About Us
Visa is a world leader in payments technology, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories, dedicated to uplifting everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.
At Visa, you'll have the opportunity to create impact at scale — tackling meaningful challenges, growing your skills and seeing your contributions impact lives around the world.
Join Visa and do work that matters – to you, to your community, and to the world. Progress starts with you.
Job Description
The Director, Sales Incentive Planning & Performance Management will lead the strategy, governance, and execution of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions (CMS) performance management and sales incentive programs globally.
This role serves as the connective tissue between sales leadership, finance, HR, sales compensation, business planning, and operations. The Director will ensure that sales goals, incentive plans, performance measurement, and operating processes work together to drive business outcomes.
The role combines strategic leadership, analytics, operational rigor, and change management. Success requires the ability to influence senior leaders, simplify complexity, build scalable processes, and translate business strategy into measurable seller objectives and incentive programs.
Sales Incentive Strategy & Governance
- Own governance of CMS sales incentive programs globally.
- Partner with Sales, Finance, HR, Total Rewards, and Sales Compensation teams to ensure incentive plans align to business priorities.
- Evaluate and recommend enhancements to plan design, measures, weights, eligibility, and performance frameworks.
- Develop and maintain incentive plan governance processes, policies, and decision frameworks.
- Assess effectiveness of incentive programs and recommend changes based on performance outcomes.
Performance Management Leadership
- Define and maintain consistent compensation performance frameworks across regions and business units.
- Drive transparency and accountability through standardized metrics, scorecards, and executive reporting.
- Establish processes to monitor performance against objectives and identify opportunities for intervention.
- Partner closely with Sales, Finance, and Global Compensation teams to drive transparency, accountability, and performance outcomes.
Quota, Target Setting & Planning
- Partner with regional and business leaders to establish seller targets and performance expectations.
- Lead annual and quarterly planning processes related to sales goals and performance measurement.
- Perform scenario modeling and business analysis to evaluate alternative approaches.
- Ensure alignment among company objectives, business plans, quotas, incentive measures, and seller mapping.
- Support the annual go-to-market planning cycle through clear governance, data-backed recommendations, and practical decision support.
Analytics & Business Insights
- Own attainment analysis, payout analysis, and incentive plan effectiveness reporting.
- Develop executive-level reporting and dashboards that provide visibility into performance trends.
- Translate complex data into actionable insights and recommendations.
- Support business reviews, planning cycles, and executive presentations through data-driven analysis.
- Build models and reporting that improve visibility into seller performance, compensation outcomes, and plan effectiveness.
- Simplify and standardize performance management and incentive processes globally.
- Identify opportunities for automation, AI adoption, and process improvement.
- Drive efficient operating rhythms and reduce manual administration.
- Establish scalable governance processes capable of supporting future growth.
- Manage operational handoffs and dependencies across global and regional teams to improve timeliness, accuracy, and transparency.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to Sales Leadership, Finance, HR, Sales Compensation, and Commercial Operations.
- Build strong relationships across regions and business units.
- Drive alignment among stakeholders with differing priorities.
- Present recommendations and business insights to executive leadership.
- Lead through influence in a matrixed environment and bring decisions to closure.
- Incentive programs are clearly aligned to CMS business strategy.
- Performance expectations are transparent and consistently applied.
- Target-setting processes are scalable, efficient, and data-driven.
- Executive leaders have timely visibility into business performance, attainment, and payout outcomes.
- Incentive program effectiveness can be measured and continuously improved.
- Automation and process simplification reduce manual effort and improve accuracy.
Visa requires at least 3 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications:
- 10 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 8 years of work experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters/ MBA/JD/MD) or at least 3 years of work experience with a PhD
Preferred Qualifications:
- 12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or 8-10 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 6+ years of work experience with a PhD
- The successful candidate should bring a mix of sales compensation expertise, commercial judgment, analytical depth, and operational leadership. This role is intended for someone who can own the system, not simply administer the process.
- 12+ years of experience in sales compensation, performance management, commercial operations, sales operations, business planning, finance, or a related field.
- Experience designing, governing, or improving sales incentive programs.
- Experience leading target-setting, quota-setting, seller assignment, or performance management processes.
- Demonstrated ability to work with senior executives and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including experience translating data into business recommendations.
- Experience building operational processes that improve speed, consistency, transparency, and accountability.
- Experience supporting global or multi-region sales organizations.
- Experience with incentive compensation platforms, quota tools, CRM data, or performance management systems.
- Experience developing executive dashboards, attainment analysis, payout analysis, and business review materials.
- Experience applying automation, AI, or advanced analytics to reduce manual work and improve quality.
- Experience leading process transformation or operating model improvements in a matrixed organization.
- Leadership Competencies
- Strategic thinking and commercial judgment.
- Executive presence and influence.
- Analytical rigor and data storytelling.
- Ability to simplify complexity and make practical decisions.
- Ownership, accountability, and follow-through.
- Change leadership and process improvement mindset.
- Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management.
- Clear written and verbal communication.
Information for US Applicants
For roles located in the US, the estimated salary range for this position is $188,400.00 to $ 301,500.00 USD per year, which may include potential sales incentive payments (if applicable). Salary may vary depending on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, this position may be eligible for bonus and equity.Visa has a comprehensive benefits package for which this position may be eligible that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), FSA/HSA, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, and Wellness Program.
Work Hours
Varies upon the needs of the department.
Travel Requirements
This position requires travel 5-10% of the time.
Mental/Physical Requirements
This position will be performed in an office setting. The position will require the incumbent to sit and stand at a desk, communicate in person and by telephone, frequently operate standard office equipment, such as telephones and computers.
Visa is an EEO Employer
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protect veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the EEOC guidelines and applicable local law, including the requirements of Article 49 of the San Francisco Police Code.