Director of Sales, Merrell - Lifestyle & Pure Play

Current employees, please apply in Workday.

Are you a highly motivated and results-driven individual with a passion for the outdoors? If so, we have an exciting opportunity to help shape and drive the future of Merrell & Chaco.

For over 40 Years, Merrell has been trying to share the simple power of the being outside with everyone. We believe in the positive benefit of the outdoors to restore individuals and communities. As a result, we want to fuel the growth of outdoor participation through the creation of awesome products and amazing stories that encourages people to get outside everyday whether in the city or on the trail. To help drive this journey, we are looking for a Director of Sales, Lifestyle & Pure Play Channel.

The Director of Sales, Lifestyle Channel will develop and lead the sales team and execution of Merrell brand sales and distribution strategies within the Lifestyle Channel in order to maximize sales and margins, support and promote the brand, and build/maintain engaged relationships with customers. This individual’s success will be based on their ability to build winning relationships, develop and drive a best-in-class team to exceed goals, and leverage data and insights to develop and execute a strategic sales plan.

• Strategically cultivate new accounts and seek opportunities to expand business with existing accounts; strategize means to penetrate new markets; oversee development and maintain business relationships with customers

• Build strong partnerships as an influential strategic business leader across the Merrell and Chaco brands including driving global alignment and direction on our business planning with financial partners, regional leads, product, marketing and planning teams.

• Guide research and competitive analysis; interpret relevant trends and communicate to internal partners, where appropriate

• Oversee development of line plan for each brand, in context of larger assortment and cost structure; review and approve seasonal business proposals for each customer, with suggested assortments based on marketplace and customer base

• Collaboratively devise and articulate brand positioning and key strategic initiatives for brand, where appropriate; strategize optimal placement in store, including, where applicable, in-store shops

• Deliver recommendations to executives in a dynamic business that requires robust analysis and documentation, clear and crisp communication of key insights and action, and drive changes on short intervals.

• Lead regular review of shipments and orders, sales and stock levels, merchandising and markdowns with Key Account Managers and Account Executives

• Oversee communications and feedback between customers and internal partners in Sales, Design, Production and retail coordinators

• Lead the development of sales, distribution, and customer relations management strategies for the US wholesale business

• Drive revenue and profitability through in-depth wholesaler knowledge, account and margin analysis, detailed progress reviews and creative thinking.

• Lead the development of the brand’s annual sales budget and regional and key account sales plans

• Work with internal and external resources to develop and manage the brand’s go-to-market strategies, programs and assets.

• Communicates vision to all relevant customers.

• Lead internal and external teams in the development of tools that support sales and distribution strategies and programs to meet or exceed established sales plans

• Build and develop a high-performance team that consistently meet or exceed expectations by ensuring appropriate training and feedback and increasing the commercial aptitude of the team.

• Collaborate with the brand’s marketing team to help develop and execute sales and marketing programs to drive the brand with targeted retailers & consumers and deliver a strong return on co-op dollars

• Collaborate with the brand’s product creation team to develop global product assortment and comprehensive sales programs and materials to support the launch of each seasonal product line

• Lead the development and execution of a plan to consistently and objectively measure the effectiveness of the brand’s sales programs and investments

• Performs duties consistent with the company’s AAP/EEO goals and policies

• Performs other duties as required/assigned by manager

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent work experience.

• 10+ years of sales experience in wholesale footwear.

• Proven people leadership skills with a focus on developing and motivating high-performing teams. At least 3 years’ experience at the manager level.

• Strong experience in working with retailers on a cooperative basis, beyond simply “selling” product into the wholesale channel.

• Experience in multiple distribution channels (including some or all of the outdoor, sporting goods, brown shoe and department store channels)

• Actively embraces a growth mindset with an openness to feedback to support continuous improvement.

• Demonstrated ability to act as a change agent, driving continuous process improvements and introducing best practices across the organization in support of better outcomes.

• The ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships both internally and externally.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including a high comfort level with public speaking and presenting.

• A strong collaborator able to work well in cross-functional organization at all levels within multiple parts of the organization.

• The ability to multi-task, combining strategy and execution; and a willingness to step in to get the job done.

• Proficient in MS Office (word, excel, power point, etc.)

• A track record of effectively working to a budget and measuring results.

Working Conditions

Position may be remote.  Travel required.

Salary Minimum

$160,000.00

Salary Maximum

$210,000.00

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills which may be required.

Wolverine Worldwide, Inc. is committed to creating a company that is as diverse as our consumers. We value the differences in one another and believe our differences make us stronger. Our diverse and inclusive corporate culture starts with the recruitment process. We are committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We aim to create equal opportunities for our associates, customers, and suppliers regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected characteristic.