Director, Sales Compensation & Incentive Design

Passionate about precision medicine and advancing the healthcare industry?

Recent advancements in underlying technology have finally made it possible for AI to impact clinical care in a meaningful way. Tempus' proprietary platform connects an entire ecosystem of real-world evidence to deliver real-time, actionable insights to physicians, providing critical information about the right treatments for the right patients, at the right time.

We’re looking for a Director, Sales Compensation & Incentive Design to serve as the central expert and project lead for both sales and non-sales cash-based incentive planning processes. This role will partner closely with Sales Operations, Finance, and HR, bringing structure, consistency, and best-practice guidance to how incentive plans are designed and deployed across the business. This role is both strategic and hands-on - ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and wants to drive alignment, ensure quality and compliance, and influence key decisions in a complex, fast-moving environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Incentive Plan Design: Work effectively with sales leadership and Sales Ops on sales incentive plan design, and collaborate with Finance and HR to structure non-sales annual cash bonuses. Ensure alignment to strategy, internal equity, and market norms. Provide expert input on structure, performance metrics, pay mix, and eligibility. Drive performance and retention with program recommendations.

• Market Benchmarking: Conduct external benchmarking to validate competitiveness of compensation levels and pay mix by role. Recommend adjustments based on data and trends.

• Project Management: Serve as quarterback for the annual planning cycle. Drive timelines, coordinate inputs, manage approvals, and ensure timely, accurate deployment of plan documents and payouts.

• Plan Governance & Consistency: Act as the internal steward of compensation principles—ensuring consistency, fairness, compliance and scalability across both sales and non-sales plans.

• Analytics & Reporting: Partner with Finance and Sales Ops to analyze plan effectiveness, track KPIs, and flag issues with attainment, overpayment risk, or misaligned performance. For non-sales plans, work closely with Finance to monitor performance against corporate/functional metrics and calculate annual payouts.

• Stakeholder Management: Act as a trusted advisor to senior Sales, Finance, and HR leaders. Provide clear and persuasive recommendations, resolve disputes, and influence decisions.

• M&A  Enablement: Analyze and recommend strategies to harmonize and consolidate compensation programs, ensuring scalable processes, maximizing effectiveness, and minimizing disruption across acquired companies.

• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to automate, streamline, and improve plan effectiveness and administrative processes.
   

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in sales incentive plan design and program management in SaaS, biotech, life sciences, or other high-growth, performance-driven environments.

• Deep knowledge of incentive design principles, market benchmarking methodologies, quota/attainment modeling, and compensation governance

• Proven ability to manage complex cross-functional projects with stakeholders spanning multiple business units and tight deadlines

• Strong analytical skills; advanced Excel or Google Sheets required

• Clear and confident communicator, with experience influencing Sales Ops, Finance, and senior leadership

• Self-motivated, adaptable, and thrives in ambiguity and fast-paced environments

• Comfortable navigating ambiguity, building from scratch, and making decisions with imperfect data

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Illinois Compensation Range: $155,000-$205,000

The expected salary range above is applicable if the role is performed from Illinois and may vary for other locations (California, Colorado, New York). Actual salary may vary based on qualifications and experience. Tempus offers a full range of benefits, which may include incentive compensation, restricted stock units, medical and other benefits depending on the position.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.