head of sales recruitment agency and headhunters
your next head of sales, in good hands.
We combine our data, our sector experts and our AI algorithms to identify the headhunter most relevant to your role, from your first sales manager to the head of sales who structures the whole team.
- no setup fees, pay on hire
- guaranteed replacement
- hire signed in under 26 days
they hire their head of sales with muzzo
how do you hire a head of sales through a recruitment agency?
A head of sales builds the sales function: hiring the team and setting the comp plan. Muzzo gives your role to headhunters who hire the most head of sales: they check teams built and forecasts met. You set the fee, from 5 to 30%, paid on hire. If your hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search free.
the figures
head of sales pay in figures
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 34 (sales team management) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 34 (sales team management) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 34 (sales team management) (opens a new window), 2025 data
source: Apec, private-sector managerial pay in 111 job families, 2025 edition, p. 34 (sales team management) (opens a new window), 2025 data
how it works
you only pay if you hire
01
you describe the role
Using the form above: the role, your company, your market. The rest is scoped in your first conversation with the Muzzo team.
02
our data chooses the headhunters
Our AI picks those who have hired the most head of sales, from more than 2,500 selected headhunters.
03
you meet the best profiles
Approached and qualified by headhunters who are sales experts. You choose who you meet.
04
you hire, then you pay
Not before. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost.
they hired with muzzo
Muzzo's strength is the diversity of its recruiters: there is always someone listening to our needs.
With Muzzo, I get the reactivity of a marketplace and the quality of a search firm.
let's talk about your role
Antoine and the Muzzo team help you scope your role and choose the right headhunters. Describe your role in the form: we'll call you back to discuss it.
Antoine GigomasCEO and co-founder of Muzzo
one last question?
You set the fee, between 5 and 30%, and you only pay it on hire: no deposit, no fixed fees. A head of sales taking over an existing team and one who has to build everything after a funding round don't take the same search. The fee follows that difficulty, and the Muzzo team helps you set it.
You have a double guarantee. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, for example because the actual mandate wasn't what was planned, we restart the search at no cost. If we find no replacement within 4 months, we refund 50% of the fees. On average, 94% of Muzzo hires are still in post after 3 months.
sales headhunters are ready to start
A hire signed in under 26 days. You only pay when you hire.
the reality
a head of sales is judged on the team they build, not on their CV
a good head of sales isn't on the market
They are busy building a team that works, and their comp plan keeps their best salespeople. They don't answer job ads. A sales headhunter knows them and knows what would make them move.
the same title covers very different stages
In a start-up that has just raised funding, the head of sales hires the first team. Elsewhere, they take over a team already in place and have to grow it. The headhunter starts from your stage, not from the title.
a bad hire costs the whole sales function
A head of sales who fails leaves a demotivated team and a missed forecast for months. The headhunter checks teams already built and numbers actually hit before introducing anyone.
the roles
the head of sales profiles our headhunters go after for you
From the first team hired after a funding round to a full sales leadership role, each position goes to a headhunter who has already hired that profile.
head of sales
They hire and structure the sales team, set targets and the comp plan, and present the forecast to leadership.
already hired via muzzo
sales team lead
They manage a small team of account executives or salespeople while keeping some personal selling. Often the first step before head of sales.
already hired via muzzo
VP of sales
They own the full sales strategy, often with several managers reporting to them. The level above head of sales in larger organisations.
already hired via muzzo
sales manager
The head of sales equivalent in more established groups, sometimes with a narrower scope: one product line or one region.
already hired via muzzo
revenue operations manager
They work with the head of sales on tools, process and sales team numbers, without directly managing salespeople.
already hired via muzzo
the method
a headhunter who hires team builders, not just managers
A head of sales is judged on the team they build and the numbers it hits. The method starts from that stage, not from the job title.
we define the stage of your sales function
First hire after a funding round, a team to take over, a structure to professionalise: the brief describes the stage, not just the title.
a headhunter who hires sales function leaders
From more than 2,500 selected headhunters, your role goes to those who hire the most head of sales.
teams built and forecasts, checked
Size of the team hired, turnover, forecast met over several quarters: the headhunter asks for them and cross-checks with references before introducing anyone.
hiring a head of sales: what you need to know
why use a headhunter to hire a head of sales?
A head of sales builds an entire sales function: hiring, setting targets, building the comp plan, and reporting to leadership or investors. Many candidates have managed a team without ever having built one from the first hire. Hiring a head of sales comes down to that difference.
A sales headhunter checks it: they ask how many people the profile has hired themselves, over what timeframe, and what forecast the team then met. You meet team builders, not just managers who inherited a structure.
head of sales, sales manager, sales director: who does what?
The sales manager runs a team already in place across a sector or region. The head of sales builds the whole sales function: hiring, comp plan, forecast, often the first time a company structures its sales after a funding round. The sales director owns the full commercial strategy of an already structured company, with several managers reporting to them.
State in the brief whether the team already exists or still has to be built, and who the role reports to. A head of sales hiring their first ten salespeople and a sales director running a hundred-person organisation are not hired the same way.
how do you build a head of sales's pay package?
A head of sales has to build their team's comp plan before discussing their own. Strong profiles want to know how you plan to structure quotas and commissions before accepting the role.
Prepare the governance too: who signs off on hiring salespeople, who arbitrates the forecast, how often. A head of sales with no real decision-making room leaves faster than a junior salesperson would.
which head of sales should you hire for your company's stage?
Right after a funding round, you need someone able to hire the first salespeople themselves and sell directly while the team builds its skills. They work closely with the founder, with no established process.
Once the team is in place, the need changes: structuring process, professionalising reporting, preparing for a sales director or VP of sales to join. The headhunter starts from that stage, not just from the job title.
your questions about hiring a head of sales
According to Apec, managers in sales team management roles (sales team leader, sales manager) earn a median of €60k gross a year, variable included, with 80% between €42k and €89k. It reaches €65k in the Paris region, against €59k elsewhere in France (2025 edition).
According to Apec, 78% of managers in sales team management roles receive variable pay, against 50% of all managers. Median pay reaches €62k for those already managing a confirmed team, against €55k without that responsibility.
The sales manager runs a team already in place across a territory or sector. The head of sales builds the whole sales function: hiring, targets, comp plan, often after a funding round. If your sales team still has to be created, start with a head of sales.
The headhunter asks how many salespeople the profile has hired themselves, over what timeframe, and what forecast the team then met. They cross-check this with references from former leaders or investors. You meet profiles whose built teams are verified, not just claimed.