Sales Director Job Description, KRAs and Skills

A Sales Director sets the sales strategy and owns the overall revenue for a company or a major division, working close to the board. They define how the company sells, build the senior team, shape pricing and go to market, and answer for growth. A strong sales director delivers sustained revenue growth, builds a scalable sales organization and aligns sales with the wider business. The role reports to the CEO, Managing Director or Chief Sales Officer and leads general managers, national managers and senior sales leaders.

Detail	For this role
Department	Sales and Business Development
Level	Senior management
Reports to	Chief Executive Officer
Direct reports	General Manager Sales, National Sales Manager, AVP Sales
Experience	15+ years in sales with senior leadership experience

Sales Director 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: Sales Director

Department: Sales and Business Development

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Location: [City], [office, branch or site]

About the role

Key responsibilities

Set the sales strategy and revenue plan for the company or a major division.
Own the overall revenue and growth number and answer for it to the board.
Shape the go to market model across products, channels and segments.
Build and lead the senior sales team and set their objectives.
Define pricing, discount and commercial policy at a company level.
Align sales with marketing, product, finance and operations on the plan.
Own the company sales forecast and the plan to close gaps to target.
Sponsor the largest customer and partner relationships in the business personally.
Set the sales organization design, capability plan and succession.
Report revenue performance, market outlook and risks to the leadership.

Requirements

Graduate in business, commerce or engineering
MBA in sales, marketing or management is common
Strong record of directing sales at scale
15+ years in sales with senior leadership experience

KRAs and KPIs for a Sales Director

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 growth	Company or division meets its revenue and growth targets
Strategy execution	Go to market plan delivered against agreed milestones
Profitability	Commercial policy keeps margin within the agreed plan
Forecast reliability	Company forecast within the agreed variance of actuals
Organization health	Senior team strong, attrition low and succession in place
Market position	Market share or presence improved against the plan

Skills and tools

Sales strategyGo to market designSenior leadershipCommercial and pricing policyForecastingBoard level communicationOrganization designNegotiationBusiness acumen

Tools used day to day: CRM platform, Business intelligence dashboards, MS Excel, Forecasting tools, Board reporting decks.

Reporting line and career path

Moves up from: General Manager Sales, AVP Sales, Vice President Sales
Next roles: Vice President Sales, Chief Sales Officer, Chief Executive Officer

Interview questions for a Sales Director

How do you set a sales strategy that the board can back?
How do you design a go to market model for a new product or segment?
How do you build and align a senior sales team?
How do you set pricing and commercial policy at a company level?
How do you present a revenue forecast and plan to the board?
Tell me about a growth strategy you set and the result it delivered.

Managing a Sales Director in ZeniaHR

AttendanceGeneral shift with executive travel to customers, markets and board meetings, so use mobile app punch with a location check for external visits and on duty requests for travel. Office days record a web punch on the approved office network.LeavePlan leave around board cycles and the annual close, and delegate approvals to a senior leader before going away. Leave goes to the reporting manager and then HR, and the leave calendar keeps leadership cover in place.Performance and KRAsSet the KRAs above as goals typed as KPI or OKR, review revenue and strategy milestones monthly, and hold the formal review each quarter, with a full annual review on growth, profitability and organization health.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a sales director do?

A sales director sets the sales strategy and owns the overall revenue for a company or major division, working close to the board. They shape the go to market model, build the senior team, set pricing and commercial policy, and own the forecast. They deliver sustained growth and align sales with the wider business.

What is the difference between a sales director and a VP of sales?

The titles overlap and vary by company. A sales director often focuses on strategy and owning revenue at a board facing level, while a VP of sales may own the operational sales function. In some firms director is senior to VP, in others the reverse. Both are top sales leadership roles owning company revenue.

How do you become a sales director?

You need a long track record of leading sales at scale and delivering revenue, usually fifteen or more years including senior roles such as general manager or VP. Employers want strategic thinking, commercial judgement and the ability to build teams and speak to the board. An MBA is common, but proven results carry the most weight.