Director of Retail Sales

Lakeshore Learning Materials, LLC•Chicago, IL

23h•$120,000 - $140,000

About The Position

Lakeshore is seeking a Director of Retail Sales to own revenue production for its retail channel. The role works in close partnership with the Vice President of Stores and is accountable for total retail revenue, sales strategy, and programs that drive conversion, basket growth, institutional sales, and customer engagement. The Director translates company priorities into measurable sales plans for each store and leads through effective planning, programs, insight, and close partnership with the field. The position involves spending about 75% of the time traveling and working with stores, including overnight stays three times per week. Candidates should ideally reside in the Mid-West area. The Director partners with the Vice President of Stores and Retail Territory Managers on sales strategies, store priorities, recovery plans, and execution. The role also connects retail stores with Inside and Institutional Sales and represents the retail channel in collaboration with Marketing and Merchandising.

Requirements

7+ years of progressive retail sales leadership, including ownership of chain-wide or multi-region sales strategy.
3+ years carrying a revenue number or P&L line, with demonstrated delivery against it.
Proven track record designing sales programs and scaling them across a multi-unit fleet with measurable revenue results.
Strong financial fluency, including budgeting, forecasting, opportunity sizing, and margin impact.
Sharp commercial judgment in identifying genuine revenue opportunities.
Ability to build data-backed cases and defend recommendations with executives.
Ability to influence peers, executives, and field leaders without direct authority.
Concise communication style, leading with recommendations and supporting them with evidence.
Program design and project management discipline from concept through measured outcome.

Nice To Haves

Experience building B2B, institutional, or community outreach sales within a multi-unit retail business.
Ideally resides in the Mid-West area.

Responsibilities

Drive total retail revenue with the Vice President of Stores, including the annual sales plan, rolling forecast, and executive updates with clear recommendations.
Lead chain-wide selling programs, including customer outreach, educator partnerships, community events, loyalty, and four-wall conversion; scale programs that work.
Develop recovery plans for at-risk stores with the Vice President of Stores and Territory Managers, diagnose root causes through store visits, and track results against KPIs.
Lead retail B2B and outreach strategy across educator, school, childcare, and community segments, connecting stores with Inside and Institutional Sales so leads are followed up.
Evolve the Lakeshore selling model and standards, including playbooks and training that support store leaders.
Optimize performance using data and set the two or three highest priorities for each period with the Vice President of Stores.
Represent the retail channel in work with Marketing and Merchandising on promotions, pricing tests, and launches, and measure sales lift.