Senior Manager Sales Commissions Governance

Acrisure • Grand Rapids, MI

1d • $145,000 - $170,000

About The Position

The Sr. Manager, Governance and Sales Commissions Policy is a foundational leadership role tasked with establishing, scaling, and managing the governance, policy, and compliance framework for a newly created Sales Commissions Operations function. This leader builds the governance infrastructure from the ground up—defining policies, documentation standards, approval matrices, exception frameworks, and audit readiness—while ensuring alignment across Sales, Finance, HR, Payroll, Legal, RevOps, and Technology. The role directly leads a multidisciplinary team covering quality assurance, systems administration, field/business partnership, reporting & insights, and broker/partner compensation governance.

Requirements

• 8+ years in Sales Compensation, Audit/Controls, Compliance, Revenue Operations, or Incentive Governance
• 3+ years leading teams in audit, governance, or commissions functions
• Proven experience standing up new teams or functions in high-growth/transformational environments
• Expertise in policy development, governance design, audit frameworks, and documentation standards
• Strong knowledge of SOX controls, exceptions governance, and evidence management.
• Experience with commissions platforms (e.g., Xactly, Varicent, Spiff, CaptivateIQ, Anaplan).
• Advanced Excel; SQL and BI tools (Power BI/Tableau) preferred
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills; ability to simplify complex policy topics
• Bachelor’s degree required; preferred fields: Business, Finance, Accounting, Analytics, Compliance, or Operations Management

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree or audit certification (CPA, CIA, CISA) preferred but not required
• Candidates should be comfortable with an on-site presence to support collaboration, team leadership, and cross-functional partnership.

Responsibilities

• Build and operationalize the governance and policy framework for a new Sales Commissions Operations team
• Define and publish plan rules, policy guides, exception/approval workflows, documentation standards, and version-controlled archives
• Ensure alignment with Finance, Legal, HR, Payroll, Sales Strategy, and Technology for all policy changes and plan updates
• Own SOX controls, compliance monitoring, control evidence retention, and audit readiness
• Design and manage the exceptions & approvals framework (e.g., credit overrides, adjustments, quota/rate changes, broker-of-record updates)
• Establish guardrails for data integrity, hierarchy accuracy, and documentation standards
• Lead and develop a diversified governance team (QA & Audit, Systems Admin, Business Partner/BA, Reporting & Insights, Broker/Partner Compensation)
• Set goals, role definitions, performance metrics, and development plans; foster a culture of accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Plan capacity and prioritize workload to meet deadlines during monthly/quarterly cycle
• Execute SOX and audit controls across commissions processes; ensure periodic control testing and remediation
• Oversee independent QA for calculation accuracy, negative testing, regression testing, and release validations
• Identify risks early, implement mitigations, and maintain transparent governance reporting to leadership
• Serve as primary liaison with Legal, Finance/FP&A, HR, Payroll, Technology/IT, and Sales Leadership on governance and policy matters
• Coordinate policy interpretation, approvals, release schedules, and effective field communication of changes
• Ensure timely distribution of policy updates, plan changes, and governance decisions
• Partner with Reporting & Insights to create dashboards for exceptions, control adherence, QA outcomes, approval cycle times, and broker metrics
• Deliver standardized reporting packages for audit, leadership reviews, and monthly governance forums
• Enforce data lineage transparency, definitions, and documentation consistency
• Oversee governance controls for broker/partner compensation including contract interpretation, rate/override logic, and broker-of-record changes
• Ensure compliance, documentation, and reconciliation standards are met for partner payouts
• Develop and deliver governance and policy training for Sales, HR, Payroll, Finance, and field leaders
• Publish policy playbooks, FAQs, communication guides, and training materials; drive field comprehension through the Business Partner/BA
• Drive a multi-year roadmap to scale governance maturity, automation, and control frameworks.
• Collaborate with Systems Admin and Technology to automate policy workflows, exception processes, and data validations.
• Perform trend analysis on exceptions and audit findings; recommend systemic improvements to leadership.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical insurance, dental insurance, and vision insurance; life and disability insurance; fertility benefits; wellness resources; and paid sick time.
• Generous paid time off and holidays; Employee Assistance Program (EAP); and a complimentary Calm app subscription.
• Immediate vesting in a 401(k) plan; Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options; commuter benefits; and employee discount programs.
• Paid maternity leave and paid paternity leave (including for adoptive parents); legal plan options; and pet insurance coverage.

What This Job Offers

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