Senior Commissions Forecasting & Design Lead

Motive is looking for a Senior Commissions Forecasting & Sales Compensation Program Lead. The primary responsibility is to own the commissions modeling, forecast and related analysis in an FP&A-partnering planning process: establish the methodology, maintain the model, collect and validate inputs, produce forecast submissions, explain variances, and provide decision-ready commentary to Finance and business leadership.

The role also assists in designs, operationalization, and continuously improving global sales compensation programs. It sits at the intersection of FP&A, Sales, GTM Strategy and Operations, Finance, People, Legal, Payroll, and Business Technology.

The successful candidate will turn complex business objectives into a reliable, explainable commissions forecast and clear, scalable, auditable compensation programs. They will own the commissions forecasting process, including the forecast calendar, model architecture, assumptions, run-rate methodology, headcount and plan-change inputs, source-data validation, forecast submissions, actuals-to-forecast analysis, forecast-to-plan analysis, and executive-ready commentary. They will also evaluate plan mechanics, identify unintended incentives or payout risk, build analytical models, document policy intent, lead cross-functional decisions, and ensure approved changes are translated accurately into systems, communications, and operating processes.

This is a high-impact individual-contributor role for someone who can move comfortably between FP&A forecasting, strategic design discussions, detailed modeling, policy language, system requirements, and field-facing explanation. This role partners closely with our GTM & Corporate FP&A teams along with our Sales Operations teams. The role must understand how plan mechanics, headcount, attainment, hiring timing, ramping, quota changes, and payout behavior affect forecast accuracy, cost, seller behavior, payout experience, and operational risk.

What You'll Do:

• Own the end-to-end commissions forecast process in partnership with FP&A and sales ops, including forecast calendar, model structure, assumptions, source data, submissions, and change control.
• Produce monthly, quarterly, and annual commissions forecasts and explain actuals-to-forecast and forecast-to-plan variances by segment, role, plan component, headcount movement, attainment, and timing.
• Establish forecast inputs and operating rhythms with Sales Ops, Finance, People, Payroll, and business leaders; document ownership, deadlines, assumptions, and evidence.
• Assist in the design and evolution of sales compensation plans across multiple segments, roles, geographies, and pay periods.
• Translate GTM strategy into measurable compensation mechanics, including quotas, crediting rules, accelerators, kickers, draws, SPIFFs, MBOs, ramping structures, and exception frameworks.
• Build models and scenario analyses to evaluate plan outcomes, behavioral incentives, fairness, payout volatility, cost implications, and implementation complexity.
• Partner with Sales Leadership, GTM Strategy and Operations, Finance, People, Legal, Payroll, and Business Technology to align on requirements, tradeoffs, approvals, and timing.
• Co-own the compensation-design workstream for major programs such as annual-plan redesigns, new-product incentives, role or segment changes, and compensation-system migrations.
• Convert approved design decisions into clear business requirements, decision logs, process documentation, test cases, and implementation-ready specifications.
• Review system outputs and reporting for alignment to policy and intended plan behavior; identify root causes when results are inaccurate, delayed, or difficult for sellers to understand.
• Establish practical governance for plan changes, exceptions, approvals, and effective dates, with a clear audit trail.
• Create and deliver enablement for sales leaders, managers, and compensation partners; explain complex mechanics clearly and confidently.
• Develop recurring performance reporting on attainment, payout behavior, plan participation, exception themes, forecast accuracy, and compensation-program effectiveness.
• Partner with FP&A on forecast submissions, executive commentary, scenario analysis, and reconciliation of forecast assumptions to approved plan design and operating data.
• Improve the seller and manager experience through clearer plan documents, better statements, self-service resources, office hours, and better intake processes.
• Support audit and IPO-readiness activities by ensuring that plan logic, approvals, controls, and evidence are complete and reusable.
• Mentor analysts and collaborate with systems and operations partners without having formal people-management responsibility.

What We're Looking For:

• 6+ years of experience in FP&A, sales compensation, incentive compensation, sales operations, revenue operations, finance, or a closely related analytical discipline, including meaningful ownership of commissions or variable-compensation forecasting.
• Demonstrated experience designing or materially changing sales compensation plans in a complex, multi-segment organization.
• Strong FP&A, analytical, and financial-modeling skills; able to work comfortably with large datasets and build transparent forecast, bridge, variance, and scenario models.
• Deep understanding of compensation mechanics such as quota allocation, attainment, crediting, accelerators, kickers, draws, ramping, clawbacks, SPIFFs, and exception handling.
• Experience partnering with FP&A and senior stakeholders and building consensus across Sales, Finance, Operations, People, and Technology.
• Ability to write clear policy language, business requirements, process documentation, and executive-ready recommendations.
• Strong systems orientation and experience with an incentive compensation management platform such as Xactly, Varicent, CaptivateIQ, Everstage, Anaplan, or an equivalent system.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to explain complex compensation mechanics to non-specialists.
• High ownership, attention to detail, sound judgment, and comfort operating in ambiguous, high-change environments.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience supporting a global SaaS, technology, or subscription business.
• Experience with Salesforce, Workday, Snowflake, SQL, or business-intelligence tools.
• Experience designing compensation for both new-logo and account-management organizations.
• Experience creating enablement programs, compensation hubs, FAQs, or self-service resources.