Director of Channel Growth and Partnerships

Lakeland Industries• Remote, US,

1d•$130,000 - $150,000

About The Position

The Director of Channel Growth & Partnerships is a strategic commercial leadership role responsible for accelerating revenue growth, expanding market reach, and strengthening Lakeland Fire + Safety’s distribution and strategic partner ecosystem within the U.S. Industrial business. The role extends beyond traditional channel relationship management, with responsibility for finding new market opportunities, developing routes to market, creating end-user demand through channel partners, and optimizing channel investments for profitable, sustainable growth. The Director partners with the Director of Field Sales, Regional Sales Managers, and cross-functional leaders to turn market insights into commercial strategies that strengthen Lakeland’s competitive position and produce measurable results. The successful candidate brings an entrepreneurial mindset, strong commercial acumen, and the ability to turn ideas into scalable revenue opportunities. Success is evaluated through commercial impact, profitable channel expansion, and sustainable growth opportunities. In the first 90 days, the Director is expected to build relationships with core distribution partners, assess channel performance and investments, identify growth opportunities and performance gaps, and develop an initial growth roadmap with at least two high-impact initiatives. In the first 12 months, the role is expected to deliver measurable channel revenue and sell-through growth, improve channel profitability, launch at least one revenue-generating partnership or route-to-market initiative, expand channel programs and product placements, strengthen distributor training and engagement, and establish consistent performance reporting and accountability. The role requires travel as needed to support distributor relationships, business development, and strategic initiatives. Lakeland Fire + Safety is an equal opportunity employer. The company notes that responsibilities may evolve with business needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
At least 8 years of progressive experience in channel sales, distributor management, strategic partnerships, national accounts, or related commercial leadership roles.
Experience in industrial safety, personal protective equipment (PPE), maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), or related industrial markets.
Demonstrated success developing and growing relationships with national or large regional industrial distributors.
Ability to develop, launch, and scale channel programs, strategic partnerships, or routes to market with measurable revenue results.
Strong financial and commercial acumen, including experience evaluating gross profit, channel incentives, return on investment, and partner profitability.
Experience turning market insights and business analytics into actionable commercial strategies.
Ability to lead complex initiatives, influence stakeholders, and deliver results in a cross-functional environment.
Strong negotiation, relationship management, strategic planning, and executive communication skills.
Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution in a dynamic, growth-oriented business environment.
Ability and willingness to travel as required for distributor relationships, business development, and strategic initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Experience with protective clothing, chemical protection, or critical-environment safety products.
Established relationships within the national industrial distribution marketplace.
Experience implementing distributor vending, onsite inventory management, or integrated supply programs.
Experience developing partner segmentation, tiered incentive structures, or channel certification programs.
Experience leading commercial transformation, market expansion, or new business development initiatives.
Familiarity with CRM systems, sales analytics platforms, and distributor performance reporting tools.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a U.S. Industrial channel growth strategy aligned with Lakeland’s commercial objectives.
Lead and expand relationships with national, regional, and strategic industrial distribution partners.
Create joint business plans with key distributors, including growth targets, product expansion opportunities, and performance measures.
Identify opportunities to improve market penetration, product adoption, and end-user demand through distribution networks.
Drive new product placements, stocking programs, vending solutions, onsite supply programs, and other channel initiatives.
Conduct forward-looking business reviews with key partners to assess performance, identify growth opportunities, and strengthen accountability.
Identify, evaluate, and establish new partnerships that expand Lakeland’s reach beyond traditional industrial distribution.
Develop go-to-market strategies that create incremental revenue and reach underserved customer segments.
Build business cases for partnership opportunities, including financial projections, resource needs, and expected return on investment.
Lead partnership negotiations and coordinate implementation with internal stakeholders.
Establish scalable partnership models that support long-term growth and competitive differentiation.
Evaluate and optimize distributor incentives, rebates, cooperative marketing investments, and other channel expenditures.
Develop partner programs that recognize performance, encourage incremental growth, and strengthen distributor engagement.
Work with Marketing and Sales Enablement to develop distributor training, product education, and certification initiatives.
Lead joint demand-generation activities with distribution partners, including measurable lead-generation and conversion strategies.
Improve the distributor experience by simplifying processes, strengthening responsiveness, and making Lakeland easier to do business with.
Monitor channel revenue growth, sell-through trends, gross profit, market share, and partner profitability.
Analyze the financial effectiveness of channel investments, including rebates, incentives, promotional programs, and partnership expenditures.
Use data and market intelligence to identify performance trends, risks, and growth opportunities.
Recommend actions to improve channel productivity, investment allocation, and commercial performance.
Partner with Finance and Sales leadership on forecasting, performance reporting, and strategic business planning.
Align channel activities with broader commercial priorities in partnership with the Director of Field Sales, Regional Sales Managers, and Strategic Accounts.
Collaborate with Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Product Management, and Finance to fulfill partner commitments.
Influence cross-functional stakeholders and drive initiatives through collaboration, accountability, and shared business objectives.
Advise leadership on distributor trends, competitive dynamics, and emerging partnership opportunities.
Champion innovation, continuous improvement, and results-oriented execution.