Incentive Compensation Manager

About the Role
HeartLand is hiring an Incentive Compensation Manager to own the administration, calculation, and continuous improvement of incentive compensation programs across 25+ operating companies.

This is a hands-on, individual contributor role for someone with a strong FP&A or financial analysis background who thrives in structured, detail-intensive environments. You’ll partner across Finance, HR, Sales, and Operations to ensure incentive programs are accurate, scalable, and aligned to business performance.

If you take pride in precision, process improvement, and building repeatable systems—this role has direct impact on how performance is measured and rewarded across a growing organization.

What You’ll Own

Incentive Compensation Administration

• Manage end-to-end incentive programs including:
  • Outside sales commissions (Business Development)
  • Inside sales enhancement incentives (Account Management)
  • Operations leadership incentive plans
• Produce accurate, timely payout calculations with strong documentation and version control
• Establish and manage annual compensation cycles (plan rollout, tracking, payout)
• Partner with leadership to ensure plans drive the right behaviors and financial outcomes

Data, Modeling & Process Improvement

• Build and maintain Excel-based models for incentive calculations and tracking
• Partner with Finance, HR, and BI teams to gather, validate, and reconcile performance data
• Identify discrepancies and ensure data integrity prior to payouts
• Create scalable templates and continuously improve processes for efficiency and accuracy

Program Optimization & Analytics

• Model plan changes and provide scenario analysis and payout forecasting
• Deliver insights on program performance, cost, and payout trends
• Improve reporting visibility through dashboards, scorecards, and tracking tools

Cross-Functional & M&A Support

• Align with Finance on forecasting and financial reporting
• Partner with HR on communication and program clarity
• Support M&A integration of new incentive structures and compensation programs

Additional Ownership

• Administer vehicle reimbursement programs (FAVR) including monthly processing and validation
• Support broader compensation analysis (promotions, pay adjustments, benchmarking)

What Success Looks Like

• Accurate, on-time payouts with minimal rework
• Strong data validation and process reliability
• Scalable, well-documented models and workflows
• Continuous improvement in efficiency and cycle time

What You Bring

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, HR, or related field
• 3–7+ years in FP&A, financial analysis, or compensation administration
• Experience with incentive compensation, commissions, or bonus structures
• Advanced Excel modeling and data analysis skills
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage complex datasets
• Experience working in multi-site or field-based environments
• Demonstrated experience using AI tools to enhance workflows, work output, and capacity.

Preferred:

• Private equity or high-growth environment experience
• Exposure to HRIS or compensation systems
• Familiarity with Power BI or data visualization tools

How You Work

• Execution-focused: You own the work and deliver with precision
• Detail-oriented: You understand small errors have big impact
• Operationally minded: You connect compensation to real business performance
• Process-driven: You build systems that scale
• Collaborative communicator: You translate data into clear insights
• Relentless Process Improver: Actively looks for ways to simplify, streamline, and improve how work gets done through a variety of methods, including leveraging AI and other automation tools.

Why HeartLand

• Direct impact on compensation across a national, multi-brand organization
• High visibility with Finance, HR, and Operations leadership
• Opportunity to build scalable systems in a growing, acquisition-driven company