Sales Compensation Associate

athenahealth • Boston, MA

25d • $59,000 - $99,000

About The Position

Join us as we work to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all. Position Summary The Sales Compensation Associate manages day-to-day operations for sales variable compensation programs, ensuring accurate plan administration and timely payments. This role supports plan setup, ongoing maintenance, reconciliations, and documentation while partnering closely with Sales, Finance, Accounting, and IT. This role reports to the Sr. Manager of Commissions. About the Team The Commercial Strategy & Operations (CSO) team designs and operates compensation programs that align sales incentives with business goals and customer outcomes. The team partners with Sales leadership, Finance, Accounting, Compensation, Compliance, and IT to configure systems, validate results, and provide actionable reporting. The team regularly uses tools such as Salesforce and Xactly and focuses on process improvement, internal controls, and cross-functional collaboration to scale reliable compensation operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, or related field preferred.
• 1–2 years of experience in variable compensation, sales commission administration, or related finance/operations role (required).
• Experience using Xactly Incent and/or SPIFF required.
• Proficiency with Excel at an intermediate to advanced level.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain confidentiality with sensitive compensation information.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to work with limited supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for cross-functional collaboration.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and adapt to a fast-paced environment.
• History of identifying process improvements or automation opportunities.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with CRM systems such as Salesforce highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Create, maintain, and distribute sales compensation plans and related communications.
• Manage ongoing maintenance and administration of variable compensation programs throughout the year.
• Process and validate commission payouts to ensure accurate and timely payments.
• Investigate and resolve commission reconciliations and payment discrepancies; escalate when required.
• Maintain and update detailed process documentation and internal controls for commissions operations.
• Develop and deliver reports, dashboards, and analytics to support business and audit requirements.
• Reconcile results across internal systems (e.g., Salesforce, Xactly) and ensure data integrity.
• Engage with technical partners to identify automation opportunities and implement efficiency improvements.
• Provide stakeholder training and act as a trusted advisor for employees receiving variable compensation.
• Use AI-assisted productivity tools to streamline repetitive tasks and learn new AI tools to improve accuracy and throughput.
• Participate in monthly accounting activities including commission accruals and expense reporting.
• Support year-open activities: plan setup, configuration, validation, and distribution in collaboration with CSO, IT, and Compliance.
• Participate in periodic analytic reviews of plans against business objectives and recommend adjustments.
• Provide required documentation and evidence for internal and external audits.
• Assist in ad-hoc projects to improve compensation design, reporting, or processes.

Benefits

• Along with health and financial benefits, athenistas enjoy perks specific to each location, including commuter support, employee assistance programs, tuition assistance, employee resource groups, and collaborative workspaces — some offices even welcome dogs.
• We also encourage a better work-life balance for athenistas with our flexibility.
• While we know in-office collaboration is critical to our vision, we recognize that not all work needs to be done within an office environment, full-time.
• With consistent communication and digital collaboration tools, athenahealth enables employees to find a balance that feels fulfilling and productive for each individual situation.
• In addition to our traditional benefits and perks, we sponsor events throughout the year, including book clubs, external speakers, and hackathons.
• We provide athenistas with a company culture based on learning, the support of an engaged team, and an inclusive environment where all employees are valued.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level