Director, Sales Incentive Compensation in Edinburgh

Wood Mackenzie is the global leader in analytics, insights and proprietary data across the entire energy and natural resources landscape. For over 50 years our work has guided the decisions of the world's most influential energy producers, utilities companies, financial institutions and governments. Now, with the world's energy system more complex and interconnected than ever before, sector-specific views are no longer enough. That's why we've redefined what's possible with Intelligence Connected.

By fusing our unparalleled proprietary data with the sharpest analytical minds, all supercharged by Synoptic AI, we deliver a clear, interconnected view of the entire value chain. Our trusted team of 2,700 experts across 30 countries breaks siloes and connects industries, markets and regions across the globe. This empowers our customers to identify risk sooner, spot opportunities faster and recalibrate strategy with confidence - whether planning days, weeks, months or decades ahead.

Role Purpose

The Sales Incentive Compensation Director serves as the enterprise authority for global go-to-market compensation strategy, plan architecture, and incentive governance. The role is responsible for designing commercially effective compensation programs that drive predictable revenue outcomes, reinforce strategic priorities, and support long-term organizational growth.

Operating as a senior strategic partner to executive leadership, the Director leads the development, financial modeling, governance, and optimization of all variable compensation programs across the global commercial organization. The role requires deep expertise in sales compensation strategy, strong executive presence, and the ability to influence complex cross-functional decisions across Sales, Finance, HR, and Revenue Operations.

Success in the role requires balancing commercial competitiveness, financial discipline, operational scalability, and organizational alignment while driving confidence through clear executive-level communication, analytical rigor, and disciplined governance.

Key Responsibilities

• Compensation Strategy & Plan Architecture
  • Lead the end-to-end design, modeling, and strategic evolution of global sales incentive compensation programs across all go-to-market roles.
  • Develop compensation frameworks aligned to corporate growth objectives, sales strategy, productivity goals, and financial targets.
  • Serve as the primary internal authority on compensation philosophy, plan design, policy interpretation, and strategic exception management.
  • Partner with executive leadership to evaluate the commercial and financial impact of compensation structures, accelerators, quotas, overlays, bonus programs, and strategic incentives.
  • Drive enterprise-wide consistency and scalability across compensation structures while balancing regional and functional requirements.
  • Reduce dependency on external consultants through development of internal strategic compensation expertise.
• Financial Modeling & Commercial Analytics
  • Lead advanced financial modeling, scenario planning, and stress testing of compensation programs to ensure affordability, scalability, and return on investment.
  • Analyze attainment distributions, compensation leverage, productivity trends, and cost-of-sales performance to support executive decision-making.
  • Provide predictive insights into sales behavior, plan effectiveness, and commercial performance risks.
  • Develop executive-level reporting and analytics to support annual planning, forecasting, and ongoing business reviews.
  • Partner closely with Finance and Revenue Operations to align compensation programs with broader operating plans and revenue expectations.
• Governance, Policy & Operational Oversight
  • Establish and maintain enterprise compensation governance standards, policies, controls, and approval frameworks.
  • Ensure compensation plans, documentation, and processes are compliant with applicable laws, internal controls, and company policies across all operating regions.
  • Act as the final escalation point for complex compensation interpretation matters and non-standard commercial arrangements.
  • Oversee compensation administration processes to ensure accuracy, transparency, auditability, and operational discipline.
  • Drive continuous improvement, automation, and simplification of compensation processes, systems, and workflows.
• Executive Partnership & Organizational Leadership
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to Sales, HR, Finance, and executive leadership on compensation strategy and organizational performance.
  • Lead alignment discussions across senior stakeholders to ensure compensation programs support evolving business priorities and strategic initiatives.
  • Present compensation recommendations, business cases, and financial analysis to executive leadership teams and governance forums.
  • Build organizational confidence in compensation programs through clear communication, education, and transparent decision-making.
  • Attract, lead, develop, and mentor high-performing compensation and analytics talent while fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of progressive experience in Sales Compensation, Revenue Operations, Commercial Finance, Total Rewards, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated ownership of complex global go-to-market compensation programs within high-growth or subscription-based business environments.
• Deep expertise in incentive compensation strategy, economic modeling, quota design, and commercial performance management.
• Strong executive presence with demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive cross-functional alignment.
• Prior evidence of shifting the function from an administrative cost centre to a strategic commercial partner.
• Advanced analytical and financial modeling capabilities with the ability to translate complex data into strategic business recommendations.
• Strong commercial acumen and sound judgment in balancing growth objectives, financial discipline, and organizational behavior.
• Experience leading compensation governance, policy interpretation, and exception management within complex organizations.
• Advanced proficiency with sales, compensation, and analytics platforms including Salesforce, Xactly, Varicent, PowerBI, and advanced Excel modeling.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to operate with a high degree of discretion, professionalism, and integrity in handling sensitive business and compensation matters.
• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, economics, or related discipline required; MBA or advanced certifications preferred.

Other Expectations

• Role model strong integrity and sets an example of Wood Mackenzie's values and behaviours.
• We are a hybrid working company and the successful applicant will be expected to be physically present in the office at least 2 days per week to foster and contribute to a collaborative environment, but this may be subject to change in the future.
• While this is expected to be a full-time role, part-time or flexible working arrangements will be considered. Due to the global nature of the team, a degree of flexible working will be required to accommodate different time zones.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. This means we are committed to recruiting the best people regardless of their race, colour, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability or protected veteran status.