About this role
Director of Sales for Lifestyle at Merrell leads the wholesale channel, building retail partnerships and distributing strategy to drive growth across national retailers and tier zero/tier one accounts.
Key Responsibilities
- Own and lead the Lifestyle retail channels for Merrell US Wholesale, including KAM/Account Executives and Sales Support
- Build and drive sales strategy for national retailers and tier zero/tier one accounts
- Own annual sales budget and regional plans
- Forecast and translate strategy into planning actions
- Lead cross-functional collaboration across Sales, Design, Production, and retail coordination teams
Technical Overview
Strategic sales leadership with budgeting and margin analysis; cross-functional execution with marketing, product, and planning; in-store and shop-in-shop merchandising.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a senior-level sales leader with 10+ years in wholesale footwear, proven success across national retailers and tier zero/tier one accounts, and strong executive presence to engage C-suite partners. They should drive go-to-market strategy, budgeting, and cross-functional collaboration to maximize margin and growth.
Must-Have Skills
Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent work experience10+ years of progressive sales leadership experience in wholesale footwearwith demonstrated success across multiple distribution channelsincluding nationalsporting goodsand tier zero and/or tier one accountsProven people leader with at least 3 years at the manager levelknown for buildingdevelopingand holding high-performing teams accountableDemonstrated executive presence with C-suite customers and senior internal leaderswith a track record of influencing decisions through insightsrigorous analysisand clear storytelling and recommendationsDeep experience partnering with retailers as strategic business partnersbeyond transactional sellingto drive mutual growth and long-term valueStrong commercial and negotiation acumenwith the ability to make investment trade-offsmanage marginsoperate to budgetand consistently deliver resultsProven change leaderembracing a growth mindset and driving continuous improvementbest practicesand stronger outcomes across the organizationHighly effective relationship builder and collaboratorcapable of leading through influence and aligning a broad range of stakeholders at all levels internally and externallyExceptional oral and written communication skillswith confidence in executive presentationscustomer negotiationsand high-stakes discussionsAbility to balance strategic leadership with decisive executionmanaging complexityprioritizing effectivelyand stepping in when needed to deliver resultsProficiency in MS Office (WordExcelPowerPointetc.)
Tools & Platforms
MS OfficeExcelPowerPoint
Required Skills
Wholesale footwear salesretail partnershipsnational retailerstier zero/tier one accountsbudgetingnegotiationmargin analysisco-op investmentsmerchandisingin-store executionshop-in-shopstrategic proposalscross-functional collaborationdata-driven selling
Hard Skills
Wholesale footwearRetail partnershipsNational retailersTier zero and tier one accountsBudgetingNegotiationMargin analysisCo-op investmentsMerchandisingIn-store executionShop-in-shopStrategic proposalsCross-functional collaborationData-driven selling
Soft Skills
Executive presenceCommunicationStakeholder managementLeadershipStrategic thinkingRelationship building
Keywords for Your Resume
Sales Director Lifestyle MerrellMerrellWolverine Worldwideretail partnershipsnational retailerstier zero accountstier one accountsgo-to-marketshop-in-shopmargin analysisbudgetingco-op investmentsleadershipexecutive presenceC-suitemerchandisingin-store executionremotems officeexcelpowerpointsales directorlifestylemerrellnegotiation
Deal Breakers
10+ years wholesale footwear sales leadership, 3+ years at the manager level, Experience with national retailers and tier zero/tier one accounts, Strong negotiation and budgeting skills
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