Heads of sales · the role
What does a head of sales do?
The short answer · updated
A head of sales runs a company’s sales team and owns its number. They set targets and territories, hire, coach and manage the salespeople, build the sales process and pipeline, forecast revenue, and close or support the largest deals. Most report to a sales director, chief revenue officer or the chief executive, depending on the size of the business.
What is a head of sales?
A head of sales is the leader responsible for a sales team’s results: the people, the activity, the pipeline and the revenue it produces. In a start-up or a smaller company the head of sales is often the first senior sales hire and the most senior sales role; in a larger one it usually sits under a sales director or chief revenue officer and runs a team, region or segment.
The work is sales leadership in its plainest form. The Institute of Sales Professionals’ Sales Capability Framework sets out the knowledge, skills, behaviours and tools needed for effective and ethical sales at each level, and is the basis of Ofqual’s specification of sales qualifications. A head of sales is the person who builds those capabilities in a team.
What a head of sales is responsible for
The mix changes with what is sold: a head of sales in software spends more time on pipeline stages and conversion; one in distribution or manufacturing more on key accounts and pricing. The common core is below.
- Targets. Turning the revenue plan into targets by person, territory or segment.
- The team. Hiring, onboarding, coaching and managing salespeople, and moving on those who cannot hit the number.
- The sales process. How leads are qualified, how deals move from first call to signature, and how the CRM records it.
- Pipeline and forecast. Knowing what will close and when, and telling the business early when it will not.
- Key deals. Leading or supporting the largest opportunities and negotiations.
- Pay plans. Designing commission and incentive schemes with finance and HR that reward the right deals.
- Conduct. Making sure the team sells honestly and within the law.
Who a head of sales reports to
In a smaller company the head of sales usually reports to the chief executive or managing director. In a larger one they report to a sales director, a commercial director or a chief revenue officer.
Account executives, account managers and sales development representatives report in, sometimes through team leads. If the business is hiring its first SDRs, see SDR jobs for the role, or fractional SDR for the part-time route.
The closest peers are marketing, which feeds the pipeline, and finance, which sets the targets and pays the commission. Customer success often shares accountability for renewals and expansion.
Head of sales vs sales director vs CRO
A head of sales runs the sales team day to day: the people, the activity and the pipeline.
A sales director usually owns the sales number for the whole business or a large part of it, sets strategy and targets, and leads several managers or teams. The title tends to carry more authority over pricing, key accounts and hiring. See sales director jobs for open roles.
A chief revenue officer sits on the executive team and owns all revenue: sales, marketing and customer success together. For the part-week version, see fractional CRO.
In a small company one person may hold all three remits under any of the three titles. Compare what the role owns, the team size and the reporting line, not the label.
Skills, qualifications and the rules they work within
No qualification is required by law. The National Careers Service notes that employers often weigh sales and management experience, market knowledge and track record above academic qualifications. Routes in include a degree, a Sales Executive Level 4 apprenticeship or a Business to Business Sales Professional Level 6 degree apprenticeship.
Professional standards matter more as the team grows. Members of the Institute of Sales Professionals sign up to a code of conduct: behave with integrity, sell suitable solutions, promote good sales practice and act lawfully.
Three areas of law reach the head of sales directly. Commission is usually contractual, so Acas advises setting it out in the written statement and changing it only by changing the contract. Prospecting is covered by PECR and the UK GDPR: the ICO’s business-to-business guidance explains that sole traders and some partnerships are treated as individuals. And under the Bribery Act 2010 a company can commit an offence by failing to prevent bribery by people acting for it; the government’s guidance sets out the procedures that make a defence.
Fractional, interim and permanent heads of sales
A permanent head of sales suits a business with a sales team that needs leading every day.
An interim head of sales works full-time for a fixed period: cover after a departure, a turnaround of a missed number, or a new market while the permanent search runs. At the level above, see interim sales director jobs.
A fractional head of sales works a set number of days a week: building the sales process and the CRM, hiring the first salespeople, fixing the forecast, then handing over. It suits an earlier-stage company that needs senior sales leadership but not five days of it. See fractional head of sales jobs.
An interim or fractional head of sales working through their own company may fall within the off-payroll working rules (IR35). Status turns on how the engagement runs in practice, and a medium or large client makes the determination. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.
What a head of sales earns
Pay depends on the size of the team and the target, the sector, what is sold and the company’s stage. A permanent head of sales is usually paid a base salary plus commission or bonus tied to the team’s number; interim and fractional ones a day rate.
For open roles, see head of sales jobs. For the role above, see sales director salary.
How to hire a head of sales
Write the brief around the number and the team: the revenue target, how many salespeople, which customers and channels, and what is broken today. If the remit is the whole revenue engine at executive level, it is a CRO brief, not a head of sales one.
Test the work, not the title. The CIPD’s guidance on selection methods favours clear, structured processes and skill-based assessment tasks. Ask candidates to review a real pipeline from your business and say what will close, and take references from people who reported to them.
We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives, and non-executive directors. To hire a head of sales on a part-week basis, start with our fractional hub; every brief gets a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after our five-stage vetting.
Questions people ask
Is a head of sales the same as a sales director?
Not quite. A head of sales runs a sales team day to day; a sales director usually owns the sales number for the business, sets strategy and targets, and leads several managers or teams. In a small company one person may do both. See what does a sales director do.
Who does a head of sales report to?
In a smaller company, the chief executive or managing director. In a larger one, a sales director, commercial director or chief revenue officer.
What qualifications does a head of sales need?
None is required by law. Employers weigh a record of hitting targets and building teams above certificates. The Institute of Sales Professionals sets professional standards for the field.
Can a head of sales be fractional or interim?
Yes. A fractional head of sales works part of the week; an interim one works full-time for a fixed period. See fractional head of sales jobs.
How much does it cost to hire a head of sales?
A permanent head of sales is paid a base salary plus commission or bonus; an interim or fractional one a day rate. On every shortlist we set out each candidate’s pay or day rate.
How do I hire a head of sales?
Scope the number and the team, choose permanent, interim, part-time or fractional, and test every candidate on a real pipeline. See head of sales jobs for open roles; we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
