Sales Operations, Principal

Zillow

8d•Remote

About The Position

The Sales Operations Principal is responsible for owning the end-to-end strategy, design, and execution of sales compensation programs that drive performance and align with company objectives. This role operates as a strategic partner to Sales, Finance, and executive stakeholders, with accountability for shaping incentive structures, influencing business decisions, and ensuring scalable, data-driven compensation systems. This is a highly cross-functional and high-impact role that combines strategic thinking, analytical rigor, and operational leadership. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in compensation design, strong business judgment, and a proven ability to lead complex initiatives across teams with minimal direction. Own end-to-end compensation strategy and design for Sales, including plan architecture, performance metrics, and incentive structures aligned to business goals. Lead scenario modeling and decision-making, evaluating tradeoffs across cost, risk, and behavioral incentives; provide clear recommendations to senior leadership. Drive cross-functional alignment with Sales, Sales Finance, FP&A, HR, and Data teams to ensure compensation plans are well-designed, understood, and effectively executed. Establish and evolve performance frameworks, including quota setting, target-setting methodologies, and plan mechanics that balance motivation, fairness, and financial discipline. Influence sales strategy through data-driven insights, proactively identifying trends, risks, and opportunities to improve performance. Ensure integrity and scalability of compensation data systems, partnering with Data and Ops to define durable data sources, reporting, and ensure frontline visibility Communicate complex compensation concepts clearly to stakeholders at all levels, including Sales leadership and executives. Success in This Role Looks Like Compensation programs are strategic, scalable, and directly influence sales behavior and company outcomes. Sales leadership relies on this role as a trusted advisor for compensation and performance strategy. Compensation plans are clearly understood, data-driven, and motivational Cross-functional stakeholders view this role as the single-threaded owner of compensation strategy Processes and frameworks are built to scale with the organization, reducing reliance on ad hoc support This role has been categorized as a Remote position. “Remote” employees do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from a physical location of their choice, which must be identified to the Company. U.S. employees may live in any of the 50 United States, with limited exceptions. In California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington state, and Washington DC the standard base pay range for this role is $131,700.00 - $210,300.00 annually. This base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations. In Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont the standard base pay range for this role is $125,100.00 - $199,900.00 annually. The base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations. In addition to a competitive base salary this position is also eligible for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance and location. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. Employees in this role will not be paid below the salary threshold for exempt employees in the state where they reside.

Requirements

8–10+ years of experience in sales compensation, sales operations, finance, or a related analytical/strategy role.
Demonstrated experience owning compensation design end-to-end, not just supporting or administering plans.
Proven ability to make strategic decisions and evaluate tradeoffs in ambiguous, high-stakes environments.
Strong analytical and modeling skills, with experience using data to inform business decisions and influence stakeholders.
Track record of driving cross-functional alignment and influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority.
Deep understanding of sales performance metrics, incentive structures, and compensation design principles.
High attention to detail with strong ownership over data accuracy and system integrity.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex analyses into clear business insights.

Nice To Haves

Experience operating in a lead or principal-level IC role with broad ownership and autonomy.
Experience working closely with Sales Finance, FP&A, and executive leadership teams.
Familiarity with compensation systems (e.g., Xactly), CRM platforms, and BI tools.
Experience in high-growth or scaling sales organizations.
Strong business judgment and comfort navigating ambiguity and evolving business needs.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end compensation strategy and design for Sales, including plan architecture, performance metrics, and incentive structures aligned to business goals.
Lead scenario modeling and decision-making, evaluating tradeoffs across cost, risk, and behavioral incentives; provide clear recommendations to senior leadership.
Drive cross-functional alignment with Sales, Sales Finance, FP&A, HR, and Data teams to ensure compensation plans are well-designed, understood, and effectively executed.
Establish and evolve performance frameworks, including quota setting, target-setting methodologies, and plan mechanics that balance motivation, fairness, and financial discipline.
Influence sales strategy through data-driven insights, proactively identifying trends, risks, and opportunities to improve performance.
Ensure integrity and scalability of compensation data systems, partnering with Data and Ops to define durable data sources, reporting, and ensure frontline visibility
Communicate complex compensation concepts clearly to stakeholders at all levels, including Sales leadership and executives.