Head of Incentive Compensation Technology, Group Benefits

The Head of Incentive Compensation Technology i s a newly envisioned leadership role that will redefine the strategic impact of Guardian’s distribution compensation systems. This hybrid position combines the responsibilities of a systems leader and a senior product manager, tasked with setting the future roadmap and vision for Guardian’s compensation technology ecosystem.

As Head of Incentive Compensation Technology, you will be responsible for defining and driving the product roadmap in alignment with the product vision and OKRs. You will collaborate with Product Owners and Business & Technology stakeholders to gather input and refine priorities. Your role will involve integrating usability studies, and data/AI standards into product requirements to ensure a customer driven, high impact, and compliant design. You will define and maintain end-to-end product journeys, identifying data input/output needs and aligning with value stream goals, while ensuring the customer experience meets standards set by the Customer Advocacy Center of Excellence.

Why This Role Matters:

This is a transformative opportunity to shape the future of Guardian’s digital compensation systems. You will lead a team that not only ensures operational excellence but also drives innovation, strategic alignment, and digital transformation - positioning compensation as a competitive advantage and a catalyst for growth for Guardian.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic, execution-oriented change leader capable of shaping Guardian’s digital future and transforming compensation systems into a core driver of business performance and distribution experience

You Will Bring:

Strategic Program Leadership

• Develop and articulate a forward-looking compensation systems strategy that aligns with the organization’s business objectives and transformation goals.
• Lead the creation and execution of multi-year roadmaps, identifying opportunities for innovation, modernization, and adoption of emerging technologies.
• Advocate for a culture of strategic thinking and proactive change within the compensation function.

Systems Team & Product Leadership

• Oversee the compensation systems delivery teams comprising of product owners,business analysts and developers, fostering a high-performance environment and supporting professional development and talent management.
• Manage the full product lifecycle for compensation capabilities, from ideation and design through deployment, support, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure robust product management practices, including requirements gathering, prioritization, and stakeholder engagement.

Business Process Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to optimize compensation-related business processes, leveraging data analytics, automation, and AI.
• Establish and promote a data-driven culture focused on measurable outcomes and operational efficiencies.
• Identify and remove process bottlenecks, standardize workflows, and implement best practices across the organization.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with HR, Finance, IT, and business leaders to ensure compensation systems meet organizational needs.
• Align compensation technology initiatives with enterprise-wide objectives through effective stakeholder management and communication.
• Facilitate cross-team workshops and forums to gather input, share progress, and drive consensus on priorities.

Operational Excellence & Innovation

• Champion operational excellence by implementing workflow enhancements, technology upgrades, and process standardization.
• Evaluate and adopt innovative tools and solutions to improve the effectiveness, scalability, and user experience of compensation systems.
• Monitor key performance indicators to ensure operational targets are met and drive ongoing improvement.

Change Management & Communication

• Lead change management initiatives for compensation systems and processes, ensuring stakeholder engagement and adoption.
• Develop and deliver communication strategies, training programs, and resources to support successful transitions and continuous learning.
• Address resistance and champion a culture of change and adaptability.

Governance & Compliance

• Oversee governance processes to ensure compliance with internal policies, external regulations, and industry standards.
• Implement effective risk mitigation and quality control measures throughout compensation system operations and deployments.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation and audit trails for system changes and enhancements.

Deployment & Delivery

• Lead end-to-end deployment & delivery for compensation systems, ensuring timely execution, budget adherence, and quality outcomes.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation, status reporting, and success metrics.
• Coordinate with distribution teams to ensure alignment, localization, and seamless rollout of compensation systems across Group distribution.

You Have:

• 10+ years of experience in sales compensation systems and technology, Product Management or related fields, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Expertise in delivering systems for billing/commissions/incentives, and product management.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale system implementations and transformation initiatives.
• Proven experience in defining and driving product roadmaps, integrating customer research, and ensuring compliance with data/AI standards.
• Strong knowledge of product journey mapping, business process improvement, and OKR management.
• Deep knowledge of sales compensation technologies, distribution models, and change management methodologies.
• Strong project management, stakeholder engagement, and change leadership skills.
• Experience with platforms such as Varicent, Xactly, Oracle Financial Systems, or comparable.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Exceptional cross-functional influence, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to lead strategic transformation initiatives and deliver measurable business outcomes.

Required skills:

• Continuous Improvement Management
• Objectives and Key Results
• Product Road Map
• Product Vision
• User Research

Location and Work Arrangement:

• The work arrangement for this position will be hybrid (3+ days per week in a local Guardian Office).
• Preferred locations include Atlanta, GA; Bethlehem, PA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Holmdel, NJ; New York, NY; Plano, TX; and Stamford, CT.

Salary Range:

$152,290.00 - $250,195.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [email protected]. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment visas. In order to be a successful applicant. you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship.

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.