Vice President of Sales

Career Guide

A Vice President of Sales leads an organization’s sales strategy and sales teams to hit revenue goals. This role balances executive planning with hands-on leadership, including setting targets, improving sales processes, developing managers, and partnering with marketing, product, finance, and customer success.

Browse All Roles

Key Responsibilities

Set sales strategy and revenue targets aligned to company goals
Lead and develop sales leaders and sales managers
Build and scale sales teams, including hiring and onboarding
Own sales forecasting and pipeline health reviews
Improve sales process, sales playbooks, and deal quality standards
Drive key deals and support high-stakes negotiations
Define performance metrics and manage accountability to results
Partner with marketing on lead quality and market positioning
Partner with product on customer feedback and product readiness
Manage sales budgets, territories, and compensation plans

Top Skills for Success

Executive Communication

People Leadership

Coaching

Strategic Planning

Negotiation

Revenue Forecasting

Pipeline Management

Sales Process Design

Territory Planning

Compensation Planning

Customer Relationship Management Systems

Go To Market Strategy

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Senior Director of Sales

Head of Sales

Chief Revenue Officer

General Manager

Chief Executive Officer

Transition Opportunities

Vice President of Revenue Operations

Vice President of Customer Success

Vice President of Partnerships

Vice President of Business Development

Operating Partner

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Forecast Accuracy ManagementSales Team ScalingSales Manager DevelopmentCompensation Plan DesignCross Functional LeadershipEnterprise Deal StrategySales Enablement

Development SuggestionsStrengthen forecasting discipline through consistent pipeline reviews and clear stage definitions. Build a repeatable manager coaching cadence. Review compensation plans for clarity and alignment to priority outcomes. Partner closely with marketing and finance to improve lead quality and forecast reliability.

Market Intelligence Report

Vice President of Sales is part of the Account Executives category.Explore our market intelligence report to see how AI and hiring demand are shifting for these roles.

See the market intelligence report

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelUSD 170,000 to 230,000 base

Mid LevelUSD 230,000 to 320,000 base

Senior LevelUSD 320,000 to 450,000 base

Growth Trend

Demand remains steady, with stronger hiring in software, business services, cybersecurity, and healthcare. Companies are placing more emphasis on predictable forecasting, efficient growth, and leader experience scaling teams.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

SalesforceMicrosoftAmazon Web ServicesGoogle CloudOracleServiceNowSAPHubSpotWorkdayADP

Industry Sectors

SoftwareCloud ServicesCybersecurityBusiness ServicesFinancial ServicesHealthcare TechnologyManufacturingTelecommunicationsProfessional ServicesConsumer Goods

Recommended Next Steps

Document a clear sales operating rhythm for pipeline, forecasting, and performance reviews

Audit sales process stages and tighten exit criteria for each stage

Create a manager coaching program with weekly expectations and measurable outcomes

Refresh territory design and account coverage based on market potential and capacity

Review compensation plans to ensure they reward the behaviors that drive revenue quality

Build an executive dashboard with a small set of trusted metrics

Collect customer and win loss insights and turn them into sales playbook updates