VP - Mass Channel Sales

POSITION SUMMARY

The VP of Mass Channel Sales is a newly created, high-impact leadership role responsible for building and executing RealTruck's strategy for mass market retail—including big-box, club, home improvement, and general merchandise retailers such as Walmart, Costco, Sam’s, Target, and Home Depot. This position will develop and scale the channel rapidly: defining the go-to-market approach, selecting the product assortment required to win, establishing retail partnerships, building a cross-functional team, and delivering profitable, sustainable revenue growth.

Reporting to the President – Direct to Consumer and National Accounts, this leader will collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Marketing, Procurement, Fulfillment, and Finance to ensure RealTruck's mass channel presence is strategically sound and operationally excellent.

CORE FUNCTIONS

Channel Strategy & Business Development

• Develop and own RealTruck's mass channel strategy, including retailer prioritization, product assortment architecture, pricing strategy, and shelf/digital placement goals.
• Identify, prospect, and secure new retail partnerships with major mass, club, home improvement, and general merchandise accounts.
• Build and manage senior-level retailer relationships, including buyer, category manager, and executive contacts at target accounts.
• Lead Joint Business Planning (JBP) processes and negotiate annual trading terms with key partners.

Market Analysis & Insights

• Size the mass retail opportunity by retailer, category, and price tier, and use that analysis to build the business case and multi-year channel plan.
• Analyze the competitive landscape — including competitor brands, private label, assortment, pricing, and shelf share at each target retailer — to identify white space and points of differentiation.
• Track category trends, vehicle parc data, and shopper behavior to understand who buys accessories at mass retail, what they buy, and how they shop in store versus online.
• Conduct regular store and online audits of target retailers to benchmark placement, pricing, and presentation.
• Build a category point of view that positions RealTruck as a trusted category advisor to retail buyers, using market data and shopper insights to support line reviews and assortment recommendations.
• Partner with Finance and Insights teams to establish channel reporting, dashboards, and data sources (POS, syndicated data, retailer portals) that support ongoing decision-making.

Product Launch & Commercialization

• Partner with Product and Procurement teams to identify, develop, and source products tailored for mass retail channels—packaging, pricing, and assortment design included.
• Own the end-to-end launch process for new and existing products entering mass retail, from line review preparation through on-shelf execution.
• Build playbooks and processes for scalable, repeatable product introductions across multiple retail banners.

Revenue & P&L Ownership

• Own the mass channel P&L, including net revenue, gross margin, trade spending, and operating cost targets.
• Set annual budget and monthly revenue forecasts and manage performance to plan, escalating risks and opportunities proactively.
• Drive sell-through performance through data-driven insights, promotional planning, and in-store/online activation.
• Develop and manage retail media investments (e.g., Walmart Connect, Roundel, Costco and Sam's Club retail media programs) to drive in-store sales.

Team Leadership

• Define team structure (internal team and/or reps) and hiring plan to support channel growth objectives.
• Set clear goals, coach for performance, and build a culture of accountability, collaboration, and customer focus.
• Establish team processes, reporting cadences, and incentive plans aligned with channel goals.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Supply Chain and Operations to ensure product availability, lead time, and logistics compliance with retail requirements (EDI, routing guides, chargebacks).
• Work with Marketing to develop channel-specific content, in-store signage, digital shelf content, and promotional campaigns.
• Collaborate with Finance on trade spend management, deal profitability analysis, and channel investment ROI.
• Partner with Legal on vendor agreements, retailer terms, product liability, and compliance requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience

• 15+ years of progressive sales experience, with at least 10 years in a senior leadership role leading mass retail, club or big-box channel accounts in the automotive space.
• Proven track record of launching automotive products and building channel presence at one or more of: Walmart, Costco, Sam’s, Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, or similar mass/club retailers.
• Experience in the automotive accessories or powersports category.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, or a related field or equivalent experience is required. MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
• Experience using AI (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or similar) to drive speed (insights, presentations, business cases, etc)

Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge

• Deep understanding of mass retail dynamics including line reviews, planogram strategy, EDI compliance, vendor scorecards, and retailer portal systems.
• Strong commercial acumen—comfortable owning a P&L and managing trade budgets.
• Experience building and leading sales teams; demonstrated ability to recruit, develop, and retain top talent.
• Excellent communication and executive presence; skilled at influencing internally and building trust with senior retailer contacts.
• Category management, planogram strategy, and line review processes.
• Trade spend, retail media, and channel pricing structures, including MAP.
• Retail supply chain requirements, including replenishment, inventory planning, and packaging and labeling standards.
• Market and shopper data sources, such as POS data, syndicated data, and vehicle parc data.
• Omni-channel retail and digital shelf best practices.
• Strategic planning and business case development.
• Negotiating with senior retail buyers and executives.
• Analyzing data to drive sales and profitability decisions.
• Building and presenting data-driven category and line review pitches.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, CRM, and retail analytics tools.
• Build a new channel from the ground up in a fast-changing environment.
• Balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Influence across functions and levels without direct authority.
• Balance short-term revenue goals with long-term brand and channel health.
• Manage multiple retailers, launches, and priorities at once..

Travel

• Ability to travel as needed to retailer headquarters and RealTruck locations (estimated 25–40%).

COMPETENCIES

• Value-based Leadership Behaviors - Demonstrates empathy and compassion towards team members; Develops others and contributes to succession planning; Regularly acknowledges and recognizes; Encourages open communication fostering environment where ideas are freely shared; Creates a collaborative environment; Leads by example demonstrating commitment to teamwork; Sets high standards for accountability; Clearly communicates expectations; Provides support and finds solutions to challenges; Provides frequent feedback; Long term thinker; Fosters creativity and encourages team to explore new ideas; Promotes continuous growth; Celebrates innovative ideas and thinking.
• Builds Organizational Capability - Able to develop the skills, knowledge, processes, technology, resources and organizational structure within an organization to enhance its overall performance and competitiveness in line with the overall strategy; Evaluates an organization's strengths and weaknesses, identifies gaps between the current state and the desired future state, and then develops a plan to address those gaps; Identifies the skills needed to support the desired capabilities, and provide training programs and other opportunities for employees to develop those skills.
• Brand & Business Acumen - Knows the purpose of each function and how they play a role linked to the organization’s strategy; Knows key components of how businesses work and how organizations make money; Keeps up with current brand and portfolio product/services knowledge along with possible future trends in the organization and external competition; Uses knowledge of business drivers and how strategies and tactics play out in the market to guide actions.
• Innovation Management - Is good at bringing the creative ideas of others to market; has good judgment about which creative ideas and suggestions will work; has a sense about managing the creative process of others; can facilitate effective brainstorming; can project how potential ideas may play out in the marketplace.
• Situational Adaptability - Picks up on situational cues and adjusts in the moment. Readily adapts personal, interpersonal, and leadership behavior; Understands that different situations may call for different approaches; Can act differently depending on the circumstances.
• Strategic Mindset - Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
• Thought Leadership - Leverages their deep knowledge on specific areas of the business to generate alternative views, innovative ideas and insightful points to discussions that influence and inspire others; Effectively contributes to strategic discussions; Leads others in the thinking around a given topic along with influencing others to think differently about a specific topic; Has authentic curiosity and is open to listening to others and learning more; Is sought out by others in the company and/or industry for insights and advice.

SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manager+: Plans, organizes, evaluates, and directs the employees within the department function. Has direct reports.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• This position is subject to Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involved sitting most of the time. Walking and standing are required only occasionally.

Physical Activities

• This position is subject to the following physical activities: talking, hearing, lifting, bending, and standing.

Visual Acuity

• The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; expansive reading.

Working Conditions

• This position operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment.

Perks That Go the Extra Mile :

At RealTruck, we take care of our people—because they drive our success. Enjoy great benefits like medical, dental, and vision coverage, company-paid life insurance and disability, and a 401(k) with company match (eligible the first of the month after you start). Need balance? We’ve got wellbeing days and parental leave. Want to grow? Take advantage of educational reimbursement. Plus, earn referral bonuses and score exclusive employee discounts on RealTruck products. Great benefits. Great people. Even better careers.

RealTruck is the premier manufacturer and digital destination of accessories for truck, Jeep®, Bronco® and off-road enthusiasts around the world. Globally headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, RealTruck’s 6,000+ associates operate from 35+ facilities across four continents. RealTruck’s industry leading product portfolio, which includes the Husky Liners total vehicle protection brand, boasts over 1,000 patents and pending applications. The company’s omni-channel retail approach delivers a seamless consumer experience online at RealTruck.com, as well as through its 12,000+ dealer network and automotive (OEM) partnerships.