Sales & Business Development Job Description Templates
This hub contains ready-to-use job-description templates for sales and business development roles across sectors and seniority levels. Use these templates to pick the best match for the activity (field sales, telesales, account management, business development or sales leadership), then adapt responsibilities, target markets, quota and commission details to reflect your vacancy.
Find the closest role, then make it yours.
Start with the job title that best matches your vacancy and edit the responsibilities, requirements, salary, working pattern and benefits before publishing.
What should a sales or business development job description include?
Start with the role’s commercial objective and day-to-day duties, then state measurable targets (quota, KPIs), territory or sector, required sales experience and the compensation mix (base, commission, OTE). Also list the tools, travel expectations and progression opportunities.
14 sales & business development job description examples
Select the role closest to your vacancy. Each template gives you an editable starting point plus role-specific responsibilities, skills, salary considerations and hiring guidance.
Hiring for sales & business development roles
Sales and business development roles range from entry-level inside sales and telesales to senior leadership and strategic BD positions. Differences centre on customer type (consumer, SME, enterprise, public sector), sales motion (transactional vs consultative), level of autonomy (individual contributor vs manager) and product complexity (commodity, SaaS, medical devices). Recruitment needs change accordingly: entry roles focus on resilience and communication, field and technical sales need industry knowledge and travel flexibility, while leadership roles require forecasting, team management and pipeline strategy.
Hunter vs Farmer
Business development and field sales roles are often 'hunters' focused on new accounts and territory growth, while account management and retention roles are 'farmers' focused on growing existing customer value and renewal rates.
Inside, Field and Strategic Sales
Inside or telesales handle high-volume, lower-value transactions from the office. Field and enterprise sellers manage in-person meetings and longer cycles. Strategic or BD roles combine market research, partner development and cross-functional influence.
How to write a better sales & business development job advert
The template gives you the structure. These details are what make the finished advert more useful to the right candidates.
Lead with outcomes
Open with the revenue or growth objectives the hire will own so candidates understand the role’s purpose immediately.
Be explicit about targets
State quotas, activity expectations (calls, meetings), conversion metrics and typical sales cycle to reduce unsuitable applications.
Describe the compensation mix
Explain base versus variable pay, how commission is earned and realistic OTE ranges relative to target achievement.
List sector and product specifics
Call out vertical experience, regulated markets or technical products that affect ramp-up time and training needs.
Show progression pathways
Highlight promotion routes to senior seller, team lead or head of sales to attract ambitious candidates.
Cover practicalities
Include travel frequency, territory size, remote working policy and required tools to set expectations early.
Sales & Business Development salary considerations
Salary in sales and business development depends heavily on the role’s seniority, sector, average deal size and the split between fixed pay and commission. Rather than fixed figures, consider the total reward package and how pay aligns with achievable targets.
- Decide base-to-commission split and how aggressive your variable pay will be.
- Define OTE (on-target earnings) and the performance level required to reach it.
- Adjust for sector and product complexity: enterprise and technical sales typically command higher packages.
- Factor in location and travel demands when setting base pay and expense policies.
- Include benefits that matter to salespeople: company car or mileage, mobile/tech allowance and business development budget.
Sales & Business Development job description FAQs
Should I advertise base salary or OTE?
Advertise both if possible: a clear base salary helps attract candidates, while OTE explains potential upside and aligns expectations about variable reward.
Do I need sector experience for sales roles?
It depends on complexity. Commodity and transactional roles can be filled by strong communicators; technical, medical or enterprise roles typically benefit from sector knowledge or similar product experience.
How much detail should I give about commission plans?
Provide the structure and any caps, the payment timing and typical time to first commission. Transparency reduces later disputes and improves candidate quality.
What interview stages work best for sales hires?
Combine a competency screen, practical role-play or pitch assessment and a final cultural/managerial interview to evaluate both skills and fit.
When should I use a recruitment agency?
Use agencies for hard-to-fill specialist, senior or passive-candidate roles, or when you need a faster pipeline and market reach beyond your own channels.
Need help creating a sales job advert?
If you’d like us to draft or optimise your sales job description, we can write it for you and post to multiple boards; provide the role details and we’ll tailor the advert to your targets and compensation model.
