Sales Plan Administration & Governance Manager

Valley National Bank•Morristown, NJ

About The Position

The Sales Plan Administration & Governance Manager administers and governs incentive plans across three businesses. The role manages recurring plan cycles, plan launches and changes, scorecards, validation, issue resolution, exceptions, and governance forums. It partners with Sales & Service, business leaders, Finance, Risk, Compliance, Data, and Technology to translate approved plan terms into operating procedures and controls, validate reporting and incentive-tracking logic, and monitor plan performance. The position also uses Excel and Power BI to reconcile results, identify anomalies, and prepare actionable reporting for leaders. It combines hands-on execution with process leadership in a small team and requires discretion when handling confidential compensation, performance, and employee data.

Requirements

Track record administering or governing incentive plans, scorecards, or variable compensation programs on recurring cycles with deadlines, controls, and documentation.
Proficiency in Excel and Power BI or comparable tools, with analytical judgment to spot anomalies, trace root causes, and recommend resolutions.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain plan rules, payout logic, and data issues to field and senior leadership audiences.
Discretion and a control mindset when handling confidential compensation, performance, and employee data.
Comfort working in a small team where the work spans hands-on execution and process leadership.
Bachelor's degree in business, finance, economics, human resources, analytics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Minimum of 7 years of experience in sales incentive compensation, sales operations, sales performance management, compensation administration, finance, or banking operations.
Banking or financial services background, preferably in retail, small business, or mortgage distribution channels.

Nice To Haves

Experience with incentive plan design or redesign.
Experience with incentive compensation and sales performance management platforms, CRM reporting, HRIS or payroll interfaces, Salesforce, Snowflake, or SQL.
Experience leading analysts or cross-functional workstreams.
Compensation, project management, or process improvement experience.

Responsibilities

Administer recurring incentive-plan cycles for three businesses, including deadlines, scorecard routines, validation, and issue resolution.
Serve as the central contact for plan questions, participant inquiries, disputes, exceptions, and feedback from field managers, bankers, and support partners.
Coordinate plan launches and changes, including stakeholder review, implementation readiness, documentation, communications, and post-launch follow-up.
Partner with Sales & Service and business leaders to refine plan measures, weightings, eligibility rules, thresholds, payout mechanics, and crediting rules.
Translate approved plan terms into operating procedures, plan calendars, control checkpoints, and test scenarios with named owners.
Maintain governance routines for plan changes, approvals, data-quality checks, escalation, and audit-ready evidence.
Establish and lead the exception process, including intake, review criteria, approval levels, documentation, and reporting on exception volume and trends.
Run recurring governance forums with business, Finance, Risk, and Compliance partners, owning the cadence, agenda, materials, and decision record.
Validate scorecard, dashboard, and incentive-tracking logic against approved plan design; define test scenarios, document defects, and confirm corrections with Data and Technology.
Use Excel and Power BI to reconcile results, run reasonableness checks, and prepare actionable performance reporting for leaders.
Monitor plan performance for unusual trends, unintended behaviors, potential gaming, control gaps, and customer impact, and escalate issues requiring attention.