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Sales Incentive Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Director, Sales Incentive Compensation

Boston, MA ยท On-site

$135K - $185K/yr

Curious - we turn knowledge into action Role Purpose The Sales Incentive Compensation Director serves as the enterprise authority for global go-to-market compensation strategy, plan architecture, and ...

The Sales Incentive team supports the end-to-end sales incentive process, including plan design, administration, reporting and cost modeling for the sales incentive plans globally. About the Role: As ...

... incentives, loyalty solutions, and promotional campaigns for Fortune 1000 clients across telecommunications, automotive, and consumer goods industries. We are seeking a Vice President of Sales to ...

The Sales Incentive team supports the end-to-end sales incentive process, including plan design, administration, reporting and cost modeling for the sales incentive plans globally. About the Role: As ...

Be the subject matter expert relative to sales incentive strategy to maximize Partner sales incentives investment. * Be the subject matter expert on CDW's Achieve More Portal (AMP) incentive platform ...

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Sales Incentive information

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$22.5K

$81.6K

$154.5K

How much do sales incentive jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 21, 2026, the average yearly pay for sales incentive in the United States is $81,617.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $53,000.00 and $96,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What careers can you transition to after sales?

A sales incentive professional can transition to careers such as sales management, marketing, business development, or account management, leveraging skills in communication, negotiation, and client relationship building. These roles often require understanding of sales strategies, data analysis, and customer needs, and may involve certifications or experience in related fields.

What is the difference between Sales Incentive vs Sales Representative?

AspectSales IncentiveSales Representative
Primary RoleDesigning and managing incentive programs to motivate sales teamsSelling products or services directly to customers
Required SkillsKnowledge of compensation plans, analytics, and motivation strategiesCommunication, product knowledge, customer service
Work EnvironmentCorporate, HR, or sales operations teamsField or office sales settings
CertificationsOften no formal certifications, but familiarity with sales compensation toolsSales certifications or product training often preferred

Sales Incentive professionals focus on creating and managing programs that motivate sales teams, while Sales Representatives are responsible for directly selling products or services. Both roles are essential in the sales process but differ in responsibilities and skill sets.

What are sales incentives?

Sales incentives are rewards or benefits offered to sales professionals to motivate them to achieve specific sales targets or performance goals. These incentives can take various forms, such as cash bonuses, commissions, gift cards, trips, or recognition awards. The primary goal of sales incentives is to boost sales performance, encourage healthy competition, and align employee efforts with the company's objectives. A well-designed sales incentive program can increase motivation, enhance productivity, and help retain top sales talent.

What is a 5% incentive?

In a sales incentive role, a 5% incentive typically refers to a bonus or commission equal to 5% of sales revenue or profit generated by the employee. This percentage motivates sales staff to increase their performance and achieve sales targets, often tracked using sales management tools and performance metrics.

What is incentive in a sales job?

In a sales job, an incentive is a reward or bonus offered to motivate employees to achieve specific sales targets or performance goals. Incentives can include commissions, bonuses, or other financial rewards that encourage increased sales activity and productivity.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in a Sales Incentive Manager role, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Sales Incentive Manager, you need a solid understanding of sales operations, compensation structures, and data analysis, often backed by a degree in business or a related field. Familiarity with CRM platforms, sales performance management software, and analytics tools like Excel or Tableau is typically required. Strong communication, attention to detail, and the ability to motivate and collaborate with sales teams are standout soft skills. These competencies ensure incentive programs are strategic, fair, and drive desired sales behaviors for organizational growth.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals managing sales incentive programs?

Professionals overseeing sales incentive programs often encounter challenges such as aligning incentives with evolving business objectives, maintaining fairness and transparency, and ensuring timely and accurate payout calculations. Additionally, they must frequently collaborate with sales, finance, and HR teams to gather data and adapt plans in response to market changes or feedback. Balancing motivation for sales teams while staying within budget constraints is also a key aspect of the role.

What sales job pays the most commission?

In sales, roles such as enterprise software sales, high-end real estate, and luxury vehicle sales tend to offer the highest commissions, often exceeding 20% of the sale value. These positions typically require strong negotiation skills, industry knowledge, and sometimes certifications, with earnings heavily dependent on sales performance and deal size.
More about Sales Incentive jobs
What cities are hiring for Sales Incentive jobs? Cities with the most Sales Incentive job openings:
What states have the most Sales Incentive jobs? States with the most job openings for Sales Incentive jobs include:
Infographic showing various Sales Incentive job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 90% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 95% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $81,617 per year, or $39.2 per hour.

Director, Sales Incentive Compensation

Woodmac

Boston, MA โ€ข On-site

$135K - $185K/yr

Full-time

Posted 12 days ago


Job description

Wood Mackenzie is the global leader in analytics, insights and proprietary data across the entire energy and natural resources landscape.


For over 50 years our work has guided the decisions of the world's most influential energy producers, utilities companies, financial institutions and governments.


Now, with the world's energy system more complex and interconnected than ever before, sector-specific views are no longer enough. That's why we've redefined what's possible with Intelligence Connected.


By fusing our unparalleled proprietary data with the sharpest analytical minds, all supercharged by Synoptic AI, we deliver a clear, interconnected view of the entire value chain. Our trusted team of 2,700 experts across 30 countries breaks siloes and connects industries, markets and regions across the globe.


This empowers our customers to identify risk sooner, spot opportunities faster and recalibrate strategy with confidence - whether planning days, weeks, months or decades ahead.


Wood Mackenzie
Intelligence Connected


WoodMac.com


Wood Mackenzie Brand Video

Wood Mackenzie Values

  • Inclusive - we succeed together
  • Trusting - we choose to trust each other
  • Customer committed - we put customers at the heart of our decisions
  • Future Focused - we accelerate change
  • Curious - we turn knowledge into action

Role Purpose

The Sales Incentive Compensation Director serves as the enterprise authority for global go-to-market compensation strategy, plan architecture, and incentive governance. The role is responsible for designing commercially effective compensation programs that drive predictable revenue outcomes, reinforce strategic priorities, and support long-term organizational growth.

Operating as a senior strategic partner to executive leadership, the Director leads the development, financial modeling, governance, and optimization of all variable compensation programs across the global commercial organization. The role requires deep expertise in sales compensation strategy, strong executive presence, and the ability to influence complex cross-functional decisions across Sales, Finance, HR, and Revenue Operations.

Success in the role requires balancing commercial competitiveness, financial discipline, operational scalability, and organizational alignment while driving confidence through clear executive-level communication, analytical rigor, and disciplined governance.

Key Responsibilities

Compensation Strategy & Plan Architecture

  • Lead the end-to-end design, modeling, and strategic evolution of global sales incentive compensation programs across all go-to-market roles
  • Develop compensation frameworks aligned to corporate growth objectives, sales strategy, productivity goals, and financial targets
  • Serve as the primary internal authority on compensation philosophy, plan design, policy interpretation, and strategic exception management
  • Partner with executive leadership to evaluate the commercial and financial impact of compensation structures, accelerators, quotas, overlays, bonus programs, and strategic incentives
  • Drive enterprise-wide consistency and scalability across compensation structures while balancing regional and functional requirements
  • Reduce dependency on external consultants through development of internal strategic compensation expertise

Financial Modeling & Commercial Analytics

  • Lead advanced financial modeling, scenario planning, and stress testing of compensation programs to ensure affordability, scalability, and return on investment
  • Analyze attainment distributions, compensation leverage, productivity trends, and cost-of-sales performance to support executive decision-making
  • Provide predictive insights into sales behavior, plan effectiveness, and commercial performance risks
  • Develop executive-level reporting and analytics to support annual planning, forecasting, and ongoing business reviews
  • Partner closely with Finance and Revenue Operations to align compensation programs with broader operating plans and revenue expectations

Governance, Policy & Operational Oversight

  • Establish and maintain enterprise compensation governance standards, policies, controls, and approval frameworks
  • Ensure compensation plans, documentation, and processes are compliant with applicable laws, internal controls, and company policies across all operating regions
  • Act as the final escalation point for complex compensation interpretation matters and non-standard commercial arrangements
  • Oversee compensation administration processes to ensure accuracy, transparency, auditability, and operational discipline
  • Drive continuous improvement, automation, and simplification of compensation processes, systems, and workflows

Executive Partnership & Organizational Leadership

  • Serve as a trusted advisor to Sales, HR, Finance, and executive leadership on compensation strategy and organizational performance
  • Lead alignment discussions across senior stakeholders to ensure compensation programs support evolving business priorities and strategic initiatives
  • Present compensation recommendations, business cases, and financial analysis to executive leadership teams and governance forums
  • Build organizational confidence in compensation programs through clear communication, education, and transparent decision-making
  • Attract, lead, develop, and mentor high-performing compensation and analytics talent while fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement

Qualifications & Experience

  • 10+ years of progressive experience in Sales Compensation, Revenue Operations, Commercial Finance, Total Rewards, or related disciplines
  • Demonstrated ownership of complex global go-to-market compensation programs within high-growth or subscription-based business environments
  • Deep expertise in incentive compensation strategy, economic modeling, quota design, and commercial performance management
  • Strong executive presence with demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive cross-functional alignment
  • Prior evidence of shifting the function from an administrative cost centre to a strategic commercial partner
  • Advanced analytical and financial modeling capabilities with the ability to translate complex data into strategic business recommendations
  • Strong commercial acumen and sound judgment in balancing growth objectives, financial discipline, and organizational behavior
  • Experience leading compensation governance, policy interpretation, and exception management within complex organizations
  • Advanced proficiency with sales, compensation, and analytics platforms including Salesforce, Xactly, Varicent, PowerBI, and advanced Excel modeling
  • Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
  • Ability to operate with a high degree of discretion, professionalism, and integrity in handling sensitive business and compensation matters
  • Bachelor's degree in business, finance, economics, or related discipline required; MBA or advanced certifications preferred

Other Expectations

  • Role model strong integrity and sets an example of Wood Mackenzie's values and behaviors
  • We are a hybrid working company and the successful applicant will be expected to be physically present in the office at least 2 days per week to foster and contribute to a collaborative environment, but this may be subject to change in the future.
  • While this is expected to be a full-time role, part-time or flexible working arrangements will be considered. Due to the global nature of the team, a degree of flexible working will be required to accommodate different time zones.

Wood Mackenzie Values

  • Inclusive - we succeed together
  • Trusting - we choose to trust each other
  • Customer committed - we put customers at the heart of our decisions
  • Future Focused - we accelerate change
  • Curious - we turn knowledge

Equal Opportunities


We are an equal opportunities employer. This means we are committed to recruiting the best people regardless of their race, colour, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability or protected veteran status. You can find out more about your rights under the law at www.eeoc.gov