Business Consulting - Product Owner - Data Platform (Incentive Compensation / Varicent Program)

Req ID: 363102 

NTT DATA strives to hire exceptional, innovative and passionate individuals who want to grow with us. If you want to be part of an inclusive, adaptable, and forward-thinking organization, apply now.

We are currently seeking a Business Consulting - Product Owner - Data Platform (Incentive Compensation / Varicent Program) to join our team in Chennai, Tamil Nādu (IN-TN), India (IN).

Job Description:

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Product Owner – Data Platform with strong domain expertise in Incentive Compensation Planning (ICP) to drive product strategy, roadmap execution, and value realization for the enterprise Data Platform supporting the Varicent program.

This role will ensure the data platform reliably powers complex compensation processes including:

• Sales crediting and adjustments
• Hierarchy management
• Quota and territory alignment
• Incentive plan modeling
• Earnings and payout calculations
• Retro adjustments and clawbacks
• Audit, traceability, and compliance

The ideal candidate combines deep ICP business understanding with experience in modern cloud-based data platforms, Medallion architecture, Data Vault modeling, and governed data exposure strategies.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Vision & ICP-Aligned Strategy

• Define and own the Data Platform product vision aligned to enterprise Incentive Compensation strategy.
• Ensure the platform supports:
• Accurate and timely compensation calculations
• Full auditability and lineage for payout traceability
• Scenario modeling and simulation needs
• Secure handling of sensitive compensation data
• Build and maintain a multi-quarter roadmap covering:
• ICP data ingestion and transformation pipelines
• Medallion architecture maturity (Bronze/Silver/Gold layers)
• Data Vault implementation for compensation entities
• Secure and scalable data exposure for Varicent and downstream systems
• Prioritize initiatives based on business impact (e.g., payout accuracy, cycle time reduction, dispute reduction).

2. ICP Data Domain Ownership

Act as the product authority for compensation-related data domains, including:

• Sales transactions & bookings
• Crediting rules & split logic
• Sales hierarchies and territory structures
• Quotas & targets
• Incentive plan definitions
• Earnings & payout calculations
• Adjustments, clawbacks, and disputes
• Historical compensation audit data

Ensure data models and transformations support:

• Retroactive recalculations
• Period-based compensation cycles
• Versioned plan structures
• Hierarchy changes over time
• Regulatory and financial compliance requirements

Collaborate closely with Data Architects to ensure Data Vault modeling properly represents ICP business keys (e.g., employee, plan, position, territory, transaction).

3. Backlog Ownership & Delivery Execution

• Own and manage the Data Platform backlog across:
• Compensation data ingestion pipelines (batch & streaming)
• Data validation and reconciliation frameworks
• Data quality rules specific to ICP logic
• Lakehouse architecture enablement (Databricks/Snowflake/BigQuery/Redshift)
• Secure data access models (RBAC for sensitive compensation data)
• Write clear epics and user stories translating ICP requirements into technical deliverables.
• Ensure each feature supports:
• Traceability
• Reproducibility of payouts
• SLA adherence for compensation cycles
• Balance technical enablers (e.g., metadata, lineage, observability) with business-driven features.

4. Data Exposure & Consumption Strategy (Compensation-Focused)

• Define product strategy for governed data exposure to:
• Varicent
• BI & reporting tools
• Finance systems
• Audit & compliance teams
• Ensure compensation data is:
• Securely shared
• Masked/tokenized where required
• Accessible through controlled semantic layers
• Enable analytics use cases such as:
• Earnings forecasting
• Incentive plan performance analysis
• Sales performance insights
• Compensation cost modeling
• Define and track SLAs for compensation data availability during payout cycles.

5. Governance, Audit & Compliance Alignment

Given the sensitive nature of compensation data:

• Embed governance and audit principles into platform prioritization.
• Ensure support for:
• Data lineage from source transaction to final payout
• Historical snapshotting and versioning
• Dispute investigation workflows
• Role-based data access (field rep vs manager vs finance vs HR)
• Partner with InfoSec and compliance teams to enforce:
• Encryption (at rest & in transit)
• Zero-trust access principles
• Data masking and tokenization
• Regulatory compliance requirements

6. Metrics & Value Realization

Define and track KPIs such as:

• Payout accuracy rate
• Compensation dispute volume
• Cycle time for compensation processing
• Data quality scores for ICP entities
• Platform uptime during compensation runs
• Adoption of standardized data models

Drive continuous improvements in compensation transparency and trust.

Required Skills & Expertise

Incentive Compensation Domain (Mandatory)

• Strong experience in Incentive Compensation Planning (ICP).
• Deep understanding of:
• Sales crediting logic
• Hierarchies and territory management
• Quota management
• Plan design structures
• Earnings calculations and payout processing
• Retro adjustments and audit requirements
• Experience working with compensation platforms such as Varicent (strongly preferred).
• Understanding of financial controls and audit needs related to compensation.

Product & Delivery Expertise

• 8+ years of experience in Product Ownership / Product Management.
• Proven ownership of enterprise data or platform products.
• Strong Agile backlog management and roadmap planning expertise.
• Experience operating in cross-functional enterprise environments.

Data Platform & Technical Understanding

Strong conceptual understanding of:

• Medallion Architecture (Bronze/Silver/Gold)
• Data Vault 2.0 (Hubs, Links, Satellites)
• Lakehouse platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, etc.)
• Batch and streaming architectures
• APIs and semantic layers
• Metadata, lineage, and observability frameworks
• Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Strong data literacy (SQL proficiency preferred).

Security & Governance Awareness

• IAM / RBAC best practices
• Data masking and encryption standards
• Secure data sharing frameworks
• Governance frameworks for regulated and financial-sensitive data

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading ICP transformations or compensation system migrations.
• Experience in Sales Performance Management (SPM) programs.
• CSPO / SAFe POPM certification.
• Experience in regulated or publicly traded enterprises.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Ability to translate complex compensation logic into scalable platform capabilities.
• Strong stakeholder management across Sales, Finance, HR, IT, and Architecture.
• High attention to detail and audit mindset.
• Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline.
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams in matrixed organizations.

Success Criteria

• Reliable and auditable ICP data platform supporting Varicent.
• Reduction in compensation disputes due to improved data transparency.
• Secure and governed compensation data exposure framework.
• Standardized modeling approach adopted across ICP domains.
• High stakeholder confidence in payout accuracy and traceability.

About NTT DATA

NTT DATA is a $30 billion business and technology services leader, serving 75% of the Fortune Global 100. We are committed to accelerating client success and positively impacting society through responsible innovation. We are one of the world's leading AI and digital infrastructure providers, with unmatched capabilities in enterprise-scale AI, cloud, security, connectivity, data centers and application services. our consulting and Industry solutions help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. As a Global Top Employer, we have experts in more than 50 countries. We also offer clients access to a robust ecosystem of innovation centers as well as established and start-up partners. NTT DATA is a part of NTT Group, which invests over $3 billion each year in R&D.

Whenever possible, we hire locally to NTT DATA offices or client sites. This ensures we can provide timely and effective support tailored to each client’s needs. While many positions offer remote or hybrid work options, these arrangements are subject to change based on client requirements. For employees near an NTT DATA office or client site, in-office attendance may be required for meetings or events, depending on business needs. At NTT DATA, we are committed to staying flexible and meeting the evolving needs of both our clients and employees. NTT DATA recruiters will never ask for payment or banking information and will only use @nttdata.com and @talent.nttdataservices.com email addresses. If you are requested to provide payment or disclose banking information, please submit a contact us form, https://us.nttdata.com/en/contact-us.

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