Incentive Compensation Analyst

Role Summary

The Incentive Compensation Analyst is responsible for supporting the accurate, timely, and scalable administration of incentive compensation programs across a multi-location retail and service organization. This role partners closely with Finance, Accounting, Operations, Payroll, HR, BI, and field leadership to calculate, validate, document, and report commission and bonus payouts for store-level and corporate incentive plans.

This role is highly detail-oriented and critical to ensuring compensation plans are applied consistently, supported by data, and aligned with company performance goals, acquisition integration needs, and P&L expectations.

Key Responsibilities

Incentive Compensation Administration

Own the recurring calculation of store-level commission and bonus programs.
Maintain detailed support for all incentive compensation payouts, including plan inputs, eligibility, performance metrics, adjustments, and final approved amounts.
Review incentive calculations for accuracy, completeness, and consistency with approved compensation plans.
Prepare payout files for review, approval, and submission to Payroll.
Track payout timing and ensure incentive compensation is completed by required deadlines.

Data Validation & Reporting

Pull and reconcile data from relevant systems, including POS, Power BI, NetSuite, payroll, and other operational reporting sources.
Validate key compensation inputs such as sales, gross profit, labor, controllable expenses, store performance, role eligibility, and other plan metrics.
Identify data discrepancies and work with Finance, Accounting, BI, Payroll, and Operations to resolve issues before payout.
Maintain clear audit trails and support files for each compensation cycle.

Acquisition Integration Support

Assist with incentive compensation integration for newly acquired stores and employees.
Gather and analyze historical compensation information for acquired employees, including prior salary, commission, bonus, and total earnings.
Support transition planning from legacy compensation structures to company incentive programs.
Help manage temporary compensation guarantees, safety nets, or bridge programs where applicable.
Track acquisition-related compensation exceptions and ensure they are properly documented and approved.

Plan Management & Process Improvement

Maintain a centralized repository of incentive compensation plans, eligibility rules, payout schedules, and approved exceptions.
Help standardize incentive compensation processes across stores and departments.
Identify opportunities to streamline commission calculations using Excel, Power Query, Power BI, AI tools, or system enhancements.
Support the development of scalable compensation processes as the company continues to grow through acquisition.
Assist in documenting standard operating procedures for incentive compensation administration.

Cross-Functional Partnership

Partner with Operations to clarify performance metrics, exceptions, and store-level questions.
Work with Payroll to ensure approved payouts are processed accurately and timely.
Support Accounting with accruals, reconciliations, and month-end incentive compensation reporting.
Partner with HR on employee eligibility, role changes, new hires, terminations, and compensation plan communication.
Provide clear and professional responses to questions from field leaders and internal stakeholders.

Core Deliverables

Monthly or periodic incentive compensation calculation files.
Payroll-ready incentive payout templates.
Supporting documentation and audit trail for each payout cycle.
Exception tracking and approval documentation.
Acquisition compensation integration files.
Monthly summary of incentive compensation payouts, key drivers, and notable issues.
Process documentation and improvement recommendations.

Required Skills & Experience

Strong Excel skills, including lookups, pivot tables, formulas, and data validation.
Ability to work with large data sets and reconcile information across multiple sources.
Strong attention to detail and comfort working with compensation-sensitive information.
Understanding of basic financial statements, store-level P&Ls, gross profit, labor, and controllable expenses.
Ability to meet recurring deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Experience with commission, bonus, payroll, sales operations, FP&A, or accounting processes preferred.
Experience with NetSuite, Power BI, payroll systems, or POS data preferred.

Success Measures

Incentive compensation calculations are accurate, supported, and completed on time.
Payout files are payroll-ready with minimal rework.
Exceptions are clearly documented and appropriately approved.
Acquisition-related compensation plans are tracked and managed without creating unnecessary complexity.
Processes become more repeatable, scalable, and less manual over time.
Field and corporate stakeholders have confidence in the accuracy and consistency of incentive compensation reporting.

Working Style Expectations

Operate with a high degree of confidentiality and discretion given the sensitivity of compensation data.
Be proactive in identifying issues before payout deadlines and escalate risks early.
Balance accuracy with speed during close, payroll, and recurring reporting cycles.
Create repeatable files and documented processes that can scale as the company continues to grow.

Incentive Compensation Analyst - 19503