Vice President Sales Job Description and KRAs

A Vice President of Sales is the top sales leader in most companies, owning the national or global revenue number and the entire sales organization. They set the strategy, build the leadership team, shape pricing and go to market, and answer for growth to the CEO and board. A strong VP Sales delivers durable revenue growth, builds a scalable and disciplined sales engine and represents the voice of the customer at the top table. The role reports to the CEO or Managing Director and leads directors, general managers and national managers.

Detail	For this role
Department	Sales and Business Development
Level	Senior management
Reports to	Chief Executive Officer
Direct reports	Sales Director, General Manager Sales, National Sales Manager
Experience	18+ years in sales with extensive senior leadership experience

Vice President 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: Vice President Sales

Department: Sales and Business Development

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

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

About the role

Key responsibilities

Own the company revenue and growth number across all products and regions.
Set the sales strategy and go to market model for the business.
Build and lead the senior sales leadership team and set their goals.
Shape pricing, discount and commercial policy at a company level.
Own the company forecast and drive the plan to close any gap.
Sponsor the most strategic customer and partner relationships across the company.
Design the sales organization, the capability plan and leadership succession.
Align sales with marketing, product, finance and operations at the top.
Bring the voice of the customer and the market into company strategy.
Report revenue, pipeline, market outlook and risks to the CEO and board.

Requirements

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

KRAs and KPIs for a Vice President 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 growth	Company meets its revenue and growth targets for the year
Predictability	Quarterly revenue lands within the committed range
Profitability	Commercial policy keeps company margin within the plan
Forecast reliability	Company forecast within the agreed variance of actuals
Organization strength	Leadership bench strong, attrition low and succession ready
Market position	Market share or presence improved against the plan

Skills and tools

Sales strategyRevenue ownershipGo to market designSenior leadershipCommercial policyForecastingBoard communicationOrganization designBusiness 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: Sales Director, General Manager Sales, AVP Sales
Next roles: Chief Sales Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Executive Officer

Interview questions for a Vice President Sales

How do you set a company sales strategy and win leadership backing?
How do you make revenue predictable at company scale?
How do you build and align a senior sales leadership team?
How do you set commercial policy that protects margin and drives growth?
How do you present a revenue plan and forecast to the board?
Tell me about the biggest revenue growth you have owned and led.

Managing a Vice President Sales in ZeniaHR

AttendanceGeneral shift with heavy executive travel to customers, regions and the board, 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 and quarterly close, and delegate approvals to a director 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, pipeline and forecast monthly, and hold the formal review each quarter, with a full annual review on growth, profitability and organization strength.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a vice president of sales do?

A vice president of sales is the top sales leader in most companies, owning the national or global revenue number and the whole sales organization. They set the strategy and go to market model, build the leadership team, shape pricing and commercial policy, and own the forecast. They answer for growth to the CEO and board.

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

The roles are similar and depend on company size. Head of sales is common in startups and mid size firms as the senior sales leader. VP of sales is a formal executive title in larger companies, often with directors and general managers reporting in. Both own the company revenue number and the sales organization.

What experience does a VP of sales need?

A VP of sales usually has around two decades of sales experience, including senior leadership roles such as director or general manager, and a proven record of delivering revenue at scale. Employers want strategic and commercial judgement, the ability to build leaders and comfort at board level. An MBA is common, but results matter most.