National Account Director

About the Role

Our client is investing in its sales organization and creating a National Accounts Director role to lead the company's push into the largest names in off-price retail. This is a new, standalone individual-contributor seat, not a leadership position, and it reports directly to the CEO.

The role has two halves. First, this person owns and grows relationships with the most strategic accounts, starting with Ross, Burlington, and TJ Maxx, and getting in front of senior buying and purchasing leadership at each. Second, they build out a wider portfolio of significant accounts, retailers, wholesalers, and other partners capable of meaningful volume that goes well beyond the top three. They already have relationships with their named strategic accounts to build on, alongside additional accounts the company will hand over at the outset.

What makes this different from a typical national-accounts sales job is that their inventory changes constantly. Rather than selling a fixed line month after month, this person sells whatever closeout inventory is available that week, which means the job is built around fast, deal-by-deal selling and constant contact with customers rather than a repeatable, static pitch.

Building a fully mature account base takes time. Realistic success in the first year is a $5-7 million book, with income and account depth building out over the following 12-18 months as relationships mature.

Responsibilities

• Own and grow relationships with top strategic accounts (Ross, Burlington, TJ Maxx, and similar large off-price retailers), securing meetings with senior buying and purchasing leadership and building multi-threaded relationships across each organization
• Build a broader portfolio of significant accounts across off-price retail, wholesale distribution, and adjacent channels capable of $1M+ in annual volume, combining new-business development with accounts the company hands over at the outset
• Sell against a constantly rotating closeout inventory, working with the purchasing team to match available product to each account's needs on a fast, deal-by-deal basis
• Travel regularly, roughly monthly, to meet key accounts in person and build the kind of trust that phone and email can't
• Build a scalable, systematic approach to managing a growing account list rather than relying on a small number of personal relationships
• Represent the account strategy directly to the CEO as they reinvest in their sales organization

Education & Experience

Required

• Sales experience gained at a brand, manufacturer, or house of brands that sells into off-price retail, not experience gained on the retailer side (buying, merchandising, or commercialization)
• A track record of managing and growing a broad portfolio of accounts, not servicing one or two large ones
• Direct experience or existing relationships with major off-price retailers such as Ross, Burlington, TJ Maxx, or similar accounts
• Comfort selling a constantly changing product assortment rather than a fixed catalog
• Based in Chicago, or willing to relocate

Preferred

• Experience in a high-SKU-count, fast-turnover sales environment
• A history of proactively expanding an account base through prospecting, not just managing an inherited book
• Familiarity with the off-price/closeout industry and its buyers

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to multi-thread within large retail organizations
• Confident, high-energy communicator who is comfortable on the phone and in person with a high volume of contacts
• Adaptability to a constantly rotating product mix and a fast-moving, deal-driven sales cycle
• A process-oriented, scalable approach to managing and growing an account list
• Comfortable balancing new-business development with management of existing accounts
• Willingness to travel regularly and work primarily on-site and in-market