Requirements

Marketing or sales director - requirements

Marketing and sales directors, also known as commercial directors, plan, organise and oversee marketing, advertising, communication and sales activities. They design the company’s overall marketing strategy. Read our guide to learn more about how to become a sales or marketing director.

Know what you'll need to land a job below.

What qualifications do you need to be a marketing or sales director?

In most cases, you’ll need at least an undergraduate degree, probably in something business-related, to begin a career path towards becoming a sales or marketing director. Subject areas to consider include:

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Do you need a postgraduate qualification to be a marketing or sales director?

You won’t necessarily need a postgraduate qualification to become a sales or marketing director, as a lot of weight is given to the experience you’ve got. That being said a postgraduate qualification will improve your chances of employment, especially an MBA, which is often studied by professionals who have at least three years of business and management experience.

Examples of taught MAs and research degrees at postgraduate level include MAs in:

Marketing
Data analytics and marketing
Brand management
Business administration

What skills do you need to be a marketing or sales director?

As well as having strategic and analytical skills you also need to be creative and must enjoy managing a team.

Hard skills usually include:

Digital marketing
Business
Sales
Customer relationship management
Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Soft skills include:

Communication
Leadership
Public speaking and presenting
Research

Do you need work experience to be a marketing or sales director?

You’re not likely to get a job as a director without lots of experience. You might start your career with an entry-level position, like a sales or marketing executive. To get these roles, you sometimes need previous work experience which can be gained if your business degree includes an industry placement.