Sales Director - Apparel

Fourth Floor; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Fourth Floor in New York, NY seeks a Sales Director – Children's Apparel to drive revenue and market share across major retail channels. You will lead national efforts for off-price, department stores, mass merchants, and specialty accounts, while building executive relationships with buyers.

You will guide licensed programs with licensing partners and internal teams, aligning product assortments with trends and customer needs, and mentoring a high-performing sales team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, or related field; MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive sales leadership experience within children's apparel, including Director/VP level.
• Experience with off-price retailers, department stores, mass merchants, and specialty accounts.
• Experience selling licensed children's apparel programs with major brands.
• Strong licensing process and brand management knowledge.
• Established relationships with buyers across channels.
• Ability to develop and execute strategic sales plans to drive revenue growth.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the overall sales strategy for children's apparel across key retail channels.
• Lead national sales efforts for off-price, department stores, mass market, and specialty accounts.
• Build relationships with key buyers and merchants at major retailers.
• Drive licensed children's apparel programs collaborating with licensing partners and internal teams.
• Collaborate with design, merchandising, sourcing, production, and operations to align assortments with market trends.
• Negotiate major sales agreements, pricing strategies, and annual business plans.
• Analyze sales performance, trends, and consumer insights to identify growth opportunities.
• Lead seasonal line reviews, customer presentations, and strategic planning meetings.
• Develop and mentor a high-performing sales team with clear goals and metrics.
• Coordinate forecasting, inventory planning, and open-to-buy strategies.
• Identify and secure new business opportunities across licensed and non-licensed categories.

Skills

Sales leadership

Channel management

Negotiation

Strategic planning

Forecasting

Relationship management

Business development

Presentation skills

Licensing know-how

Team development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing/Fashion Merchandising

MBA preferred

Tools

Excel

Job description

Our client, an apparel company, is looking for a Sales Director – Children's Apparel to join their team in NYC!

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the overall sales strategy for children's apparel, driving revenue growth, profitability, and market share across key retail channels.
• Lead and manage national sales efforts for off-price, department store, mass market, and specialty accounts.
• Build, maintain, and expand executive-level relationships with key buyers and merchants at major retailers, identifying opportunities for business growth and category expansion.
• Drive sales and distribution of licensed children's apparel programs, collaborating with licensing partners and internal teams to maximize brand performance.
• Partner with design, merchandising, sourcing, production, and operations teams to align product assortments with customer needs and market trends.
• Negotiate major sales agreements, pricing strategies, promotional programs, and annual business plans to achieve revenue and margin objectives.
• Analyze sales performance, market trends, competitive activity, and consumer insights to identify growth opportunities and mitigate business risks.
• Lead seasonal line reviews, customer presentations, and strategic planning meetings with retail partners and licensing stakeholders.
• Develop and mentor a high-performing sales team, establishing goals, performance metrics, and succession planning initiatives.
• Collaborate with finance and operations teams to manage forecasting, inventory planning, and open-to-buy strategies that support customer demand and company profitability.
• Identify and secure new business opportunities across licensed and non-licensed children's apparel categories.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, or a related field; MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive sales leadership experience within children's apparel, including significant experience at the Director or Vice President level.
• Proven success managing and growing business with off-price retailers, department stores, mass merchants, and specialty accounts.
• Extensive experience selling licensed children's apparel programs featuring major entertainment, character, and consumer brands.
• Strong understanding of the licensing process, royalty structures, approvals, and brand management requirements.
• Established relationships with key buyers and merchants across off-price, mass market, and department store channels.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic sales plans that drive revenue growth and profitability.
• Exceptional leadership, team-building, coaching, and organizational skills.
• Strong financial acumen with experience in forecasting, budgeting, margin management, and sales analysis.
• Excellent negotiation, presentation, and relationship management skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment while managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Proficiency in sales reporting, retail analytics, inventory management, and Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel