| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Sales and Business Development |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | Regional Sales Manager |
| Direct reports | Institutional Sales Executive |
| Experience | 6 to 10 years in institutional or B2B sales |
Institutional Sales Manager 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: Institutional Sales Manager
Department: Sales and Business Development
Reports to: Regional Sales Manager
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An Institutional Sales Manager sells to large institutions such as government bodies, hospitals, schools, colleges and public sector organizations, where deals are large and cycles are long. They build relationships with decision makers, handle tenders and rate contracts, and lead an institutional sales team. A strong institutional sales manager wins and retains institutional accounts, manages long sales cycles patiently and keeps compliance clean. The role reports to a regional or national sales head and leads institutional sales executives.
Key responsibilities
- Identify and pursue institutional accounts across government, healthcare, education and public sector.
- Build relationships with procurement heads, administrators and decision makers in institutions.
- Prepare and submit tenders, rate contracts and empanelment applications on time.
- Manage long sales cycles with structured follow up until the deal closes.
- Negotiate pricing, terms and service levels within the approved policy.
- Coordinate with operations and finance for delivery, installation and payment terms.
- Ensure documentation and compliance meet institutional and tender requirements.
- Lead the institutional sales team on their targets and account plans.
- Track receivables and follow up on institutional payments that run long.
- Report institutional pipeline, wins and forecast to the reporting manager.
Requirements
- Graduate in business, commerce or a relevant field
- MBA in sales or marketing is an advantage
- Experience selling to institutions or government
- 6 to 10 years in institutional or B2B sales
KRAs and KPIs for a Institutional Sales Manager
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 |
|---|---|
| Institutional target | Institutional sales meet the assigned target each year |
| Tender win rate | Win rate on qualified tenders kept above the agreed level |
| Account retention | Key institutional accounts retained and renewed as planned |
| Cycle management | Pipeline moved through stages within expected cycle times |
| Compliance | Tender and contract documentation compliant with no disqualifications |
| Collections | Institutional receivables kept within the agreed days outstanding |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: CRM platform, Government e procurement portals, MS Excel, Proposal tools, Reporting dashboards.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Regional Sales Manager, Head of Institutional Sales, National Sales Manager
Interview questions for a Institutional Sales Manager
- How do you build relationships with decision makers in a large institution?
- How do you manage a sales cycle that runs several months?
- How do you prepare a tender so it is not disqualified on technical grounds?
- How do you handle institutional payments that run long?
- How do you coach an executive selling into hospitals or schools?
- Tell me about a large institutional deal you won and how.
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What does an institutional sales manager do?
An institutional sales manager sells to large institutions such as government bodies, hospitals, schools and public sector organizations. They build relationships with decision makers, handle tenders and rate contracts, manage long sales cycles and lead an institutional sales team. They win and retain institutional accounts while keeping documentation and compliance clean and following up on payments.
How is institutional sales different from regular sales?
Institutional sales involves large buyers, formal procurement, tenders and rate contracts, and long decision cycles with many stakeholders. Deals are bigger but slower, and compliance and documentation matter a great deal. Regular sales is often faster and more transactional. Institutional selling rewards patience, relationship depth and skill in handling tenders and procurement rules.
What skills does an institutional sales manager need?
They need strong relationship building with procurement and administrative decision makers, skill in preparing compliant tenders and rate contracts, and the patience to manage long cycles. Negotiation, compliance awareness and receivables follow up are important, since institutional payments can run long. Leading a team and reading procurement processes round out the role.