Jobs › AbbVie

Lead Director, Sales Planning & Incentive Compensation

AbbVie · Mettawa, IL · Full time · Sales

Posted Sep 22, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

Apply at AbbVie

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you balanced a strong strategic design with what operations could actually run.

What they are checking: Whether they can balance a strong design with what operations can actually run, since elegant plans fail when they cannot be paid accurately.

How would you lead a large analytics team where some people are researchers and some are operators?

What they are checking: Whether they can lead researchers and operators together, giving each work that fits their strengths and a clear sense of shared purpose.

Tell me about an analytical innovation you led that the field actually used.

What they are checking: Whether they drove adoption of an analytical tool in the field, since a tool nobody uses delivers no value however clever it is.

What would you do

Sales leadership says the IC plan is demotivating reps. How do you find out if they're right?

What they are checking: Whether they test a fairness complaint with data and field conversations, rather than defending the plan or changing it on anecdote.

How would you handle business rules that differ across franchises but share the same systems?

What they are checking: Whether they can manage different franchise rules on shared systems, keeping necessary differences while standardizing enough to avoid errors.

A franchise head wants to change goals mid-period. What do you advise?

What they are checking: Whether they protect plan credibility when leaders want mid-period goal changes, weighing fairness to reps against real business shifts.

About the work

How would you design an incentive compensation plan for a launch brand where there's little historical data?

What they are checking: Whether they can set fair goals and plan features for a launch with little history, so reps stay motivated while the market develops.

What makes call planning and targeting truly effective for a specialty pharma field team?

What they are checking: Whether they understand segmentation, reach and frequency for specialty field teams, since good targeting decides how well reps spend limited time.

How could AI improve field planning without becoming a black box reps don't trust?

What they are checking: Whether they can apply AI in ways reps understand and trust, since field teams ignore recommendations they cannot explain.

What compliance risks do you watch for in IC plans in pharma?

What they are checking: Whether they know the compliance risks in pharma incentives, such as rewarding off-label promotion, and how to design plans that avoid them.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at AbbVie from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by AbbVie.

The Analytics & Performance Analytics (APEX) function supports AbbVie’s US organization and is comprised of highly respected researchers, analysts, data scientists and strategists who are committed to being best-in-class within the biopharmaceutical industry. We serve as strategic in-house counsel, ensuring that all decisions leverage the key insights that we develop. We continue to build new capabilities and skill sets, encouraging our team members to pull up a chair, be themselves, be creative, speak their minds, and do good work. We are a passionate, diverse, flexible, and inclusive organization with a culture that supports the best ideas, wherever they originate. We are smart, fun, quirky, and innovative – and we’d love for you to join us. The Lead Director, Sales Planning & IC leads enterprise-wide analytical innovation across field planning, Incentive Compensation (IC), business rules, call planning, targeting, and technology-enabled decision support for field-based teams. Drawing on deep marketplace insight, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and robust data sets, this leader advances Future-Fit solutions that balance strategic design with operational practicality—equipping teams to engage patients, payers, and healthcare providers with greater impact. This leader brings proven Sales Force Effectiveness (SFE) expertise, including a strong understanding of the distinct dynamics across pharma and sales. They challenge conventional approaches and identify forward-looking solutions that position the business for future success. As an inspirational people leader, they create differentiated development opportunities that strengthen both technical and leadership capabilities across the team. Key Responsibilities Capability Strategy & Delivery • Lead AbbVie’s enterprise-wide Incentive Compensation strategy, philosophy, and governance; guide franchise-specific plan design; and represent AbbVie in industry benchmarking forums and peer roundtables. • Provide strategic leadership and accountability for next-generation CRM capabilities supporting Call Planning and Incentive Compensation. • Lead Incentive Compensation execution through a cross-functional operating model spanning multiple functions and more than 10 teams, enabling agile reporting, strengthening data integrity, and reducing errors across brand performance reporting, Incentive Compensation, and sales planning. • Shape and align leadership around next-generation call planning and targeting solutions that use real-time insights, artificial intelligence, and robust data to enhance field effectiveness and decision-making. Leadership & Collaboration • Lead the Incentive Compensation and Sales Planning teams, ensuring alignment with enterprise strategy, business priorities, and delivery standards. • Lead, mentor, and develop Incentive Compensation and Sales Planning leaders and their teams through coaching, performance guidance, succession planning, and career development support. • Facilitate collaboration between senior business leaders and cross-functional teams to secure input, feedback, and alignment on Incentive Compensation and Sales Planning priorities. • Partner with commercial, finance, HR, operations, analytics, and field leadership to integrate Incentive Compensation and Sales Planning strategies and ensure organizational readiness. • Communicate strategic priorities, key decisions, and execution updates clearly and consistently to senior leadership, field stakeholders, and governance forums. • Champion Incentive Compensation and Sales Planning strategies and their organizational impact through stakeholder meetings, leadership forums, and targeted communications. Governance & Compliance • Establish and enforce governance frameworks to ensure Incentive Compensation and Sales Planning initiatives comply with applicable regulatory, privacy, data, and enterprise requirements. • Manage execution risks and cross-functional dependencies, making risk-informed decisions that minimize disruption and maintain momentum. • Ensure strategic decisions, process documentation, business rules, and operational practices align with enterprise standards and governance protocols • Bachelor’s Degree required, and 10+ years of relevant experience across field leadership, marketing, and analytics. • Prior 3-5 years’ experience in field or functional leadership and/or business management or consulting. • Experience with AI-enabled and business intelligence capabilities, data analytics, and digital customer engagement is highly desirable. • Previous experience leading broad organizational change initiatives, navigating new ways of working, building positive, accountable, and highly engaged team culture. • Knowledge and deep understanding of overall business operations in pharma/biotech and healthcare industry. • Strong understanding of industry legal, analytical and compliance landscape and ability to apply to diverse situations to keenly evaluate risk and develop appropriate risk mitigation strategies. • Demonstrated leadership ability to develop and drive an organizational strategy in a very complex matrix internal and external environment. • Ability to lead without authority, driving through execution across multiple functionally diverse stakeholders. Sophisticated skills for coaching, training, and/or mentoring peers or others as assigned; helping such others to better meet or exceed their goals and achieve their full potential in role. Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law: ​ • The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. ​ • We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.​ • This job is eligible to participate in our long-term incentive programs. Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.​ AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community.  Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled. US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more: https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html

Apply at AbbVie