| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Sales and Business Development |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Chief Executive Officer |
| Direct reports | Regional Sales Manager, Area Sales Manager, Sales Manager |
| Experience | 10+ years in sales with several years leading sales teams |
Head of 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: Head of Sales
Department: Sales and Business Development
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Head of Sales leads the entire sales function of a company, owning the revenue target and the team that delivers it. They set the sales strategy, structure the team, build the process and answer for the numbers to the founders or leadership. A strong head of sales grows revenue predictably, builds a disciplined sales engine and hires and develops the right people. The role is common in mid size companies and startups, reports to the CEO, Managing Director or founders, and leads regional and area sales managers.
Key responsibilities
- Own the company revenue target and the plan to achieve it each year.
- Set the sales strategy across products, segments, channels and regions.
- Design the sales team structure, territories and incentive plans.
- Build the sales process, cadence and pipeline discipline the team follows.
- Hire, coach and develop sales managers and build a strong team.
- Own the forecast and drive the actions needed to close any gap.
- Set pricing and discount guardrails to protect revenue and margin.
- Build relationships with the largest customers and key partners.
- Work with marketing on lead generation and with product on fit.
- Report sales performance, pipeline and risks to the leadership regularly.
Requirements
- Graduate in business, commerce or engineering
- MBA in sales or marketing is common
- Strong record of leading a sales team to targets
- 10+ years in sales with several years leading sales teams
KRAs and KPIs for a Head of 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 | Company achieves 100 percent of the assigned revenue target |
| Predictability | Monthly revenue lands within the committed range consistently |
| Team performance | Share of the team hitting quota grown to the agreed level |
| Pipeline health | Qualified pipeline held at the agreed multiple of target |
| Forecast accuracy | Forecast within the agreed variance of actuals each quarter |
| Talent | Sales attrition kept low with key roles filled on time |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: CRM platform, Sales dashboards, MS Excel, Forecasting tools, Incentive tracking tools.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Vice President Sales, Chief Sales Officer, Business Head
Interview questions for a Head of Sales
- How do you build a sales team and process from an early stage?
- How do you make revenue predictable rather than lumpy?
- How do you design territories and incentives that drive the right behaviour?
- How do you decide what to fix first when the team misses target?
- How do you forecast and commit a number to the founders?
- Tell me about a sales team you built and the results you delivered.
Managing a Head of Sales in ZeniaHR
Hire and manage your sales and business development team in one place
Post the role, onboard the new hire, and track attendance, leave and KRAs in ZeniaHR. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What does a head of sales do?
A head of sales leads the whole sales function, owning the company revenue target and the team that delivers it. They set the strategy, structure the team and territories, build the sales process and forecast, and set pricing guardrails. They hire and coach managers, manage key relationships and answer for the numbers to the leadership.
What is the difference between a head of sales and a sales manager?
A sales manager runs a team within a territory or segment and delivers its target. A head of sales owns the entire sales function: strategy, structure, process and the company revenue number. The head of sales leads the managers, so it is a far broader role with responsibility for the whole sales engine, not one team.
When does a company need a head of sales?
A company usually appoints a head of sales when it outgrows founder led selling and needs a professional to build a repeatable sales engine, often as it scales past its first managers. The role brings structure, process and forecasting. In startups and mid size firms it is the senior sales leadership position that owns growth.