Director, Wholesale

Lilly Pulitzer•King of Prussia, PA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Wholesale Sales is primarily responsible for the development and management of the company’s sales and profit performance in all Wholesale channels for the Company. This includes developing a Wholesale account matrix that is fit-for-purpose, achieving the sales objectives set for Wholesale within the total company Three Year Plan, and driving an overall Wholesale strategy that leads to profitable growth within a multi-channel context. Performance in this position is measured by achieving targets for total company operating income and profit-before-tax over a multi-year period. This position is a member of the company’s Operating Committee. Serving as a total company leader in this role is expected.

Requirements

A four-year college degree is required.
Minimum 15 years of prior experience in wholesale apparel or retail, preferably in a merchandising or product development capacity.
This experience is preferably with a women’s fashion branded apparel company, preferably multi-channel.
Prior senior leadership experience is required.
This role must have the leadership skills to serve as one of the senior-most leaders in the company.
Sufficient fashion sense and knowledge of the customer to understand the vision of the Lilly Pulitzer® lifestyle and to determine merchandise assortments and creative content that grow the business profitably.
Proficiency in Open-To-Buy management and financial metrics.
Strategic and tactical negotiation skills.
Sufficient industry knowledge, gravitas, and executive presence to represent the brand in senior management meetings of large national accounts.
Strong verbal and written communication skills are necessary.

Nice To Haves

A degree in fashion design or merchandising, economics, business, or a related subject is helpful.

Responsibilities

Establish multi-year growth strategies across all product categories and accounts, including Signature Stores, specialty boutiques, Resorts, Clubs, and department store accounts.
Develop sales plans for each Wholesale channel and account that are in alignment with total Company growth plans.
Establish and monitor key performance indicators in order to evaluate strategy performance.
Develop and maintain a twelve-month rolling budget of revenue and expenses that syncs with company objectives.
Evaluate profitability of accounts.
Establish optimum team structure and account/geographic responsibilities as markets and accounts mature and evolve.
Build and shape a high-performance team to accomplish the department’s objectives.
Establish relationships directly with key accounts and top independent retail partners to best understand their needs and support the sales team.
Build and secure a pipeline of new business development opportunities including accounts and programs that drive expansion, consistent with overall company objectives.
Understand the Lilly Pulitzer customer, wholesale customers, target geographical markets, and brand positioning of Lilly Pulitzer.
Stay apprised of changes to the broader fashion apparel environment (i.e., customer behavior, trends, competitive dynamics, etc.).
Provide analysis and reporting as needed to effectively analyze and drive the business.
Establish and maintain wholesale operations calendar, including key market dates, tradeshows, sell-in periods, and regular business reviews with key accounts.
Direct the identification of new account opportunities.
Provide recommendations for wholesale programs, benefits, and/or key business terms that drive profitable growth.
Ensure B2B platform (JOOR) is executed at a high level in brand and product presentation and optimized to support the business strategy and provide an efficient ordering process and an appropriate customer experience.
Standardize weekly, monthly, and quarterly sales reports with meaningful insights from the department and presenting clear plans to recoup budget variances when applicable.
Collaborate across all departments to ensure desired outcomes are achieved.
Pursue continuous improvement of wholesale operations.
Work with Merchandising and Planning teams to inform the needs of Wholesale and also to optimize inventory ordering and allocation, consistent with total company objectives.
Collaborate with Creative Content to effectively implement marketing initiatives that help achieve sales targets.
Work with Consumer Engagement, Promotions, and Creative Content partners to drive marketing programs that can aid the Wholesale business, and to understand/navigate the impact on Wholesale of DTC-driven customer activities.
Suggest modifications to promotions based on results observed.
Partner with the Visual Merchandising team to provide and ensure visual merchandising standards within all Wholesale accounts.
Serve as a total company senior executive: contribute to total-company strategy development, achievement of financial results, and development of talent and culture.
Contribute to the long-term management, evolution, and development of the Lilly Pulitzer® brand.