Sales Director for Women's Contemporary Wholesale

Solomon Page; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Solomon Page is seeking an experienced Sales Director to lead and expand its department store and wholesale business across North America. This senior role requires managing major accounts, driving revenue growth, and translating selling trends into strategic actions.

You will own relationships with buyers, analyze performance, and identify opportunities to grow our footprint in premium fashion markets. The position emphasizes hands-on account management, cross-functional collaboration, and a

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive wholesale sales experience within advanced contemporary, designer, or premium fashion.
• Strong experience managing major department store accounts and building senior-level relationships.
• Highly analytical with strong Excel skills and the ability to translate selling data into action.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel for customer meetings, markets, and business development.

Responsibilities

• Manage and grow relationships with department store and wholesale partners, including Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom.
• Serve as primary business partner for assigned accounts, overseeing sales, service, order management, and ongoing communication.
• Develop customized strategies by account to drive revenue and maximize opportunities.
• Identify opportunities for distribution, account expansion, and new business development.
• Oversee inventory sell-through strategies and ensure responsive service across the wholesale network.
• Partner with senior leadership to establish seasonal sales plans, budgets, and growth objectives.
• Analyze weekly/monthly selling performance to identify trends and risks.
• Lead selling appointments during key market events (New York market).
• Present seasonal collections and product strategies to buyers and wholesale partners.
• Translate market observations into actionable recommendations for senior leadership.

Skills

Wholesale sales

Account leadership

Analytical

Excel skills

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

NuORDER

Skypad

Microsoft Office

Job description

Our client, an established advanced contemporary fashion brand, is seeking an experienced Sales Director to lead and expand its department store and wholesale business across North America. This individual will own key retail partnerships, drive revenue growth, analyze account performance, and identify new opportunities within existing and targeted channels. The ideal candidate brings strong relationships within the department store community, a sophisticated understanding of the contemporary fashion market, and the analytical ability to translate selling trends into actionable strategies. This is a highly visible role requiring someone who is both commercially driven and hands‑on, with the ability to manage day-to-day account needs while taking a broader strategic view of the business. The strongest candidate will come from an advanced contemporary or premium fashion brand, have personally managed meaningful department store relationships, and be equally comfortable selling a collection, analyzing weekly performance, meeting with buyers, identifying white‑space opportunities, and presenting recommendations to senior management. This person should bring both the relationship skills traditionally associated with wholesale sales and the analytical sophistication required to manage today's department store business.

• The salary range for this role is $150-175,000 based on experience.

Responsibilities:

Wholesale Sales & Account Leadership

• Manage and grow relationships with major department store and wholesale partners, including accounts such as Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom.
• Serve as the primary business partner for assigned accounts, overseeing sales, service, order management, and ongoing communication.
• Develop customized strategies by account to drive revenue, strengthen partnerships, and maximize opportunities.
• Identify opportunities for additional distribution, account expansion, and new business development.
• Oversee off‑price opportunities and inventory sell‑through strategies as appropriate.
• Maintain a high level of responsiveness and service across the brand’s wholesale network.

Sales Planning & Business Analysis

• Partner with senior leadership to establish seasonal sales plans, account budgets, and growth objectives.
• Analyze weekly and monthly selling performance, identifying trends, opportunities, and potential areas of risk.
• Evaluate performance by account, product, region, and season to inform future sales strategies.
• Monitor key wholesale metrics including sell‑through, markdowns, dilution, and end‑of‑season performance.
• Provide leadership with meaningful market intelligence and recommendations based on account performance and customer feedback.
• Conduct post‑season analysis to help guide future merchandising and product decisions.

Market & Seasonal Selling

• Lead selling appointments during New York market and other important regional markets.
• Present seasonal collections and product strategies to department store buyers and key wholesale partners.
• Follow up with accounts regarding assortments, order recommendations, product questions, and order status.
• Review order composition and recommend opportunities to strengthen assortments and maximize sales potential.
• Collaborate closely with internal teams to ensure orders are entered accurately and managed through delivery.
• Coordinate samples and brand‑approved product materials for important regional and account initiatives.

Market Intelligence & Business Development

• Develop an annual strategy for key market and account visits.
• Meet regularly with retail partners to understand business performance, competitive activity, assortment opportunities, and evolving customer needs.
• Translate market observations and account feedback into actionable recommendations for senior leadership.
• Provide comprehensive recaps following key market visits, highlighting opportunities, competitive insights, and recommendations for future growth.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Work collaboratively with Merchandising, Design, Production, Operations, Marketing, and senior leadership.
• Represent the commercial needs of wholesale partners internally while maintaining the brand's positioning and objectives.
• Share customer feedback and selling trends with merchandising and product teams to help influence future assortments and seasonal strategies.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Fashion Merchandising, Marketing, or a related field preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive wholesale sales experience, ideally within advanced contemporary, designer, or premium fashion.
• Strong experience managing major department store accounts and building senior‑level relationships with buyers and merchandising teams.
• Proven ability to manage and grow multimillion‑dollar wholesale businesses.
• Strong understanding of seasonal selling, open‑to‑buy considerations, sell‑through, markdowns, and account profitability.
• Highly analytical with strong Excel skills and the ability to interpret selling data and translate findings into action.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; experience with NuORDER and/or Skypad is a plus.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship‑management skills.
• Entrepreneurial and collaborative, with the flexibility to work beyond a narrowly defined scope.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environment.
• Ability and willingness to travel for customer meetings, markets, and business development.

The Solomon Page Distinction

Our teams, comprised of subject matter experts, develop an interest in your preferences and goals and we act as an advisor for your career advancement. Solomon Page has an extensive network of established clients which allows us to present opportunities that are well‑suited to your respective goals and needs – this specialized approach sets us apart in the industries we serve.

About Solomon Page

Founded in 1990, Solomon Page is a specialty niche provider of staffing and executive search solutions across a wide array of functions and industries. The success of Solomon Page reflects an organic growth strategy supported by a highly entrepreneurial culture. Acting as a strategic partner to our clients and candidates, we focus on providing customized solutions and building long‑term relationships based on trust, respect, and the consistent delivery of excellent results. For more information and additional opportunities, visit: solomonpage.com and connect with us on Facebook, and LinkedIn.