Director, Sales Incentive Planning & Performance Management

Visa•San Francisco, CA

5d•$188,400 - $301,500•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Sales Incentive Planning & Performance Management will lead the strategy, governance, and execution of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions (CMS) performance management and sales incentive programs globally. This role serves as the connective tissue between sales leadership, finance, HR, sales compensation, business planning, and operations. The Director will ensure that sales goals, incentive plans, performance measurement, and operating processes work together to drive business outcomes. The role combines strategic leadership, analytics, operational rigor, and change management. Success requires the ability to influence senior leaders, simplify complexity, build scalable processes, and translate business strategy into measurable seller objectives and incentive programs.

Requirements

10 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 8 years of work experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters/ MBA/JD/MD) or at least 3 years of work experience with a PhD
12+ years of experience in sales compensation, performance management, commercial operations, sales operations, business planning, finance, or a related field.
Experience designing, governing, or improving sales incentive programs.
Experience leading target-setting, quota-setting, seller assignment, or performance management processes.
Demonstrated ability to work with senior executives and cross-functional stakeholders.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including experience translating data into business recommendations.
Experience building operational processes that improve speed, consistency, transparency, and accountability.
Experience supporting global or multi-region sales organizations.
Experience with incentive compensation platforms, quota tools, CRM data, or performance management systems.
Experience developing executive dashboards, attainment analysis, payout analysis, and business review materials.
Experience applying automation, AI, or advanced analytics to reduce manual work and improve quality.
Experience leading process transformation or operating model improvements in a matrixed organization.
Strategic thinking and commercial judgment.
Executive presence and influence.
Analytical rigor and data storytelling.
Ability to simplify complexity and make practical decisions.
Ownership, accountability, and follow-through.
Change leadership and process improvement mindset.
Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management.
Clear written and verbal communication.

Nice To Haves

12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or 8-10 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 6+ years of work experience with a PhD

Responsibilities

Own governance of CMS sales incentive programs globally.
Partner with Sales, Finance, HR, Total Rewards, and Sales Compensation teams to ensure incentive plans align to business priorities.
Evaluate and recommend enhancements to plan design, measures, weights, eligibility, and performance frameworks.
Develop and maintain incentive plan governance processes, policies, and decision frameworks.
Assess effectiveness of incentive programs and recommend changes based on performance outcomes.
Define and maintain consistent compensation performance frameworks across regions and business units.
Drive transparency and accountability through standardized metrics, scorecards, and executive reporting.
Establish processes to monitor performance against objectives and identify opportunities for intervention.
Partner closely with Sales, Finance, and Global Compensation teams to drive transparency, accountability, and performance outcomes.
Partner with regional and business leaders to establish seller targets and performance expectations.
Lead annual and quarterly planning processes related to sales goals and performance measurement.
Perform scenario modeling and business analysis to evaluate alternative approaches.
Ensure alignment among company objectives, business plans, quotas, incentive measures, and seller mapping.
Support the annual go-to-market planning cycle through clear governance, data-backed recommendations, and practical decision support.
Own attainment analysis, payout analysis, and incentive plan effectiveness reporting.
Develop executive-level reporting and dashboards that provide visibility into performance trends.
Translate complex data into actionable insights and recommendations.
Support business reviews, planning cycles, and executive presentations through data-driven analysis.
Build models and reporting that improve visibility into seller performance, compensation outcomes, and plan effectiveness.
Simplify and standardize performance management and incentive processes globally.
Identify opportunities for automation, AI adoption, and process improvement.
Drive efficient operating rhythms and reduce manual administration.
Establish scalable governance processes capable of supporting future growth.
Manage operational handoffs and dependencies across global and regional teams to improve timeliness, accuracy, and transparency.
Serve as a trusted advisor to Sales Leadership, Finance, HR, Sales Compensation, and Commercial Operations.
Build strong relationships across regions and business units.
Drive alignment among stakeholders with differing priorities.
Present recommendations and business insights to executive leadership.
Lead through influence in a matrixed environment and bring decisions to closure.