Vice President of Wholesale (Apparel)

Life is Good; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Paid Time Off

Good Vibes Time

Volunteer days

401(k) match

Job summary

Life is Good seeks a strategic wholesale leader with full P&L ownership to guide the growth of its wholesale business. You will shape brand presence in stores, build enduring retailer partnerships, and guide a diverse team across Sales, Operations, Merchandising, Shops, and Customer Care in a fast-changing apparel market.

The role requires deep apparel industry experience, a proven track record of scaling both top and bottom lines, and willingness to travel to support the business, with a

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of P&L responsibility for an enterprise Wholesale business.
• Minimum of 10 years of industry experience, must include apparel.
• Documented success growing top- and bottom-line results with a large team.
• Knowledge gained through achieving at least a bachelor’s degree level of educational experience.
• You are willing and able to travel regularly to support the business.
• You live near, or are willing to relocate to Boston, Massachusetts.

Responsibilities

• Lead a large team encompassing Sales, Sales Operations, Merchandising, Shops, and Customer Care for Life is Good and Keep it Simple.
• Sales: Lead a team of 19 Independent and In-House sales representatives. Travel to meet key customers and attend relevant trade shows. Build sales plans and implement strategies that support strong customer retention and acquisition.
• Sales Operations: Lead the team that manages wholesale-specific applications (e.g. the B2B websites), produces sales reports, analyzes account sell-in / sell-through, forecasts inventory needs, and collaborates with our production & fulfillment team to ensure timely and accurate delivery.
• Merchandising: Lead the group that collaborates with the Product team to determine the seasonal, monthly, and at-once product offerings.
• Shops: Oversee the management of the 51 independently owned and operated Life is Good Shops (along with 1 company-owned location). Ensure that their assortment, marketing, and in-store experience needs are met. Travel to visit stores. Recruit new owners and encourage existing owners to open new locations.
• Customer Care: Lead the team entrusted with providing outstanding service to our wholesale customers.
• Analyze the business by effectively using Life is Good technology and tools, including AI.

Skills

P&L management

Wholesale leadership

Strategic thinking

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Job description

Some sales leaders love the chase. Others love the spreadsheet. A few love building teams. This job is for the rare person who loves all three.

You are a strategist who can see where the wholesale business should go next, and an entrepreneur who gets energized by the wide-open space between the idea and the result. You know how to build a plan, rally people around it, and create the systems that turn ambition into reliable growth. And when the moment calls for it, you are just as comfortable joining a customer meeting, solving an operational problem, or helping the team land an important account.

You have probably spent your career spotting opportunity before it became obvious. You understand that great wholesale leadership is part vision, part relationship, part operational discipline, and part rolling up your sleeves. You love the magic of bringing a new customer into the mix AND respect the machinery behind it: forecasting, assortment strategy, account planning, margins, process, talent, and follow-through.

At Life is Good, you will lead more than a sales channel. You will shape how our brand shows up in stores, build lasting partnerships, and help a wide variety of retailers bring the power of optimism to their customers and communities. You will inherit a beloved brand, a meaningful mission, and plenty of room to imagine what comes next.

We are looking for a builder, not a caretaker. A coach, not a commander. Someone who can zoom out to see the horizon, then zoom in far enough to notice what is keeping an order from shipping.

If that sounds like the kind of challenge you have been waiting for, we would love to hear the story of what you have built, who you have helped grow, and where you believe wholesale can go next.

Only those with apparel experience will be considered. This is a unique, fast-changing industry.

• This application requires a significant commitment to answering specific questions. You may want to compose your answers outside of this app and paste them once you're satisfied with your composition, spelling, grammar, and tone. We can't consider incomplete applications.
• Our market-based compensation strategy determines base pay for our jobs. You can use publicly available tools to estimate what you might earn here. All permanent roles are eligible for an annual bonus based on company performance, to which you will make a significant contribution.
• This role is based in Boston. You'll work on-site Wednesdays and Thursdays each week.
• Everyone who applies will get a response from a human. Please do not apply if you are not now located in or willing to relocate to the Boston area. Remote work is not an option for this role
• Although we love and use AI regularly, you're about to put a lot of heart and skill into this application and deserve a human response. You'll get one. If you don't answer the questions or meet the requirements below, you'll get a swift, kind rejection.

Pay Transparency:
We post our jobs on a collection of sites. Not all of them portray accurate information about our compensation ranges. For years, we've used a market-based approach to determine starting pay for all roles at Life is Good. We encourage you to explore reputable salary calculators like Salary.co m or PayScale and, using accurate data for the apparel industry, this job (from the job description), our company size (under 300 people), location (Boston), and the required experience for this role (at least 10 years), you will see the pay range for this role.

Ready to learn more about the job? Read on...:

REQUIREMENTS (Please do not apply unless you meet all of them)

• Minimum of 3 years of P&L responsibility for an enterprise Wholesale business
• Minimum of 10 years of industry experience, must include apparel
• Documented success growing top- and bottom-line results with a large team
• Knowledge gained through achieving at least a bachelor’s degree level of educational experience
• You are willing and able to travel regularly to support the business
• You live near, or are willing to relocate to Boston, Massachusetts

WHY THIS JOB EXISTS

You will lead, manage, and grow the Wholesale business in a brand-enhancing manner. You will have full P&L responsibility for the Wholesale business unit.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Lead a large team encompassing Sales, Sales Operations, Merchandising, Shops, and Customer Care for Life is Good and Keep it Simple.

• Sales: Lead a team of 19 Independent and In-House sales representatives. Travel to meet key customers and attend relevant trade shows. Build sales plans and implement strategies that support strong customer retention and acquisition.
• Sales Operations: Lead the team that manages wholesale-specific applications (e.g. the B2B websites), produces sales reports, analyzes account sell-in / sell-through, forecasts inventory needs, and collaborates with our production & fulfillment team to ensure timely and accurate delivery.
• Merchandising: Lead the group that collaborates with the Product team to determine the seasonal, monthly, and at-once product offerings.
• Shops: Oversee the management of the 51 independently owned and operated Life is Good Shops (along with 1 company-owned location). Ensure that their assortment, marketing, and in-store experience needs are met. Travel to visit stores. Recruit new owners and encourage existing owners to open new locations.
• Customer Care: Lead the team entrusted with providing outstanding service to our wholesale customers.

Analyze the business by effectively using Life is Good technology and tools, including AI.

WHAT YOU BRING

• You maintain a steady and optimistic demeanor
• You are an enthusiastic brand ambassador and a cultural leader
• You speak and write clearly, simply, and succinctly
• You share our passion for social impact

WHEN YOU'LL KNOW YOU'RE SUCCESSFUL

• You have formed successful cross-functional partnerships with other Leadership Team members and their teams
• You and your team meet your annual goals
• Others view you as a “company first” role model who consistently demonstrates our values to grow our brand, business, and culture

We are located in the innovative and thriving Fort Point neighborhood. Our community is full of green space, outstanding food, and entertainment options. We offer top quality Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, Transit or Parking Reimbursement Accounts, Life, AD&D, Short and Long-Term Disability, 401(k) with a match, Paid Time off, 10 paid holidays, Good Vibes Time (we pay you to volunteer for the non-profit cause of your choice) and Family Time. And we have dogs. You’ll be involved in growing our social mission through the Playmaker Project.

Life is Good is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against otherwise qualified applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender orientation or expression, marital status or veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic under applicable federal or state law.