Apparel Sales Director, US

Required Experience

10+ years progressive commercial experience.
4+ years selling apparel material, technical fabrics, or textile components to major US apparel brands.
Experience with waterproof, technical, or performance fabrics strongly preferred.

Accountabilities

• Serve as the commercial owner for an assigned portfolio of US-based apparel brands — accountable for all revenue, relationship management, and account growth within that portfolio.
• Sell waterproof apparel materials portfolio across the full breadth of each assigned brand’s product categories and seasonal programs.
• Maximize wallet share within assigned accounts by expanding the number of active styles, categories, and product lines specifying materials.
• Deliver against individual revenue and margin targets; maintain rigorous pipeline tracking, opportunity forecasting, and conversion discipline.
• Identify and develop new brand opportunities adjacent to or within the assigned territory, in agreement with the Managing Director.
• Build accurate seasonal forecasts aligned with each assigned brand’s 18-month development calendar and commercialization timeline.
• Serve as the primary commercial presence with US-based brand designers, product creation teams, and materials developers — the decision-makers who drive material specification.
• Engage brands at the earliest stage of their seasonal development process, introducing material innovations ahead of design briefs and range planning.
• Guide brands through the full materials adoption process: concept introduction, design-room sampling, technical testing, validation, and production nomination.
• Translate complex technical capabilities into clear, design-relevant value propositions that resonate with creative and commercial audiences alike.
• Represent the brand at US trade shows, material fairs, brand innovation forums, and industry events.
• Maintain a granular, up-to-date understanding of each assigned brand’s design calendar, materials decision windows, and seasonal development timelines.
• Conduct systematic account mapping within the assigned portfolio — identifying white space, lapsed categories, and untapped product teams — to maximize pipeline coverage and wallet share.
• Track competitive dynamics, pricing trends, and emerging material and design preferences across the US performance apparel market.
• Provide the Managing Director with regular, structured reporting on pipeline status, commercial performance, and market developments.
• Feed US brand and design insights back to the Product development team to sharpen the material offer and development priorities.
• Act as the commercial bridge between US brand partners and operations, customer service, and product development teams.
• Manage clean handoffs from commercial win to operations; ensure the team has full context and clear commitments for flawless execution.
• Cook with operations on sampling lead times, bulk capacity, and delivery commitments to set and meet brand expectations.
• Contribute brand feedback to inform product development priorities, colorway decisions, and pricing strategy.

Role Specification

• Bachelor’s degree required; engineering, materials science, business, or related field preferred. Graduate degree advantageous.
• Essential Experience & Qualifications:
• At least 10 years of progressive commercial experience; minimum 4 years selling apparel materials, technical fabrics, or textile components to major US brands.
• Demonstrated track record of building pipeline, winning brand nominations, and converting specifications into scaled commercial programs.
• Established network of relationships with designers, product creation leads, and materials teams at major US-headquartered outdoor and performance apparel brands.
• Deep familiarity with the apparel materials development and approval process — from design-room introduction through lab sign-off and factory nomination.
• Experience with waterproof, technical, or performance fabrics is a strong advantage.
• Exposure to PE-backed, Joint Venture, or early-stage growth environments is a plus.

Location

This role is remote for individuals based in the United States with 25-30% travel.

Compensation

The range for this role is $130k-$150k + 30% bonus.