VP of Sales (Industrial) Recruiters
Manufacturing Headhunters recruits manufacturing professionals nationwide.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
A VP of sales at an industrial manufacturer inherits channels, quotas and a team whose habits predate them. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
The hiring decision
What makes this hire work on your plant floor?
A VP of sales at an industrial manufacturer inherits channels, quotas and a team whose habits predate them. If your distributors carry your brand at their convenience, your forecast misses by a wide margin, or your best sales engineers keep leaving, you need a leader who understands how your product is specified, bought and serviced.
We search for sales executives who have rebuilt a channel, held forecast discipline and worked next to engineering and the plant.
We ask whether they sold direct, through distributors, through manufacturer's reps or a mix, and how they managed conflict between them. We ask what they changed: territory design, distributor agreements, rep terminations, direct account coverage.
These are different businesses. OEM sales run on design wins, long programs and engineering relationships. Aftermarket runs on availability, brand and speed. We ask which they led, what the margin differences were, and how they adapted pricing and service to each.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
Industrial buyers want an answer from someone who understands the application. We ask how they stay current on product, whether they travel with the field team and how they have supported complex bids. We also ask how they work with engineering to get custom quotes right.
Forecast accuracy and CRM discipline
We ask for an example of a deal that slipped and what they did. People who talk about stages and conversion rates, and who can describe the weekly forecast call, tend to be real operators.
Technical credibility
Industrial buyers want an answer from someone who understands the application. We ask how they stay current on product, whether they travel with the field team and how they have supported complex bids. We also ask how they work with engineering to get custom quotes right. Many industrial sales leaders have lost margin on custom work because nobody checked the plant's real capacity.
Building and keeping the team
We ask about hiring, compensation design, and how they coached underperformers. We ask what happened to their best people after they left a company. We ask how they set territories and quotas, how they handled a rep who produced revenue but ignored process, and how they dealt with a layoff or a reorganization of accounts. Compensation design is a real test: ask what commissions rewarded and what behavior that created. Strong leaders can describe who followed them and who they promoted.
Need a VP of Sales (Industrial)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
We approach sales leaders at peer manufacturers selling comparable products to similar buyers, such as heads of sales and regional directors who have run a national team. We also look at distribution leaders who understand how channel partners think, and strong general managers with commercial strengths.
Fit depends on the product. A leader from highly engineered equipment will think differently than one from catalog components. We match on the buying process, sales cycle length, channel mix and technical complexity. We also consider whether the buyer is a purchasing group, a maintenance supervisor or a design engineer, since each requires a different sales posture. A leader who has called on all three tends to build a more balanced team. We also ask how they ran their weekly pipeline review, who they promoted from inside, and how they onboarded a new regional manager into a territory with history and bruised accounts.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Channel structure. A leader who has only ever managed one channel will struggle if yours is mixed. Technical credibility. We ask whether they have sat in a quote review with operations, what pricing rule they used on engineered orders, and whether they have ever walked away from a large order the plant could not make profitably.
- Channel structure. A leader who has only ever managed one channel will struggle if yours is mixed.
- Technical credibility. We ask whether they have sat in a quote review with operations, what pricing rule they used on engineered orders, and whether they have ever walked away from a large order the plant could not make profitably.
- Forecast accuracy and CRM discipline. We ask how they forecasted, what the CRM looked like, how they inspected pipeline, and how close they came.
The search
How the search runs?
Agree the briefWe start with the commercial picture: channels, customers, team, pricing practice and what has been tried. Approach relevant peopleWe confirm our fee in writing, then define the first priorities of the role, since a turnaround and a growth hire attract different people.
Agree the brief
We start with the commercial picture: channels, customers, team, pricing practice and what has been tried.
Approach relevant people
We confirm our fee in writing, then define the first priorities of the role, since a turnaround and a growth hire attract different people.
Qualify the work and support the hire
You then meet candidates we have interviewed on the checks above. We coordinate meetings with the plant and engineering, suggest a structured review of a real account, and collect references from channel partners, customers and former colleagues.
Need a VP of Sales (Industrial)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about questions about VP of Sales (Industrial) searches?
Need a VP of Sales (Industrial)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about start your VP of Sales (Industrial) search?
Need a VP of Sales (Industrial)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
What should you know about pay snapshot?
$148,270 annual national median for SOC 11-2022 Sales Managers.
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideNeed a VP of Sales (Industrial)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Get a talent snapshot for this roleHave your job description reviewed
What should you know about open jobs?
What else affects this VP of Sales (Industrial) hire?
Yes: Many sales leaders are in a competitor's building, so we hold names closely and describe your company by sector first. We ask whether they sold direct, through distributors, through manufacturer's reps or a mix, and how they managed conflict between them.
How are fees structured?
A percentage of first year base salary, agreed in writing before work starts. No charge unless you hire.
Is the search confidential?
Yes: Many sales leaders are in a competitor's building, so we hold names closely and describe your company by sector first. We ask whether they sold direct, through distributors, through manufacturer's reps or a mix, and how they managed conflict between them.
Can you reach sitting sales leaders?
Yes: The best ones rarely respond to postings, so we approach them directly and discuss channels and territory. Many industrial sales leaders have lost margin on custom work because nobody checked the plant's real capacity.
What about relocation?
Many sales executives are field based and flexible. Where you need them at headquarters, we raise it early.
Would you consider alternate titles?
Yes: VP sales and marketing or chief commercial officer can fit. We judge by the channels and teams led.
Need a VP of Sales (Industrial)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
What should we discuss first?
When do you invoice?
Only after your chosen candidate accepts and starts. Nothing earlier.
What should you know before sending vp of sales (industrial)?
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.
Read the contingency fee terms · Review VP of Sales (Industrial)