Director of Sales

Mad Engine Global LLC•Toronto, ON

30d•CA$120,000 - CA$140,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Sales – Canada is responsible for leading and executing the sales strategy for our Canadian business, with a focus on apparel, licensed apparel, fashion, and consumer products. This role will drive profitable revenue growth, strengthen key retail partnerships, identify new business opportunities, and develop a high-performing sales organization. Reporting to the Vice President of Sales, the Director of Sales will provide strategic and hands-on leadership across the Canadian market, building and expanding relationships with key retailers and partners. The role will work closely with internal teams to bring compelling apparel and licensed product programs to market while responding to evolving consumer, retail, fashion, and cultural trends. The ideal candidate combines strong commercial and sales leadership experience with a genuine interest in apparel, fashion, pop culture, entertainment, sports, and licensed consumer products. They understand how trends, brands, licenses, and consumer demand translate into successful retail programs and long-term customer growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Fashion, Commerce, or a related field; equivalent professional experience will also be considered.
8+ years of progressive sales experience, ideally within apparel, licensed apparel, fashion, consumer products, or a closely related industry.
Demonstrated success managing and growing a Canadian sales business and delivering against revenue and profitability targets.
Strong understanding of the Canadian retail landscape, ideally with established relationships across key apparel, mass, specialty, or e-commerce retailers.
Proven experience developing strategic retail relationships and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
Experience leading, coaching, and developing sales teams.
Strong financial and analytical skills, including forecasting, budgeting, margin management, and sales performance analysis.
Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, trend-driven environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and CRM/sales reporting tools.
Ability to travel within Canada and internationally as business needs require.

Nice To Haves

Experience within licensed apparel or licensed consumer products is highly desirable.
Genuinely excited by the products and categories we sell.
Strong interest in apparel and fashion, with an awareness of the trends shaping what consumers want to wear and buy.
An interest in licensed apparel, entertainment, sports, music, gaming, pop culture, and consumer trends is a strong advantage.
Commercially minded and able to connect what's happening in culture and fashion with opportunities for our retail customers and our business.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the Canadian sales strategy across apparel, licensed apparel, and related consumer product categories.
Deliver annual revenue, profitability, and growth targets for the Canadian business.
Identify new opportunities across retailers, customers, channels, product categories, and licensed properties.
Develop annual sales plans, account strategies, forecasts, and budgets.
Monitor apparel, fashion, retail, licensing, and consumer trends, as well as competitive activity, to identify emerging opportunities.
Partner with internal teams to translate market and consumer insights into commercially successful product and retail programs.
Establish clear priorities and action plans to accelerate growth across key accounts, brands, licenses, and product categories.
Build and maintain strong relationships with key Canadian retailers, buyers, merchants, and senior-level decision-makers.
Serve as a strategic business partner to customers by understanding their consumers, assortment strategies, and business objectives.
Lead major customer negotiations, annual business reviews, presentations, line reviews, and strategic account planning.
Present compelling apparel and licensed product assortments and programs that align with retailer and consumer needs.
Ensure strong execution of product launches, seasonal programs, promotional initiatives, and key retail moments.
Develop strategies to expand existing accounts while building a strong pipeline of new retail and business opportunities.
Lead, coach, and develop the Canadian sales team to achieve individual and organizational goals.
Establish clear performance expectations, KPIs, and accountability across the sales organization.
Foster a collaborative, results-oriented, consumer-focused, and customer-focused sales culture.
Develop the team's understanding of the apparel, fashion, licensing, and retail landscape and how trends can translate into commercial opportunities.
Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and professional development to strengthen team capabilities.
Own the Canadian sales forecast and ensure timely and accurate reporting of revenue, opportunities, risks, and customer activity.
Analyze sales performance, customer trends, margins, product performance, and other key business metrics.
Maintain a strong sales pipeline and proactively address gaps against targets.
Provide regular business updates and recommendations to the Vice President of Sales and senior leadership.
Use sales data, retail performance, market intelligence, and consumer trends to drive informed commercial decisions.
Partner closely with Design, Product Development, Licensing, Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Planning to deliver customer and company objectives.
Communicate customer needs, retail insights, competitive activity, fashion trends, and emerging consumer opportunities across the organization.
Collaborate with product and design teams to ensure assortments reflect customer needs, licensed properties, consumer demand, and relevant market trends.
Work cross-functionally to ensure product, pricing, inventory, forecasting, and delivery strategies support customer requirements.
Champion alignment between customer expectations, consumer trends, and internal business priorities.