Vice President, US Wholesale

Brooks Sports Inc; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 255,000 - 370,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Product discounts

Employee recognition

Fitness discounts

Paid time off

Annual bonus based on performance

Job summary

A leading athletic gear company in Seattle seeks a Vice President of US Wholesales to lead all aspects of channel sales strategies. This role involves strategic planning, sales forecasting, and managing high-performance teams to achieve revenue goals. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in sales management, preferably in the athletic industry, and a strong focus on operational excellence and innovation. Competitive salary, hybrid work environment, and comprehensive benefits offered.

Qualifications

• 18+ years of experience in sales management of a consumer products company.
• 13+ years of experience managing high-performance teams.
• Experience in the athletic or sporting goods industry preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead US wholesale business planning and strategy.
• Oversee sales forecasting and channel strategy.
• Drive cross-functional initiatives and manage sales teams.

Skills

Sales management

Team development

Strategic planning

Operational excellence

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in business

MBA preferred

Job description

Who We Are

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line.

Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.

Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:

• Runner First: We act in the best interest of the runner.
• Word is Bond: We do what we say we’ll do.
• Champion Heart: We give our all in everything we do.
• There is no “I” in Run: We stay generous with our humanity.
• Keep Moving: We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!

We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement — because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.

Your Job

The Vice President of US Wholesales leads all aspects of the US Wholesale channel sales efforts. In this role you will lead US Wholesale business planning and strategy, develop annual and multi-year growth plans, and oversee sales forecasting, channel strategy, and operations. Your key measurables are achieving top-line revenue goals for footwear and apparel and continually increasing net margin contribution for wholesale customers. In your role, you will be responsible for driving cross-functional initiatives, managing sales teams and field support programs, and cultivating strong relationships across retail channels. The position ensures operational excellence through budget oversight, process improvement, and execution of strategic projects. As a leader, you foster an inclusive, high-performance culture, champion diversity and talent development, and act as a trusted advisor within the Americas leadership team. You are accountable for the integration of wholesale strategy with enterprise priorities, stakeholder governance, and promoting innovation and continuous improvement across the organization.

Your Responsibilities

WHOLESALE BUSINESS OWNERSHIP

• Business Planning: Develop the yearly and three-year business plan for the US, lead the generation of the forecasted revenue goals for footwear and apparel, and provide strategic recommendations based on critical issues.
• Multi Channel Strategy: Partner to lead and execute the Brooks multi channel strategy, integrating all programs to benefit the runner and retailer, and develop new and effective methods of selling product into, and through, wholesale customers.
• Operations: Key contributor in the end-to-end Sales and Operations planning process, develop and own the sales forecast for the US, support demand planning, allocation and segmentation processes, and contribute to strategic projects.
• Service Partnership: In partnership with Runner Experience and Distribution leaders, sponsor and support long-term strategy roadmaps that deliver scale of our service to runners and retailers.
• Retail Expertise: Act as a recognized expert on all channels of distribution within the US market and cultivate meaningful relationships at the highest levels within each customer’s organization.
• Sales Team Management: Lead the management of the sales workforce, manage commission structure, and ensure revenue and margin expectations by channel.
• Guru Program Management: Lead Brooks’ field support team, set strategy, establish sales goals, and manage expense budget for marketing and sales programs.

OPERATIONS

• Sales Meetings: Oversee planning and execution of all North America sales meetings with the SVP Americas, from agenda to budgeting and hosting.
• Budgeting: Responsible for the annual QRF process for US wholesale, setting departmental goals and delegating creation of individual plans.
• Lead Transformation: Lead transformation of business processes and systems alongside Retail Analytics, Runner Experience, Retail Marketing, MSP and Product Teams.

PEOPLE LEADERSHIP

• Model and evangelize strong people leadership skills rooted in Connect principles.
• Promote Brooks’ core cultural values and engender employee engagement.
• Foster an inclusive workplace and support diversity initiatives.
• Drive talent development, recruitment, and succession planning.
• Ensure transparent communication and teamwork across the department.
• Cultivate a high-performance environment through accountability.

VISION & STRATEGY

• Lead 1–3 year strategic planning for US Wholesale.
• Contribute to 3–5 year strategic plans and 5+ year growth ideation.
• Create long-term vision aligned with company strategy.
• Architect multi-year roadmaps and align investments.
• Adopt a holistic perspective that incorporates data, analytics, and customer insights.
• Define team development roadmap and key roles.
• Continuously evolve enterprise-level perspective to identify growth tactics.
• Contribute to overall business strategy as member of Americas leadership.

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL INFLUENCE & IMPACT

• Anticipate and balance stakeholders’ needs.
• Define business processes and cross-functional connection points.
• Build internal and external partnerships to support company goals.
• Align US Wholesale initiatives with enterprise priorities.
• Build trust and reliable connections across the company.
• Serve as thought partner and trusted advisor to executives.
• Keep current with industry trends and advise executives.

INNOVATION

• Encourage new insights and innovation.
• Demonstrate curiosity and a growth mindset; foster learning and responsible risk-taking.
• Lead enterprise process transformation and system upgrades.

ACCOUNTABILITY

• Accountable for defining and integrating US Wholesale strategy and execution.
• Oversee yearly budgeting process ensuring alignment with functional leaders.
• Consider stakeholder governance in decision-making.
• Enforce enterprise accountability and operational excellence.
• Support leaders across the company with policies and processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.) from a four-year university, preferably in business. M.B.A. a plus. Equivalent experience considered.
• 18+ years of experience in sales management of a consumer products company, including a senior management role involving strategy and tactics.
• 13+ years of experience directing, managing and developing high-performance teams.
• Specific experience in athletic or sporting goods industry preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and effective listening.
• Excellent interpersonal skills that inspire trust and effective relationships.
• Attention to detail in planning and execution while seeing the big picture.
• Ability to anticipate how decisions affect customers, partners, and operations.
• Demonstration of innovation, initiative, and willingness to help out.
• Passionate participation in Brooks’ sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand the runner.
• Embraces and lives the Brooks values.
• Travel 20% with some periods of higher travel.

Compensation

The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $255,000 - $370,000 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Other

Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!

Benefits

Including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401(k) Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance.

Paid Time Off

Brooks offers generous time off including five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.

Bonus

In addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.

Perks

Including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits.

Location

You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.

EEO Statement

At Brooks, we celebrate diversity & equity. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills to apply. Brooks is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, two-spirit identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, the presence of a physical, mental, or sensory disability, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), caste, citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, actual or perceived victims of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking, HIV or Hepatitis C infection, political ideology, use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability, or on any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, or any other non-merit based factors.