6 free templates for startups and growing companies, with the title guidance, timing, and first-sales-leader version generic templates skip. Download as DOCX.
VP of Sales is a title small companies reach for too early and use too loosely. It is a real, high-stakes role: leading the sales organization, owning the revenue number, and building a sales engine that scales. But it is a growth-stage hire that scales a proven sales motion, not a first hire that creates one, and at a smaller company the right title is often Head of Sales instead. Getting the timing and the title right matters as much as the job description itself, and that is where most templates stay silent.
At FirstHR, we build onboarding for growing companies making senior hires without an HR department, where a founder writes the posting. The six templates below cover the standard VP, a first sales leader for a founder-led team, a combined sales and marketing role, a growth-stage Head of Sales, a Director of Sales, and a senior enterprise VP. Each is ready to use. Fill in the brackets and post, and the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
A VP of Sales leads the sales organization and owns revenue, building a repeatable sales engine. It is a growth-stage hire made after founder-led sales is proven, not a first hire that creates demand; at a smaller company the right title is often Head of Sales. The role is exempt (executive). The closest BLS occupation, sales managers, had a median of $138,060 (May 2024), with VP pay typically higher. Download six templates as DOCX.
What Is a VP of Sales?
A VP of Sales leads a company's sales organization and owns revenue growth. The core work is setting the sales strategy and revenue targets, building and leading the team, designing a repeatable and scalable sales process, forecasting revenue, owning the pipeline, and partnering with marketing on demand. They hire, coach, and hold the team accountable to the number, building the system that drives revenue rather than only closing deals themselves.
The closest federal occupation is sales managers (SOC 11-2022), though a VP sits at the senior end of that group. The two things that shape the posting most are timing, since a VP scales a proven motion rather than creating one, and title, since VP of Sales, Head of Sales, and Director carry different scope. The six templates split by level and stage so the document matches the real role.
VP of Sales Duties and Responsibilities
VP of Sales duties cluster into four areas: strategy and revenue, team and leadership, process and operations, and cross-functional work. A strong job description picks the specific responsibilities from each area that match the level and stage rather than listing every possible task. These are the duties grouped the way the templates use them.
Strategy and revenue
Own the sales strategy and revenue targets
Forecast revenue and report to leadership
Set quotas, territories, and incentives
Team and leadership
Build, lead, and develop the sales team
Hire, coach, and hold the team accountable
Develop future sales leaders
Process and operations
Build a repeatable, scalable sales process
Own the pipeline and conversion metrics
Choose and run sales tools and reporting
Cross-functional
Partner with marketing on demand and pipeline
Align with product on what customers need
Work with leadership on company strategy
The emphasis shifts by level: a first sales leader still sells hands-on, a Director owns a team or region, and an enterprise VP manages managers across markets. For a structured way to scope the role, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
VP of Sales vs Head of Sales vs Director
These titles get used interchangeably, but they mean different things, and picking the wrong one sets the wrong expectations on pay and scope. Here is how the sales-leadership ladder breaks down, from a first hire to the enterprise C-suite.
First sales leader: founder-led to first hire
The first dedicated sales leader at a small, founder-led company is a player-coach who still sells hands-on while building the playbook and hiring the first reps. The title is often Head of Sales rather than VP at this stage. This person turns proven, founder-led sales into something repeatable, and they should be hired only after the founders have shown there is real demand, not to create demand from nothing. If you are still searching for product-market fit, a founding sales rep usually fits better than any leadership title.
Head of Sales: scaling a proven motion
Head of Sales is the common title for a growth-stage leader scaling a sales motion that already works. They lead and grow the team, own revenue targets, and gradually shift from selling alongside reps to pure leadership as the team passes roughly eight people. The line between Head of Sales and VP of Sales is fuzzy and depends on company size and scope; smaller companies often use Head of Sales for what a larger one would call a VP. Use the title that matches the actual scope and your market.
VP of Sales: leading the function
A VP of Sales leads the full sales function at a company with an established, repeatable sales motion. They own strategy, build and lead the team, set the structure and compensation, forecast revenue, and answer for the number. This is a post-product-market-fit, growth-stage hire, typically once a company has reps hitting quota and revenue worth scaling. It is not a first sales hire and not a fix for a product that is not selling. The role is salaried and exempt, with significant variable pay tied to revenue.
Director, CSO, and the rest of the ladder
A Director of Sales usually sits below a VP, leading a team or owning a region day to day, and is more common and more SMB-relevant than a VP. A Chief Sales Officer or Chief Revenue Officer is an enterprise C-suite role above the VP. VP of Sales and Marketing combines two functions under one leader, common at smaller companies that cannot yet staff both. Pick the title by the real scope and reporting line, not by what sounds impressive, since the title sets candidate expectations on pay and authority.
Match the Title to the Stage
Still proving demand: a founding sales rep, not a leader. First leader once sales works: usually Head of Sales, often a player-coach. Established, repeatable motion to scale: VP of Sales. A team or region under a VP: Director of Sales. Enterprise C-suite: Chief Sales Officer. Smaller companies often use Head of Sales for what a larger one calls a VP, so match the title to the real scope and reporting line, not to what attracts more applicants.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by level and stage. The revenue-ownership core runs through all six, but each one emphasizes the scope, scale, and timing that fit a specific kind of sales-leadership role. Use this guide to choose the closest fit, then adjust.
VP of Sales (Standard)
Most companies
The core version: own the sales strategy, build and lead the team, hit revenue targets, and make sales repeatable. Start here.
First Sales Leader
Founder-led team
For a team's first dedicated sales leader, with an honest note on player-coach scope and when a founding rep fits better than a VP.
VP of Sales & Marketing
Combined revenue role
For a leader who owns the full revenue function, aligning sales and marketing around shared targets across the funnel.
Head of Sales
Growth-stage
For scaling a proven sales motion: lead and grow the team while stepping from hands-on selling toward pure leadership.
Director of Sales
Team leader
For leading a team and owning a segment or region day to day, reporting to senior sales leadership. A step below VP.
Senior / Enterprise VP
Large organization
For leading a large, multi-team sales organization at scale, managing directors and managers across markets.
Match the Template to the Role
An established sales function: Standard VP. A team's first dedicated leader: First Sales Leader. Sales and marketing combined: VP of Sales and Marketing. Scaling a proven motion at growth stage: Head of Sales. A team or region under a VP: Director of Sales. A large multi-team organization: Senior / Enterprise VP. Every version is exempt and salaried with variable pay, and for an early-stage company, the First Sales Leader version is usually the honest fit.
6 Free VP of Sales Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company summary, job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, the exempt classification, compensation, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
Standard VP, first sales leader, sales and marketing, head of sales, director, and enterprise VP. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: VP of Sales (Standard)
The core version: own the sales strategy, build and lead the team, hit revenue targets, and make sales repeatable. Start here for an established function.
VP of Sales Job Description (Standard)
VP OF SALES JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State] / Remote)
Reports to: __ (CEO / Founder)
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 employee
FLSA status: Exempt (executive)
Compensation: $_ base [+ variable / OTE / equity]
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[One or two sentences about your company, product, and the sales team this leader
will build and run.]
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a VP of Sales to lead our sales organization and drive
revenue growth. You will own the sales strategy, build and lead the team, set and
hit revenue targets, and build the processes that make sales repeatable and
scalable.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Own the sales strategy and revenue targets
•Build, lead, and develop the sales team
•Set quotas, territories, and compensation plans
•Build a repeatable, scalable sales process
•Forecast revenue and report to leadership
•Own the sales pipeline and conversion metrics
•Partner with marketing on demand and pipeline
•Hire, coach, and hold the team accountable
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[8+] years in sales, with [3+] years leading a team
•Proven record of hitting and exceeding revenue targets
•Experience building and scaling a sales team
•Strong leadership, coaching, and forecasting skills
Every strong VP of Sales job description includes the same core sections. The templates above are built around them, so you can fill in the blanks, but it helps to know what each one is for.
Section
What it covers
Job title
The title matched to the real scope and stage
Company overview
One or two lines on your company and sales motion
Job summary
Two or three sentences on revenue ownership
Key responsibilities
8 to 10 duties across strategy, team, process, and cross-functional
Qualifications
Years in sales and leadership, with a record of hitting targets
Compensation
Base, variable or on-target earnings, and equity
Classification
Exempt under the executive exemption
Apply
Clear instructions and what to send
Keep the language neutral and inclusive throughout. The EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on a protected characteristic, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
FLSA and Compensation
A VP of Sales is clearly exempt, and the compensation is structured differently from most roles, with much of the pay tied to revenue. Getting both right keeps the offer competitive and the classification defensible.
Exempt as an Executive; Pay Is Base Plus Variable
A VP of Sales meets the executive exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act, since the primary duty is managing the sales department, the person directs two or more employees, and they have hire and fire authority, all well above the federal salary thresholds. So the role is salaried, exempt, and not entitled to overtime, with significant variable pay tied to revenue. Review the DOL executive exemption fact sheet and classify by the actual duties. This is general information, not legal advice.
For the underlying rules, the exempt versus non-exempt guide and the Fair Labor Standards Act overview explain the tests in plain terms. Spell out the base, the variable or on-target earnings, and any equity clearly in the offer, since senior sales candidates weigh the variable plan as heavily as the base.
VP of Sales Pay
A VP of Sales is a highly paid executive role, with most of the upside tied to revenue results. Anchor your range to the closest federal data, then adjust for your stage, scale, and the variable structure.
Closest BLS Occupation: Median $138,060
The closest federal occupation, sales managers, had a median annual wage of $138,060 in May 2024, with the highest 10 percent earning more than $239,200 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). A VP of Sales typically sits at or above the top of that range. National compensation surveys for the exact title report base salaries commonly from $160,000 to $225,000, with total compensation or on-target earnings often reaching $250,000 to $450,000 once variable pay and equity are included.
Pay rises with company size and revenue scale, and concentrates at growth-stage and larger companies. Because the role is exempt, the figure is a salary plus variable compensation, not an hourly wage with overtime. Set your range to your company stage and market, and define the variable structure clearly, since it is central to how a senior sales leader evaluates the offer.
Hiring a Sales Leader for a Small Company
A growth-stage company hires a VP of Sales through a structured process with HR support. A small, founder-led company making its first sales-leadership hire faces three things the big-company templates ignore: the role is easy to hire too early, the titles are not interchangeable, and even a senior hire needs a structured offer and onboarding. Here is how to handle all three.
A small company usually hires this role too early
Most VP of Sales job descriptions online are written for growth-stage and enterprise companies, and the timing advice that comes with them is easy to miss. A VP of Sales is hired after founder-led sales is proven and there is a repeatable motion to scale, not before. The common guidance is to close the early customers yourself, hire a couple of reps who hit quota, and only then bring on a sales leader. A five-to-fifteen-person company that is still finding product-market fit almost always needs a founding sales rep, not a VP. Hiring an expensive sales leader to create demand that does not yet exist is one of the costlier early hiring mistakes. The First Sales Leader template above is written with this honest timing in mind.
VP, Head of Sales, and Director are not interchangeable
The titles get used loosely, and picking the wrong one sets the wrong expectations on pay, scope, and seniority. A first or early sales leader at a small company is usually a Head of Sales and a player-coach who still sells. A VP of Sales leads an established function and is a growth-stage hire. A Director of Sales sits below a VP, leads a team or region, and is more SMB-relevant. A Chief Sales Officer is an enterprise C-suite role. The right title depends on the real scope and the size of the team they will lead, so match the title to the job rather than to what attracts more applicants, because a mismatch shows up fast in compensation expectations.
Whoever you hire, the offer and onboarding still need structure
A sales leader is a senior, high-stakes hire, and the start matters: a clear offer with the base and variable compensation spelled out, the exempt classification, the I-9 and tax forms, a confidentiality and non-solicitation agreement where appropriate, and a structured first 90 days with revenue and team goals. FirstHR fits this people side for a small company hiring its first or second sales leader without an HR department: e-signature for the offer and agreements, document management for signed forms, task workflows for systems and team access, and a structured onboarding plan for the first 90 days. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a CRM or sales tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with those providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the basis for the offer and onboarding, and for a senior sales leader the offer is more involved than usual, since the variable compensation and any equity have to be spelled out clearly. The I-9 documentation and tax forms are part of getting started right.
Send the offer
Spell out the base, variable pay or OTE, equity, and start date in writing, with the exempt classification. An offer letter template makes this fast.
Sign agreements and paperwork
The I-9, tax forms, and a confidentiality or non-solicitation agreement where appropriate, signed before access begins.
Build the first 90 days
A structured 30-60-90 plan with revenue, team, and process goals, so a senior hire ramps with clear expectations.
Store the records
Keep signed agreements, the offer, and onboarding documents organized and ready as the team grows.
Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and a 30-60-90 day plan gives a senior hire structured early goals. FirstHR connects the offer, agreements, paperwork, e-signatures, and the onboarding workflow in one place so a small company can manage the full process for its first sales leader from one system. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a CRM or sales tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect those separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A VP of Sales leads the sales organization and owns revenue, building a repeatable sales engine rather than only closing deals.
It is a growth-stage hire made after founder-led sales is proven; a very small company usually needs a founding rep, not a VP.
VP, Head of Sales, and Director are not interchangeable; match the title to the real scope and reporting line.
Use the template that fits the level: standard VP, first sales leader, sales and marketing, head of sales, director, or enterprise VP.
The role is exempt under the executive exemption, with pay structured as base plus significant variable tied to revenue.
The closest BLS occupation had a median of $138,060 in May 2024, with VP pay typically higher once variable and equity are included.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a VP of Sales do?
A VP of Sales leads a company's sales organization and owns revenue growth. Day to day, that means setting the sales strategy and revenue targets, building and leading the sales team, setting quotas, territories, and compensation plans, building a repeatable and scalable sales process, forecasting revenue, owning the pipeline and conversion metrics, and partnering with marketing on demand generation. They hire, coach, and hold the team accountable to the number. The role is strategic and managerial, focused on building the system that drives revenue rather than only closing deals personally, though early-stage sales leaders still sell hands-on. A VP of Sales answers for the company's revenue and is one of the most important hires a growing company makes once its sales motion is proven.
When should a company hire a VP of Sales?
After founder-led sales is proven, not before. The widely shared guidance from sales leaders and investors is to close your early customers yourself, hire a couple of sales reps who hit their quotas, and only then bring on a sales leader to scale what is already working. A VP of Sales cannot create demand from nothing; they scale a motion that exists. This typically happens at the growth stage, often once a company has a repeatable sales process and a team approaching eight or more people. A very small company still finding product-market fit almost always needs a founding sales rep rather than a VP. Hiring an expensive sales leader too early, expecting them to invent traction, is a common and costly mistake. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a VP of Sales, Head of Sales, and Director of Sales?
They differ by scope and company stage, though the titles are used loosely. A Head of Sales is often the first or early sales leader at a smaller or growth-stage company, frequently a player-coach who still sells while building the team. A VP of Sales leads an established sales function at a company with a proven, repeatable motion, owning strategy, structure, and the revenue number. A Director of Sales usually sits below a VP, leading a team or a region day to day, and is more common and more SMB-relevant than a VP. Above all of these, a Chief Sales Officer or Chief Revenue Officer is an enterprise C-suite role. Choose the title by the actual scope and reporting line, since it sets candidate expectations on pay and authority.
Is a VP of Sales exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A VP of Sales is clearly exempt. The role meets the executive exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act: the primary duty is managing the sales department, the person directs the work of two or more employees, and they have authority to hire and fire or meaningful input into those decisions. A VP of Sales is also salaried well above the federal salary threshold and the highly compensated employee threshold, so the exemption is not a close call. That means the role is salaried, not entitled to overtime, and typically carries significant variable compensation tied to revenue. There is no real misclassification gray area at this level, unlike many hourly roles. As always, classify by the actual duties and pay rather than the title. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a VP of Sales make?
A VP of Sales is a highly paid executive role, with most of the upside tied to revenue. The closest federal occupation, sales managers, had a median annual wage of about 138,060 dollars in May 2024, with the highest 10 percent earning more than 239,200 dollars, but a VP of Sales typically sits at or above the top of that range. National compensation surveys for the exact title report base salaries commonly in the 160,000 to 225,000 dollar range, with total compensation or on-target earnings often reaching 250,000 to 450,000 dollars once variable pay and equity are included, concentrated at growth-stage and larger companies. Pay rises with company size and revenue scale. Because the role is exempt, the figure is a salary plus variable, not an hourly wage with overtime. Set your range to your stage and market.
What should a VP of Sales compensation plan include?
A VP of Sales compensation plan typically combines a base salary with significant variable pay tied to revenue results, plus equity at startups. A common structure splits total on-target earnings between base and variable, often weighted more toward base than a frontline rep but still with meaningful upside for hitting revenue targets. The plan should define the base, the variable component and what triggers it, the targets and how they are measured, any accelerators above target, and the equity grant if applicable. Spell all of this out clearly in the offer, since a senior sales hire will evaluate the variable structure as closely as the base. Align the variable plan with the revenue outcomes you actually want, and revisit it as the company scales. This is general information, not legal advice.
What experience and skills should a VP of Sales have?
A strong VP of Sales has a substantial track record in sales with several years leading teams, and a clear record of hitting and exceeding revenue targets. The core skills are sales strategy, team building and coaching, accurate forecasting, sales-process design, and the analytical ability to manage a pipeline by the numbers. For a first or early sales leader, prioritize someone who has built a sales process from little or nothing and is comfortable selling hands-on, not just managing. For a larger role, prioritize experience managing managers and scaling across markets. Industry or sales-model fit, such as experience with your buyer and deal size, matters more than a specific pedigree. A portfolio of revenue results and team growth tells you more than years of tenure alone.
What should a VP of Sales job description include?
A strong VP of Sales job description starts by matching the title to the real scope, since VP, Head of Sales, and Director are not interchangeable. Include a short company summary, a job summary framing the revenue ownership, and responsibilities grouped into strategy and revenue, team and leadership, process and operations, and cross-functional work. State the experience expectation, including a record of hitting targets, and be clear about the compensation structure, including base, variable or on-target earnings, and equity, since senior sales candidates evaluate the variable plan closely. Note the exempt classification. For a small or founder-led company, the most useful addition that generic templates skip is honesty about timing, whether you are ready for this hire, and whether the title should be Head of Sales instead. This is general information, not legal advice.
