Senior Manager, Sales Incentives & Goals

Senior Manager, Sales Incentives & Goals

At Vanguard, we are transforming our distribution ecosystem—and aligning incentives to drive performance is a critical part of that journey. As the Senior Manager, Sales Incentives & Goals for our Financial Advisor Services (FAS) business, you will design and govern the frameworks that motivate our sales teams, ensuring clarity, fairness, and alignment with strategic priorities. 

This role reports to the Head of Distribution Strategy & Planning and leads a team responsible for: 

• Annual Goal Setting: Establishing sales targets by segment, territory, and role  

• Incentive Plan Design: Creating incentive structures that reward behaviors aligned to strategic outcomes  

• Payouts & Governance: Managing payout processes, compliance, and governance routines  

With over $4 trillion in assets under management across our intermediary channel, Vanguard’s FAS division is a market leader. This role is critical to ensuring our sales force is motivated and rewarded in ways that drive growth, deepen advisor relationships, and reinforce Vanguard’s mission. 

Responsibilities 

• Design Incentive Strategy: Develop annual incentive plans that balance simplicity, competitiveness, and alignment with strategic priorities. 

• Set Clear Goals: Define annual sales targets by segment, territory, and role—anchored in capacity models, historical performance, and growth objectives. 

• Govern with Discipline: Establish governance routines for plan approval, payout accuracy, and compliance with regulatory and internal standards. 

• Partner Cross-Functionally: Work with Finance, HR, Legal, and Distribution leadership to ensure incentive plans are financially sound, legally compliant, and operationally executable. 

• Measure and Optimize: Monitor incentive effectiveness and goal attainment; recommend adjustments based on performance insights and market benchmarks. 

The Ideal Candidate 

You are a strategic thinker with deep expertise in sales incentives design and governance. You understand the dynamics of advisor-facing distribution teams and know how to create incentive structures that drive the right behaviors. 

You will bring:  

• 10+ years of experience in sales compensation strategy, incentive design, or distribution planning  

• Proven ability to design and govern incentive plans for complex, multi-channel sales organizations  

• Strong analytical skills and experience with capacity modeling, goal setting, and payout accuracy  

• Familiarity with regulatory requirements and compliance standards for incentive programs  

• Executive presence and ability to influence across Finance, HR, Legal, and Distribution leadership  

Special Factors

Sponsorship

Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.

About Vanguard

At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission—we're on a mission.

To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.

How We Work

Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.