| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Sales and Business Development |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Vice President Sales |
| Direct reports | Zonal Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager |
| Experience | 12+ years in sales with 5 or more years leading managers |
AVP Sales job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: AVP Sales
Department: Sales and Business Development
Reports to: Vice President Sales
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An Assistant Vice President of Sales leads a large region or business line, sitting between the sales leadership and the field managers who run zones and regions. They own the revenue target for their area, set the plan, coach senior managers and remove blockers to growth. A strong AVP Sales grows revenue and market coverage, builds a reliable forecast and develops the next layer of leaders. The role reports to the Vice President or Director of Sales and leads regional and zonal sales managers across the business.
Key responsibilities
- Own the annual and quarterly revenue target for the assigned region or business line.
- Build the sales plan across products, segments and geographies with the leadership team.
- Coach and review zonal and regional managers on their numbers, pipeline and teams.
- Drive new customer acquisition and growth in existing accounts across the area.
- Own the sales forecast for the area and commit realistic numbers each period.
- Set and monitor coverage, productivity and pricing discipline across the field.
- Resolve large deal, pricing and channel conflicts that managers escalate.
- Partner with marketing, product and operations to support the sales plan.
- Build the leadership pipeline by developing and promoting strong managers.
- Report performance, risks and market trends to sales leadership every period.
Requirements
- Graduate in business, commerce or engineering
- MBA in sales or marketing is common
- Proven record of leading multi region sales teams
- 12+ years in sales with 5 or more years leading managers
KRAs and KPIs for a AVP Sales
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Revenue target | Region achieves 100 percent of the assigned annual revenue target |
| Growth | Year on year revenue growth meets or beats the agreed plan |
| Team quota | At least 80 percent of managers meeting their targets each quarter |
| Forecast accuracy | Quarterly forecast within the agreed variance of actuals |
| Coverage | Market and account coverage expanded to the planned level |
| Leadership pipeline | Successors identified and developed for key manager roles |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: CRM platform, Sales dashboards, MS Excel, Business intelligence tools, Forecasting tools.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Vice President Sales, Sales Director, General Manager Sales
Interview questions for a AVP Sales
- How do you build an annual sales plan for a large region across products?
- How do you turn around a zone that keeps missing its target?
- How do you build a forecast you can commit to leadership?
- How do you coach a regional manager whose team is underperforming?
- How do you balance new customer acquisition with growing existing accounts?
- Tell me about the largest revenue turnaround you have led.
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What does an AVP of sales do?
An Assistant Vice President of Sales leads a large region or business line, owning its revenue target. They build the sales plan, coach zonal and regional managers, drive new and existing business, own the forecast and resolve big deal and pricing issues. They sit between senior sales leadership and the field managers, and develop the next layer of leaders.
What is the difference between an AVP and a VP of sales?
A Vice President of Sales owns the overall sales function and strategy, often nationally, and reports to the CEO or managing director. An AVP leads a large region or business line within that, reporting to the VP or a director. The AVP is a senior leadership role a step below the VP in scope and authority.
What experience do you need to become an AVP of sales?
Most AVPs of sales have well over a decade of sales experience, including several years leading managers across regions. Employers look for a proven record of hitting large targets, building teams and forecasting accurately. An MBA is common but not essential; a strong track record of revenue growth and leadership matters most.