A medical device sales hire can look like a standard sales search until the team has to explain the product, buyer, field responsibilities, and measures of success. Before sourcing begins, align on what the person will sell, who they will serve, and what evidence will show they can succeed in this specific role.
Use this employer scorecard to turn a broad request for “medical sales experience” into a clear, assessable hiring brief.
1. Describe the product and its commercial context
Name the device category or product family, its intended use, the customer setting, and where the product sits in its commercial lifecycle. Avoid relying on a broad label such as “surgical,” “diagnostic,” or “capital equipment” when the role depends on a narrower product or customer context.
The FDA explains that device classification is risk-based and depends in part on intended use and indications for use. For hiring purposes, that makes it useful to document the company’s approved product description and commercial claims with product and regulatory leaders before evaluating candidates. Do not ask a sales hire to interpret regulatory status or make claims beyond approved company materials.
2. Identify the customer, user, and decision process
Separate the person who uses the device from the people who evaluate, approve, purchase, implement, or support it. List the customer types and account settings the role actually serves, then identify which relationships the salesperson owns and which are handled by clinical, technical, procurement, or service colleagues.
This prevents a job description from collapsing different responsibilities into “build relationships.” If the role depends on access to a particular customer group, specify the relevant experience and the evidence you will accept, rather than using an undefined network requirement.
3. Define the sales motion and territory
State whether the role manages existing accounts, opens new accounts, supports a launch, expands use within current customers, or combines those responsibilities. Clarify direct sales, distributor or channel involvement, account ownership, territory boundaries, expected travel, and how the role works with regional or national leadership.
Describe the actual buying process and sales cycle for this position using your company’s experience. If the product or territory is new, say so. Candidates need to know whether the assignment is to grow an established book, introduce a new product, or build coverage where the company has limited presence.
4. Separate commercial ownership from clinical or technical support
Some roles include demonstrations, clinical education, technical consultation, or in-procedure support; others depend on separate specialists for those responsibilities. Specify what the salesperson does, what the supporting team owns, what training is provided, and when a customer issue must be escalated.
This distinction affects the profile you recruit and the interview evidence you seek. If the role includes responsibilities that require specific education, credentials, or experience, identify them clearly and confirm the requirements with the relevant internal leaders.
5. Set observable outcomes for the first year
Define what progress should look like at 90 days, six months, and one year for this role. Use measures your organization actually tracks, such as account coverage, qualified pipeline, progress through defined sales stages, product training milestones, or other role-specific outcomes. Set targets from your own business plan; do not borrow a quota or benchmark that is not supported by your data.
Also identify the conditions that shape performance: territory maturity, product availability, onboarding, access to clinical support, and the time needed for customer evaluation. A scorecard should distinguish what the hire controls from the resources and constraints the employer provides.
6. Assess evidence, not just industry labels
Ask candidates to walk through a complex sale or account-development example relevant to the role. Listen for how they identified stakeholders, planned the territory or account, coordinated internal support, handled objections using approved information, and measured progress. Ask what they personally owned and what the wider team delivered.
Then test the most important part of the job with a consistent, role-related exercise. For example, ask the candidate to explain how they would prepare for an introductory meeting with a target account, using only the product information and scenario the employer supplies. Evaluate their preparation, questions, judgment, and communication—not an invented claim of prior access or results.
7. Separate must-haves from skills you can teach
Mark each requirement as essential on day one, trainable during onboarding, or preferred. Product-specific experience may be essential for one role and learnable for another. Apply the same distinction to customer settings, sales-cycle length, distributor relationships, leadership scope, and clinical or technical responsibilities.
This makes the search more focused and helps interviewers compare candidates consistently. It can also reveal when a wish list combines several jobs—such as territory sales, clinical support, and national account leadership—into one position.
Complete the role scorecard before recruiting
Product and intended use; customer types and decision-makers; sales motion and account ownership; territory and travel; responsibilities of clinical and technical partners; first-year outcomes; essential versus trainable qualifications; compensation structure; and the interview evidence required for each criterion.
Have the hiring manager, commercial leader, and recruiting partner agree on these points before reviewing resumes. If the role is a senior commercial or executive search, add reporting relationships, decision authority, team scope, and the business outcomes the leader is expected to own.
Plan the search around the role you actually need
A well-scoped brief gives interviewers a shared standard and helps candidates understand the work. It also gives the recruiting team a better basis for deciding which backgrounds are relevant and where transferable experience may fit.
For medical device and MedTech employers, HealthStaffingGroup supports permanent searches across commercial leadership and other medical-device functions. See our MedTech and clinical leadership search overview, or request an employer consultation to discuss a specific role.
Source
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Classify Your Medical Device. Device classification details vary by product; confirm product-specific questions with qualified regulatory staff.
Featured image: Operating room photograph by Arseny Togulev via Unsplash.
