The Opportunity

At Designer Brands, we believe great partnerships drive great results. As a Senior Director, Sales, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of one of our key brand businesses by building strong retail partnerships, influencing product strategy, and driving profitable growth.

This is a highly visible leadership role that combines customer relationship management, strategic business planning, merchandising insight, and cross-functional collaboration. You'll serve as the primary commercial leader for an assigned brand and key retail account, working closely with Design, Production, Planning, and Brand leadership to deliver products and assortments that resonate with consumers while supporting business objectives.

Success in this role requires a strong understanding of the retail landscape, the ability to transform data into actionable strategies, and a passion for building lasting partnerships that create mutual value. This is a hybrid role.

What You'll Be Doing

Drive Strategic Account Growth

• Develop and strengthen relationships with new and existing retail partners for assigned brand(s).
• Lead business strategy discussions and assortment planning with key customers.
• Create and execute growth strategies that align customer needs with brand priorities.
• Develop account plans that balance sales growth, profitability, inventory management, and long-term partnership success.
• Identify opportunities to grow market share and strengthen brand presence within key accounts.

Lead Customer and Brand Partnerships

• Serve as the primary liaison between assigned customers and internal cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate closely with Brand, Design, Production, Planning, and Sales teams to align strategies and business goals.
• Represent customer priorities during brand pre-line and post-line meetings.
• Attend industry markets and customer meetings to strengthen partnerships and identify business opportunities.
• Maintain ongoing communication with customers regarding product development, assortment needs, and business performance.

Drive Product and Assortment Strategy

• Partner with Design and Brand leadership to ensure product assortments reflect brand vision while meeting customer needs.
• Collaborate with customers on product development initiatives and assortment decisions.
• Work with Mainline Sales teams to identify best-selling products and inform future product development.
• Help ensure products maintain brand integrity while meeting targeted cost structures and pricing expectations.
• Support sourcing strategies focused on delivering value-driven products without compromising quality.

Manage Business Performance

• Analyze weekly, monthly, and seasonal selling trends to identify opportunities and risks.
• Monitor sales performance and recommend actions to maximize revenue and profitability.
• Assess best-selling and underperforming products and provide recommendations to internal teams and customers.
• Develop retail analyses that include inventory management, markdown planning, turnover performance, and shipment strategies.
• Utilize retail math, sales metrics, and industry insights to forecast trends and support business decisions.

Own Profitability and Financial Performance

• Maintain a clear understanding of profitability expectations and margin objectives.
• Partner with Planning teams to manage account P&Ls and markdown projections.
• Develop strategies that maximize shipments and profitability while minimizing liabilities.
• Recommend markdown strategies and identify alternative channels for unproductive inventory when appropriate.
• Lead pricing and margin negotiations across mid-tier product categories.
• Troubleshoot product, margin, and delivery challenges and develop solutions that support business goals.

Lead and Develop Talent

• Provide leadership, coaching, and development for professional individual contributors and direct reports.
• Help team members understand the complexity and strategic importance of key customer relationships.
• Teach wholesale fundamentals, customer-specific nuances, account planning, and sales strategy development.
• Guide team members in setting goals, executing business plans, and managing customer relationships effectively.
• Support preparation for customer meetings, sales presentations, and business reviews.

Manage Budgets and Business Planning

• Develop annual budgets including shipments, travel expenses, support expenses, and profitability targets.
• Review monthly performance against business objectives and identify corrective actions as needed.
• Ensure responsible management of financial resources while supporting long-term growth initiatives.
• Recommend strategic actions to achieve annual sales and profitability goals.

What You'll Need

Experience

• 10+ years of footwear and/or accessories sales experience.
• Proven experience managing large retail accounts and developing strategic customer partnerships.
• Experience partnering across functions including Sales, Design, Production, Planning, and Brand teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading, developing, and mentoring team members.

Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience in footwear/accessory sales.

Skills & Capabilities

Business & Analytical Acumen

• Strong analytical and retail math skills.
• Ability to interpret sales metrics, identify trends, and make strategic recommendations that drive growth.
• Experience forecasting sales and managing business performance through data-driven insights.
• Strong understanding of profitability, markdown management, inventory planning, and margin optimization.

Relationship Building

• Proven ability to build and maintain strong customer relationships.
• Strong partnership and influencing skills across internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to establish trust and credibility with customers and cross-functional teams.

Leadership & Communication

• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to lead through influence and collaboration.
• Strong coaching and talent development capabilities.
• Comfortable navigating complex business discussions and negotiations.

Organization & Execution

• Strong organizational, time management, and prioritization skills.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Advanced Excel skills.

Additional Requirements

• Travel required.