Director, Sales Incentive Compensation
Bayer
At Bayer we’re visionaries, driven to solve the world’s toughest challenges and striving for a world where 'Health for all Hunger for none’ is no longer a dream, but a real possibility. We’re doing it with energy, curiosity and sheer dedication, always learning from unique perspectives of those around us, expanding our thinking, growing our capabilities and redefining ‘impossible’. There are so many reasons to join us. If you’re hungry to build a varied and meaningful career in a community of brilliant and diverse minds to make a real difference, there’s only one choice.
Director, Sales Incentive Compensation
The Director, Sales Incentive Compensation is responsible for leading the strategy, design, implementation, governance, and operational management of incentive compensation programs that align field execution with enterprise and brand objectives. This leader serves as a strategic partner to Brand Leadership, Sales Leadership, Commercial Operations, Finance, and HR to design incentive plans that motivate the right behaviors, reinforce commercial strategy, and deliver measurable business outcomes. This role balances strategic plan design with flawless operational execution, ensuring incentive programs are equitable, compliant, analytically sound, and operationally efficient. The Director will lead the end-to-end incentive compensation lifecycle—from strategy development and modeling through governance, implementation, administration, communication, and ongoing optimization.
YOUR TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The primary responsibilities of this role, Director, Sales Incentive Compensation, are:
Incentive Compensation Strategy, Plan Design & Governance
- Partner with Brand and Sales Leadership to translate commercial strategy into incentive compensation plans that drive desired behaviors and business performance.
- Lead annual plan design and ongoing changes, including measures, weighting, payout mechanics, thresholds, accelerators, and special incentives.
- Develop financial models, scenario analyses, payout simulations, and risk assessments to support executive decision-making.
- Present recommendations, trade-offs, and business impact to senior leadership and governance forums.
- Evaluate market trends and industry best practices to continuously improve incentive plan effectiveness.
- Establish governance processes that ensure consistency, transparency, compliance, and appropriate documentation.
Cross-Functional Strategic Partnership, Communications & Change Management
- Serve as the primary incentive compensation advisor to Commercial Leadership, Brand Teams, Sales Leadership, Finance, HR, Legal, Compliance, and Field Operations.
- Influence senior stakeholders through data-driven recommendations, consultation, and clear articulation of plan trade-offs.
- Facilitate cross-functional alignment through plan development, approval, implementation, and optimization.
- Develop executive presentations, training materials, field communications, FAQs, manager guides, and supporting documentation.
Incentive Compensation Operations & Process Excellence
- Lead incentive compensation administration, including implementation, data validation, processing, payout calculations, exceptions, vendor management, quality assurance, and audit readiness.
- Ensure accurate and timely incentive compensation payments while maintaining strong operational controls.
- Design scalable procedures, approval workflows, governance documentation, controls, and repeatable processes.
- Drive continuous improvement, automation, and technology enablement to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Communications & Change Management
- Develop clear, compelling incentive compensation materials for executives, managers, and field teams.
- Lead communication of incentive plans through leadership presentations, training sessions, FAQs, field guides, and supporting documentation.
- Ensure managers and sales representatives understand plan mechanics, performance expectations, and payout methodologies.
- Create executive-ready presentations that clearly communicate plan rationale, expected business impact, and performance outcomes.
WHO YOU ARE
Bayer seeks an incumbent who possesses the following:
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required;
- Progressive experience in pharmaceutical / biotechnology sales incentive compensation.
- Experience designing, implementing, and administering incentive compensation programs for field organizations.
- Demonstrated success partnering with Commercial, Sales, Brand, Finance, HR, Legal, and Compliance stakeholders.
- Experience developing governance frameworks, scalable processes, operational controls, and cross-functional workflows.
Knowledge & Skills
- Deep understanding of pharmaceutical commercial models, sales organizations, and incentive compensation methodologies.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate complex analyses into actionable business recommendations.
- Strong financial modeling, scenario planning, payout simulation, and business case development capabilities.
- Experience managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced commercial environment.
- Proven ability to influence without direct authority across senior leadership and cross-functional teams.
- Excellent executive presence, presentation, communication, project management, and organizational skills.
- High attention to detail with a commitment to operational excellence and continuous improvement.
- Advanced Excel and PowerPoint; incentive compensation platforms and analytics tools preferred.
Leadership Competencies
- Strategic thinker who connects commercial strategy to field execution.
- Trusted advisor who influences executive decision-making and builds cross-functional alignment.
- Data-driven leader with strong business acumen and a continuous improvement mindset.
- Exceptional communicator who simplifies