Director, Commission Program Architecture

Sunbelt Rentals, Inc.•Fort Mill, SC

3d•$146,880 - $201,960

About The Position

The Director, Commission Program Architecture leads the enterprise strategy, design, governance, and performance management of Sunbelt Rentals’ sales commission programs. As the company’s subject matter expert, this leader translates business priorities into scalable, financially sound plans that reinforce desired sales behaviors and support growth, profitability, and operational consistency. The Director advises senior leaders, models the financial impact of proposed changes, and builds cross-functional alignment across divisional leadership, field sales, Technology, Finance, and Incentive Compensation. The role oversees the architecture and governance of commission programs covering approximately 2,500 sales representatives and 130 distinct plans. It leads a team, coordinates reviews with divisional and business leaders, guides plan changes and acquisitions, and partners with Incentive Compensation Management on implementation. The Director also contributes to KPI reporting, annual commission budgeting and forecasting, and analysis of actual results and financial risks.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, analytics, human resources, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
8–10 years of experience in sales compensation, financial analytics, or a related discipline.
At least three years of people-leadership experience.
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple complex initiatives with limited supervision while meeting deadlines and quality standards.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex commission, analytical, and financial concepts to executive, technical, and field audiences.
Strong organizational skills, sound judgment, and ability to work independently in a complex, cross-functional environment.
Ability to manage competing priorities and periods of increased workload while maintaining accuracy, responsiveness, and sound decision-making.
Ability to build alignment and collaborate effectively with executive leaders, field sales teams, Finance, Human Resources, Technology, and incentive-compensation partners.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
Experience using SQL, Databricks, and incentive compensation management platforms to support analysis, modeling, reporting, or plan administration.

Responsibilities

Lead the architecture, design standards, governance, and related processes for sales commission programs, ensuring alignment, scalability, and effectiveness.
Define plan performance measures, success criteria, direct compensation components, and sales-management metrics.
Lead the Commission Program Architecture team by setting priorities and performance expectations, developing analytical capabilities, and ensuring timely, high-quality delivery.
Conduct quarterly reviews with divisional SVPs and EVPs to evaluate plan performance, identify improvements, and address emerging concerns.
Direct annual strategic reviews with business leaders to confirm plan alignment and recommend changes for the upcoming plan year.
Assess and integrate commission plans from acquired businesses, redesigning them as appropriate to support Sunbelt’s strategy, operating model, and performance objectives.
Guide commission-plan steering committees and task forces to align desired sales behaviors with divisional and corporate goals while maintaining simple, effective plans.
Evaluate field-proposed plan changes and recommend solutions that uphold core commission principles while addressing regional and specialty-business requirements.
Partner with the Incentive Compensation Management function to prioritize and implement plan changes, establish business requirements and governance, and communicate with stakeholders.
Monitor external commission practices and engage compensation advisors or vendors as needed to benchmark programs and identify emerging design practices.
Support development of KPI reporting and analytical measures that provide insight into plan performance, commissionable and non-commissionable sales metrics, and financial outcomes.
Partner with business leaders on annual sales commission expense budgeting and forecasting, analyze actual results against plan, and communicate financial risks, opportunities, and recommended actions.