Sales Operations Manager - Sales Planning

Wolters Kluwer•Chicago, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sales Operations Manager - Sales Planning will own the end-to-end sales planning program for territory management and quota planning across multiple sales teams in the health division. This individual contributor role (no direct reports initially) operates as the primary planning partner to Sales leadership and Finance running 6–8 standardized planning projects per year using a repeatable methodology. The role blends process discipline and automation with strategic scenario design, building internal capability to reduce reliance on third‑party consultants. Scope includes territory design and optimization, quota methodology and allocation, capacity and coverage modeling, scenario planning, governance, and post‑implementation measurement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Statistics, Data Science, Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
5+ years in Sales Planning, Sales Operations/RevOps, or Business Planning with direct ownership of territory and quota planning.
Demonstrated success running multiple standardized planning projects across diverse sales teams in a calendar year.
Hands‑on experience with capacity/coverage models, territory design, quota methodology (top‑down & bottom‑up), and scenario planning.
Proven ability to build automated, database‑driven workflows and reduce spreadsheet dependence.
Partnered effectively with Sales Leadership, Finance, Marketing/RevOps, and HR through annual and quarterly planning cycles.
Expertise is Sales Planning Software (Anaplan, Pigment, Xactly Plan, CaptivateIQ & Varicent)
CRM: Salesforce (advanced reporting; admin exposure a plus).
BI/Analytics: Power BI (preferred), Tableau, or similar; DAX/Power Query familiarity a plus.
Planning Platforms: Xactly (preferred), Salesforce Sales Planning or Varicent (or comparable).
Data & Automation: Strong SQL (preferred); Python/R is a plus; advanced Excel for modeling (used judiciously).
Scenario & sensitivity modeling; Driver based planning a plus.
Data QA, normalization, and reconciliation across CRM/Reporting systems; metric governance and data dictionary upkeep.
Ability to operationalize models into repeatable processes and dashboards.
Strong project management to deliver 6–8 projects/year with clear milestones, RACI, and change control.
Communicate a clear vision for change, build stakeholder trust, and lead stakeholders confidently through uncertainty and transformation.
Executive storytelling with quantified recommendations and tradeoffs.
Stakeholder management and facilitation, including negotiation on coverage, account ownership, and timing.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MBA/MS) or relevant graduate‑level coursework/certification in Analytics or Operations.
Experience in multi‑segment (Enterprise/Commercial/SMB), channel/overlay models, and global or matrixed environments.

Responsibilities

Leads the Health organization’s annual and quarterly sales planning cycles, ensuring that company targets are translated into actionable capacity, coverage, and quota models.
Oversees the design and optimization of sales territories, maintaining fairness and balance across regions and segments, and applies standardized quota methodologies that incorporate ramping, seasonality, and attainment distribution.
Executes six to eight planning projects each year using a structured, repeatable methodology.
Begins with data collection and validation to ensure accuracy and consistency across multiple sources.
Conducts in-depth analysis, develops scenario models, and presents recommendations to leadership for decision-making.
Quantifies trade-offs such as revenue impact, productivity, and customer disruption, enabling informed strategic choices.
Accountable for building robust, automated workflows that reduce reliance on spreadsheets and improve data integrity.
Leverages CRM, BI, and planning tools, as well as automation and AI agents, to streamline processes and enhance scalability.
Maintains governance standards throughout the planning cycle, including rules of engagement, version control, and documentation to ensure transparency and compliance.
Partners closely with Sales, Finance, Marketing, and HR teams to align targets, budgets, and coverage models.
Provides executive-ready insights through dashboards and reports, highlighting key metrics such as territory balance, quota fairness, and over-assignment levels.
Collaborates with Chief of Staff, Sales Operations & PMO individuals to ensure execution plans are followed across the organization.
Continuously seeks opportunities to improve processes, shorten cycle times, and enhance the accuracy of planning outputs.
Ensures that the organization’s sales planning function is efficient, data-driven, and future-ready.