How To Become A Global Vice President Of Sales: What It Is and Career Path

What is a global vice president of sales and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Bill Thorne

The job of a global vice president of sales is quite similar to that of any sales department VP, but their role tends to be more critical since they handle the company's sales all over the globe. With that in mind, a global vice president of sales spends most of their time developing sales strategies for the company, meeting with new and existing clients, and ensuring that all global sales goals are met.

A global vice president of sales may travel frequently, attending business meetings with international clients, as well as global events that can bring more success to the company. When they are not traveling for business, they spend their time in the main office of the company.

This role requires a high level of education, experience, and expertise. When looking for a global vice president of sales, they look for a candidate with a master's degree; more than five years of experience in the industry; and a deep level of understanding of their products and services. More than that, employers want a candidate with exemplary skills in leadership, business strategy, and international relations. The average annual salary for a global vice president is approximately $176,000.

What general advice would you give to a Global Vice President Of Sales?

Bill Thorne

Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation

Retail is the largest private-sector employer in the country, directly employing 32 million people and supporting 52 million jobs overall - roughly one-quarter of the U.S. workforce. While COVID-19 has presented new and unexpected challenges, retailers have continued to showcase the industry's resilience and adaptability time and again. The safety and security of customers and employees remains our greatest priority. It is no doubt that the professional environment has changed this year, but retail continues to offer a plethora of career opportunities for graduates and seasoned veterans alike.

ScoreGlobal Vice President Of SalesUS Average

Salary

9.7

Avg. Salary $179,328

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.4

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.24%

Asian 4.07%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 9.82%

Unknown 4.41%

White 78.23%

Gender

female 13.50%

male 86.50%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress Level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.4

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a global vice president of sales

Explore global vice president of sales education requirements

Most common global vice president of sales degrees

Bachelor's

78.8 %

Master's

16.1 %

Associate

3.5 %

Start to develop specific global vice president of sales skills

Skills	Percentages
Digital Marketing	8.63%
Revenue Growth	8.13%
Business Development	6.38%
CRM	6.05%
Sales Process	5.67%

Complete relevant global vice president of sales training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New global vice presidents of sales learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a global vice president of sales based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real global vice president of sales resumes.

Research global vice president of sales duties and responsibilities

Manage during periods of dynamic challenge and change relative to start-up, turnaround and revitalization situations.
Develop and implement the sales, marketing and CRM strategies.
Realign sales organization to increase organic growth in key OEM customers.
Guide the creation of go to market strategies and channel CRM system implementation plan.

Get global vice president of sales experience

Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a global vice president of sales. The most common roles before becoming a global vice president of sales include sales vice president, director of sales team lead and vice president.

Prepare your global vice president of sales resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your global vice president of sales resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a global vice president of sales resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Global Vice President Of Sales Resume templates

Build a professional Global Vice President Of Sales resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Global Vice President Of Sales resume.

Apply for global vice president of sales jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a global vice president of sales job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average global vice president of sales salary

The average Global Vice President Of Sales salary in the United States is $179,328 per year or $86 per hour. Global vice president of sales salaries range between $116,000 and $276,000 per year.

Average Global Vice President Of Sales Salary

$179,328 Yearly

$86.22 hourly

How do global vice presidents of sales rate their job?

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Global Vice President Of Sales reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2023

Pros

Rule of thumb with international travel is be ready for serious jet-lag!

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022

Cons

I am responsible for everything be it any side of the business

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020