoing training offerings.