Senior Consultant – Xactly (Incentive Compensation & Quota Management)1
About the Role
We are looking for a Senior Xactly Consultant who brings a rare combination of deep functional expertise in commissions and quota management processes and strong hands-on technical skills in the Xactly platform. This is a client-facing consulting role: you will lead design workshops, translate complex commission and quota business rules into scalable Xactly configurations, and act as a trusted advisor to client stakeholders throughout the implementation lifecycle — from discovery through go-live and hypercare.
The ideal candidate has led or played a lead role in multiple end-to-end Xactly Incent and Xactly Quota implementations, understands the "why" behind incentive compensation design (not just the "how" of configuration), and can communicate confidently with VPs of Sales Operations, Finance, and Compensation stakeholders as easily as with technical integration teams.
Key Responsibilities
Business Process & Functional Consulting
- Lead requirement-gathering workshops with client stakeholders (Sales Ops, Finance, HR, Compensation teams) to understand existing commission plans, quota-setting processes, and payout governance.
- Analyze current-state commission plan documents (comp plans, SPIFs, accelerators, tiered/relative payout curves, MBO components) and translate them into future-state Xactly designs.
- Advise clients on industry best practices for incentive compensation design, quota allocation methodologies, territory alignment, and plan governance.
- Own functional design documentation, including business requirement documents (BRDs), functional design documents (FDDs), plan rule matrices, and traceability documents.
- Facilitate plan simplification and standardization discussions, identifying opportunities to reduce complexity while preserving business intent.
- Support crediting, quota, and territory strategy discussions and their downstream impact on compensation calculations.
Technical Implementation
- Configure and build end-to-end incentive compensation plans in Xactly Incent, including participants, hierarchies, roles, categories, credit rules, credit definitions, formulas, tiers, rate tables, calculated fields, and quota schedules.
- Design and implement quota plans, quota allocation methodologies, and rollout processes in Xactly Quota (or equivalent module).
- Build and troubleshoot Xactly Connect / Xactly Extend integrations, data imports (Instant Cred, XIC, flat file, API-based), and interfaces with upstream systems (Salesforce CRM, HRIS, ERP, payroll).
- Configure reporting and analytics using Xactly's reporting tools/dashboards to support commission transparency and dispute resolution.
- Perform data validation, parallel/shadow payroll testing, and reconciliation between legacy and new Xactly calculations.
- Lead or support system upgrades, plan year rollovers, mid-year plan changes, and multi-currency/multi-entity configurations.
- Write and execute test scripts, manage UAT cycles, and ensure defect resolution prior to go-live.
- Troubleshoot production issues, perform root-cause analysis on calculation discrepancies, and implement fixes with minimal business disruption.
Client Communication & Delivery Leadership
- Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned workstreams, building trusted relationships with client business and IT stakeholders.
- Clearly communicate technical concepts to non-technical business audiences and translate ambiguous business requirements into precise technical specifications.
- Manage client expectations on scope, timelines, and risks; proactively flag issues and propose mitigation options.
- Lead status calls, steering committee updates, and executive presentations; prepare clear, concise documentation and demos.
- Mentor junior consultants and analysts on both Xactly functionality and consulting best practices.
- Contribute to pre-sales activities as needed, including scoping, effort estimation, and solution demonstrations.
Required Qualifications
- 7+ years of total experience in Sales Performance Management / Incentive Compensation Management, with a minimum of 4–5 years of hands-on Xactly Incent (and ideally Xactly Quota) implementation experience.
- Proven experience leading at least 3–4 full-cycle Xactly implementations, from design through go-live and post-production support.
- Strong functional understanding of commission plan design principles: crediting rules, quota setting and allocation, tiered and relative payout structures, accelerators/decelerators, draws, guarantees, clawbacks, and SPIFs.
- Hands-on technical proficiency configuring Xactly Incent objects: participants, hierarchies, categories, formulas, calculated fields, rate tables, and reporting.
- Experience with Xactly Connect, Xactly Analytics, and data integration patterns (API, flat file, ETL) between Xactly and upstream systems such as Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, Workday, or other CRM/ERP/HRIS platforms.
- Solid understanding of the incentive compensation implementation lifecycle: discovery, design, build, testing (UAT/parallel run), deployment, and hypercare.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to lead client workshops and present to senior stakeholders.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to reconcile complex compensation calculations and identify root causes of discrepancies.
- Experience writing functional/technical design documents, test cases, and training materials.
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
Preferred Qualifications
- Xactly certification(s) (e.g., Xactly Incent Certified Professional/Administrator or equivalent).
- Experience with other SPM/ICM platforms (e.g., Varicent, CallidusCloud/SAP Commissions, Anaplan, Iconixx) is a plus for cross-platform perspective.
- Experience with Salesforce CRM configuration/administration.
- Exposure to SQL, and scripting for data transformation and validation.
- Prior experience working in a consulting/professional services environment, including managing multiple concurrent client engagements.
- Domain knowledge of specific industries (SaaS, technology, insurance, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing) with complex compensation structures.
- Project management exposure (Agile/Waterfall), including experience with tools like JIRA, MS Project, or Smartsheet.
Key Competencies
- Business Acumen: Understands how commission and quota strategy connects to broader sales performance and revenue goals, not just system configuration.
- Technical Depth: Comfortable in the weeds of Xactly formulas, data models, and integrations without losing sight of the business outcome.
- Client-First Mindset: Builds credibility and trust quickly; communicates with clarity, empathy, and confidence at all levels of a client organization.
- Ownership: Takes end-to-end accountability for workstream deliverables, quality, and client satisfaction.
- Adaptability: Comfortable navigating ambiguous or evolving requirements typical of mid-to-large enterprise compensation transformations.
What We Offer
- Opportunity to work on high-impact, enterprise-scale incentive compensation transformation projects.
- Collaborative, expert team environment with strong growth and certification support.
- Competitive compensation, benefits, and flexible work arrangements.
- [Insert additional company-specific benefits, travel expectations, and career path details.]