Sales Director Executive Search
Sales directors and VPs of sales who lead key accounts, field sales teams and distribution growth for consumer brands and manufacturers selling into retail.
A vacant sales director seat rarely stays neutral for long. Pipeline reviews lose momentum, key accounts lose their senior point of contact, and field teams drift without clear direction. In consumer goods and retail, where selling seasons and retail resets run on fixed calendars, a slow leadership hire can cost a full cycle of revenue growth.
SundryHall is a specialist sales director recruitment agency focused on the consumer goods and retail sector. We help brands, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers appoint senior commercial leaders through a structured sales director executive search process built on sector knowledge, a candidate network inside the sector, and disciplined assessment.
We work nationwide across the United States, in major metro markets and in regional consumer markets with very different competitive dynamics. We support hiring managers, founders, and talent acquisition leaders who need a proven sales leader, not a stack of unscreened résumés.
What sales director executive search involves
Sales director executive search is a targeted, research-led method of hiring senior commercial leadership. Instead of relying on job postings and inbound applications, we map the market, identify candidates who are performing well in comparable roles, and approach them directly and discreetly. Many of the strongest sales leaders are not actively looking, which is exactly why a structured executive search outperforms advertising at this level: the best candidate for your role is usually employed, hitting target, and invisible to job boards.
Every engagement is tailored recruitment shaped around your route to market, whether that is national grocery accounts, specialty retail, ecommerce, or wholesale distribution. Our B2B sales recruitment work covers manufacturers and distributors selling into retail and trade channels, while our consumer-side work covers brands building direct relationships with their end customers. Before a single candidate is contacted, we define the sales strategy context of the role and agree on the leadership profile with you, so the search is aimed at the right market from day one.
In practice, that means agreeing on the commercial mandate behind the hire. A sales director brought in to open new channels needs a different record from one asked to protect and grow existing key accounts, rebuild a field team, or professionalize forecasting and pipeline discipline. We translate that mandate into a candidate specification covering revenue responsibility, team size, channel experience, and the commercial behaviors that matter most in your business, then use it as the benchmark against which every approach and shortlist decision is measured.
We search for CPG, food and beverage, beauty and personal care, and consumer durables businesses, from high-growth D2C brands making their first senior sales hire to established manufacturers rebuilding a commercial leadership team, and the search approach adjusts accordingly.
Sales leadership roles we recruit
Our sales director searches cover senior commercial appointments across the consumer and retail landscape, from national account leadership to the sales operations leaders who keep a revenue organization running. The roles below are a selection of what we handle, and the list is not exhaustive, so contact us about any senior sales appointment not shown here. Our sales recruiters page covers the wider sales leadership team.
Sales director
Sales directors who can own the national or divisional number, lead account teams, and shape channel strategy across retail, wholesale, and direct-to-consumer routes to market. We look for leaders with proven P&L accountability, the negotiating credibility to hold top-to-top conversations with major customers, and the people-management record to build a sales team that performs after they arrive.
Vice president of sales
We place VPs of sales who set sales strategy, build the organization beneath them, and report to the executive team on revenue performance. These searches typically call for candidates who have scaled a sales function through a growth stage, aligned commercial plans with marketing and supply chain, and can speak to the board about pipeline, margin, and forecast accuracy with equal confidence.
National and regional sales managers
National sales managers with the account credibility to run major retail and distributor relationships, and regional sales managers who lead field teams and deliver consistent sales performance territory by territory. We assess candidates on customer relationships they can genuinely influence, their record of winning and defending distribution, and how effectively they coach the account managers and field reps who report to them.
Sales operations, business development, and customer success leadership
Sales operations managers and directors who bring discipline to forecasting and CRM infrastructure, plus business development and customer success leaders for brands where retention and account expansion drive the growth plan. These appointments often sit alongside the frontline sales team rather than within it, so we calibrate each search around how the role is structured in your business, whether that means revenue operations reporting to the commercial leader, new business development carrying its own quota, or customer success owning renewals and account growth.
How a sales director search runs
Every search follows a structured recruitment process designed to produce a small number of well-qualified candidates, not a long list of maybes. The same discipline applies whether the brief is a sales director, a VP of sales, or a senior sales operations appointment, and whether you are making a first senior sales appointment or replacing a business-critical leader.
The five steps below set out how we run an assignment from first conversation to post-placement follow-up, so you always know what happens next and what we need from you at each stage.
Briefing and role scoping
We work with you to define the mandate, the leadership profile, and the commercial outcomes the hire must deliver. That means agreeing the targets the role carries, who it reports to, the size and shape of the team beneath it, and the experience that is genuinely essential versus merely desirable. The output is a written brief we both sign off on before any approach is made.
Market mapping and salary benchmarking
We map competitor organizations, benchmark compensation against current market data, and identify where the right talent currently sits. You see the map we build: the companies in scope, the relevant job titles, and a realistic view of base salary, commission structure, and total package needed to attract the caliber of candidate the brief describes. Where the market tells us the role is mispriced or over-specified, we say so early rather than after weeks of fruitless search.
Sourcing and headhunting
We approach selected candidates directly, combining our sector network with fresh research commissioned for each assignment. Most of the strongest sales leaders are not actively applying for roles, so we go to them with a considered, confidential approach rather than relying on advertised response. You receive regular updates on who has been contacted, who is engaged, and how the market is reacting to the proposition.
Screening and assessment
We interview in depth against the brief, testing commercial results, leadership style, and fit with your company culture. We probe the numbers behind the résumé (quota attainment, deal sizes, sales cycles, and team performance under their leadership) and explore how each candidate builds, coaches, and retains a sales team. Referencing follows, with the candidate's consent, once a preferred candidate emerges.
Shortlist, offer, and aftercare
We present a focused shortlist, manage the offer through to acceptance, and stay in contact after placement to support a successful start. Each candidate comes with a written summary covering their motivation for moving, package expectations, and notice period, so your interview time is spent on substance. We handle negotiation and counter-offer risk on your behalf, then check in with both you and the new hire through the first months in the role.
Why companies choose SundryHall for sales director searches
Sector focus is the first reason. Many recruitment businesses cover every industry, but SundryHall works exclusively in consumer goods and retail. Our recruiters understand trade spend, broker and distributor models, retail buying cycles, and the seasonal pressures that shape senior sales jobs in this sector. That fluency changes the quality of every candidate conversation, because we can test a claimed record against how this market actually works, and recognize the difference between a sales director who grew revenue in a rising category and one who held share in a declining one.
The second reason is how we build each search. Each assignment begins with market intelligence, including talent mapping, competitor organization analysis, and salary benchmarking, so your hiring decisions are grounded in evidence instead of instinct. You know what the role should pay, where the strongest candidates sit, and how your competitor teams are structured before interviews begin. Because commercial leadership rarely sits in isolation, we can also support connected hires such as a marketing or category leader when the brief calls for it, so the commercial leadership team is built together.
The third reason is discretion. A senior sales search often involves replacing an incumbent, approaching talent inside competitors, or hiring ahead of an unannounced strategy shift. Our executive recruitment team handles confidential searches with care, and we keep both clients and candidates informed at every stage, so nobody is left guessing about where a process stands. We work from offices in Atlanta, Marlborough, Parsippany, and Cheyenne, and we run sales director searches across the United States.
Frequently asked questions
What engagement models do you offer?
We deliver senior sales searches on retained, contingent, or exclusive terms, and we recommend the model only after we understand the role, the market, and how confidential the appointment needs to be. Retained executive search suits business-critical or discreet hires where dedicated research time and a mapped candidate market count most. Contingent and exclusive arrangements suit sales leadership roles where speed and flexibility matter more than exhaustive mapping. If you are unsure which fits, we will talk you through the trade-offs before you commit to anything.
How long does a sales director search take?
Timelines depend on the seniority of the role, how tight the candidate market is, and how many interview stages sit on your side of the process. We agree a realistic timeline at the briefing stage and report progress against it throughout the assignment, so you always know where the search stands, which candidates are in play, and what is driving any movement in the schedule.
Which seniority levels do you cover?
Our practice concentrates on executive and senior managerial appointments: sales director and VP of sales roles, through to experienced national, regional, and sales operations leadership. These are the mandates where a structured search process makes the clearest difference. We do not handle entry-level, junior or staff-level positions or internships, and we do not place temporary, hourly or staff-level contract workers; contract and interim appointments at manager level and above run through our interim practice. If your requirement sits outside that scope, tell us anyway and we will point you in a useful direction rather than take on a search we are not best placed to run.
Start your sales director search with SundryHall
If you are planning a senior commercial hire, the best first step is a short conversation about the role, the market, and the outcomes the appointment needs to deliver. A sales director search is about finding a commercial leader who can build pipeline, shape a sales strategy, develop the team beneath them, and hit revenue targets in a competitive market. The more clearly that brief is defined at the outset, the faster and more accurately we can search.
In that first conversation we will typically explore:
- The remit: whether this is a new-business, account growth, or turnaround mandate, and the size and structure of the team reporting to the role.
- The market: the sectors, territories, and types of customer the sales director will need to understand from day one.
- The outcomes: the revenue, margin, or growth targets the appointment is expected to deliver, and the timeframe for them.
- The culture: the leadership style and values that will allow a new director to succeed alongside your existing executive team.
- The process: your preferred timeline, interview stages, decision-makers, and package benchmarks.
Call our team at +1 888-202-9809 or email [email protected] to discuss your brief with a consultant. If you are at an earlier stage and simply want a view on salary benchmarks, candidate availability, or how your proposition compares in the current market, we are happy to have that conversation too. There is no obligation to start a search.
Brief us on the role you need to fill
Tell us about the position, the location and the timeline. A consultant who works your sector will follow up to talk through how we would run the search.