Senior Director, Sales Compensation Strategy, and Operations

Job Description

What you'll be doing

• Develop & Implement Sales Commission Plans: Design and execute effective and motivating sales commission plans that align corporate strategy with sales behavior, enhancing sales productivity and driving revenue growth.

• Lead Global Coordination: Spearhead global efforts for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of sales compensation plans, ensuring they meet the needs of a diverse workforce.

• Ownership of Compensation Roadmaps: Own both near-term and long-term Sales Compensation roadmaps, driving prioritization with the Steering Committee to align initiatives with business objectives.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate across all levels of the organization, fostering strong cross-functional relationships to ensure sound decision-making and effective implementation of compensation strategies.

• Analyze Effectiveness: Continuously analyze sales compensation plan effectiveness in achieving business goals and performance metrics, ensuring alignment with GTM objectives.

• Team Leadership:  Lead and develop a team of high-performing compensation professionals, fostering a culture of growth, collaboration, and high standards.

What you bring to the role

• Proven experience in a similar leadership role within a high-growth company, demonstrating a track record of success in sales compensation strategy.

• In-depth knowledge of effective sales commission plans and their alignment with organizational objectives, ensuring they drive desired sales behaviors and outcomes.

• Strong experience in leading, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.

• A natural ability to simplify complex metrics and processes, making them accessible and actionable for diverse stakeholders.

• Willingness to travel as needed, with an expected frequency of no more than 5% of the time.

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Basic Qualifications:

• 15+ years of experience in high-tech companies (SaaS/Cloud model preferred) with a focus on commissions.

• 7+ years of experience managing a commissions/operations team in a fast-paced environment.

• Proven experience in analyzing sales commission processes and identifying automation opportunities.

• Comfortable in a dynamic and often ambiguous environment, with the ability to meet multiple deadlines.

• Strong project management skills; highly organized, independent, and self-motivated.

• Effective communicator capable of simplifying complex logic and scenarios for all levels of management.

• Track record of leading, growing, and developing high-performing teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Positive attitude with an analytical mindset and a desire to learn quickly.

• Team player eager to further develop and grow within the organization.

• Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and strong problem-solving skills.

• Strong work ethic, reliability, and attention to detail with a “get it done” attitude.

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Where We Work:

Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.

The US annualized base salary range for this position is $213,000.00-$319,000.00. This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.

Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.

The intelligent heart of customer experience

Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.

Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.

Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to peopleandplaces@zendesk.com with your specific accommodation request.