Specialty Retail Manager

About the Role

Ingram Content Group (ICG) is seeking a Specialty Retail Manager to join our team in La Vergne, TN, just outside of Nashville. The role sells Ingram Book Group’s programs, systems, and services to new customers, develops close and productive working relationships with new and existing customers, Retail Sales Team, Business Analytics Team, Product Team, and Marketing Team, coordinates solutions to customer challenges, and manages customer inventory needs including product selection, assortment creation, allocation strategies, troubleshooting, and order/shipping issue resolution. The manager serves as a key partner with publishers, customers, and internal Ingram departments for this segment of business, and works with the Manager, Specialty Retail and Sales Directors to develop sales and product merchandising plans that maximize Ingram’s value proposition to retailers.

Ingram Content Group connects people with content in all forms, providing comprehensive services for publishers, retailers, libraries, and educators through technology, innovation, and creativity. With an expansive global network of offices and facilities, Ingram’s services include digital and physical book distribution, print-on-demand, and digital learning.

Responsibilities

• Manages relationships with publishers, customers, and internal Ingram departments.
• Analyzes customer sales and book industry trends by category to understand product needs.
• Identifies product opportunities that drive profitable business for customers and Ingram.
• Works with suppliers to develop or improve product offerings for customers.
• Creates and provides analysis and advice to both customers and suppliers to drive the business in a profitable direction.
• Works with suppliers to create pre-packs, promotions, and marketing materials using customer marketing vehicles.
• Negotiates, manages, and monitors exceptional terms of sale (TOS) for title-specific business.
• Formulates sales forecasts and determines initial buy quantities, appropriate sales timing, and seasonality.
• Determines title allocations for customers, including initial orders, replenishment, test titles, author signings, and new store openings to maximize sales and sell-through.
• Assists in resolving issues related to ordering and shipment of titles.
• Drives service level investigations and improvements, working collaboratively with Operations, DCs, IT, Ingram Transportation, customer HQ, and customer stores.
• Communicates shipment issues such as arrival times, PO problems, and refused shipments, as well as respective solutions, to customers.
• Understands supply chain requirements for customers and aids in developing solutions to shipping issues.
• Works with Management to identify opportunities and request necessary system changes or reports to ensure orders/titles are received, processed, and shipped on a timely basis.
• Analyzes sales trends at category, SKU, and customer level.
• Communicates regularly with customers and internal departments about how sales and returns are tracking and the reasons for those trends.
• Creates key sales reports and analyses and distributes to relevant parties.
• Works with the Manager, Specialty Retail to develop and monitor profitable relations and prepare seasonal business reviews.
• Assists in the development of yearly sales and inventory plans based on historical performance, forecasts, planned changes in management and strategy, and overall corporate direction for category groups.
• Supports retail segment sales through merchandising and promotional activity.
• Partners with Retail Sales and Product teams to develop and plan seasonally appropriate merchandise promotions and identify key item drivers.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or year-for-year experience
• 4 years progressive experience in Sales, Inventory Management, Project Management, or Marketing
• 1 year previous intermediate to advanced experience in Excel creating spreadsheets to include formulas, data manipulation, charts/graphs, and VLOOKUPs

Qualifications

• Experience working in the book industry
• Knowledge of the wholesale business

Benefits

• Highly competitive compensation package with generous benefits beginning first day of employment for Medical/Prescription Drug plans, HSA, Vision, Dental, and Health Care FSA
• 15 vacation days & 12 sick days accrued annually and 3 personal days
• 401K match, Life and AD&D, Employee Assistance programs, Group Legal, & more
• Wellness program with access to onsite gym and basketball court for associates
• Encouraged continued education with tuition reimbursement program
• Financial and in-kind opportunities to engage with non-profits in your community
• Company match program for United Way donations
• Volunteer opportunities and in-kind drives for non-profits throughout the year
• Take breaks or brainstorm in game room with ping pong & foosball
• Casual Dress Code

Pay

Hiring Salary Range: $66,528 – $84,115. This range represents the anticipated low and high end of the salary for this position, determined by factors including but not limited to: the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, geographic location, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.