Director of Retail Sales

Company Description

At Lakeshore, we create innovative learning materials and world-class guest experiences for teachers, parents and children. Since 1954, we’ve grown into a global community—with a thriving e-commerce business, multiple catalogs, over 50 stores, a peerless national sales force, plus international offices that support our preeminent supply chain division. But today we’re working better, smarter and faster than ever—and setting our sights even higher. We’re building an infrastructure designed for scalability, embracing data-driven decision-making and using technology to improve efficiency and ensure the best tools for the best work. Most importantly, we continue to invest in a diverse team of inquisitive top talent who fuel each other’s passions and curiosity, take risks, try new things and believe that every new day brings opportunities for growth.

Job Description

We are seeking a Director of Retail Sales to own revenue production for Lakeshore’s retail channel. Working in close partnership with the Vice President of Stores, you’ll be accountable for total retail revenue, setting the sales strategy for assigned goals and driving the programs and selling behaviors that generate conversion, basket growth, institutional sales and outstanding customer engagement. 

You’ll be the revenue leader for our stores. Together with the Vice President of Stores, you’ll set the selling strategies, priorities and recovery plans, and our Retail Territory Managers will lead the teams that bring them to life in every location. You’ll lead through the quality of your plan, the strength of your programs, the clarity of your insight and close partnership with the field.  

You’ll translate company priorities into a clear, measurable sales plan for every store. We’re looking for a commercially sharp leader who brings a clear point of view and a recommendation backed by evidence. It’s meaningful work: every program you launch helps more teachers, families and schools find what they need in our stores. 

A day on the job looks like this: 

• Driving total retail revenue with the Vice President of Stores, including the annual sales plan, the rolling forecast and executive updates that lead with a clear recommendation 
• Leading chain-wide selling programs, such as customer outreach, educator partnerships, community events, loyalty and four-wall conversion, and scaling what works 
• Defining recovery plans for at-risk stores with the Vice President of Stores and Territory Managers, using store visits to diagnose root causes and tracking results against KPIs 
• Leading the retail B2B and outreach strategy across educator, school, childcare and community segments, and connecting stores with Inside and Institutional Sales so no lead gets lost 
• Evolving the Lakeshore selling model and standards, along with the playbooks and training that help store leaders deliver it 
• Optimizing performance through data, setting the two or three highest priorities each period with the Vice President of Stores 
• Providing one of the retail channel’s voices with Marketing and Merchandising on promotions, pricing tests and launches, and measuring the sales lift 

Qualifications

Got the skills and experience? Here’s what we’re looking for: 

• 7+ years of progressive retail sales leadership, including chain-wide or multi-region sales strategy ownership 
• 3+ years carrying a revenue number or P&L line with demonstrated delivery against it 
• Proven record designing sales programs and scaling them across a multi-unit fleet with measurable revenue results 
• Strong financial fluency, including budgeting, forecasting, opportunity sizing and margin impact 
• Candidates should ideally reside in the Mid-West area. The role requires overnight stays 3 times per week, with 75% of the time spent traveling

Preferred: 

• Experience building B2B, institutional or community outreach sales within a multi-unit retail business 

What Sets You Apart 

• You have sharp commercial judgment and know which revenue opportunities are real and which are noise 
• You build the case from data and can defend it with executives 
• You effectively influence peers, executives and field leaders without direct authority. 
• You communicate concisely, lead with a recommendation and back it with evidence 
• You bring program design and project management discipline from concept through measured outcome 

Additional Information

And here’s our end of the bargain!

• Salary: $120,000-$140,000
• Bonus eligible
• Paid leave for new parents to support work/life balance and family bonding
• Excellent medical/dental and vision coverage — EPO, PPO and HSA
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution (because you will retire someday)
• Flexible benefits — choose what you like, ignore the rest
• On-site preschool for our employees' children
• On-site employee gym for all levels/fitness needs
• Generous employee discount
• Casual dress…and we really mean it

At Lakeshore, we know our diversity makes us stronger, and when everyone feels included and valued, we all win. We strive to embrace our differences and create an intentionally diverse and inclusive community that is representative of the teachers, families and children we serve.

We know we couldn't do the extraordinary things we're doing without the people on our team. Thanks to the passion and enthusiasm of this spectacular group, Lakeshore is more than a great place to work—it's a great experience to be part of. Day in and day out, we give everything we've got to create products that instill a sense of wonder and foster a true love of learning. To help maintain this high bar for success, we're constantly on the lookout for people to join us. So if you're a down-to-earth professional who shares our desire for making a difference, we'd love to hear from you.

To learn more about Lakeshore, visit www.lakeshorelearning.com/careers

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy 
 
People are selected to become members of the Lakeshore family based on skill, merit and mind-boggling talent—not based on race, color, creed, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, marital status, domestic partnership status, military status, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, alienage, AIDS or AIDS-related complex status, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, status as a victim of domestic violence, physical or mental disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If things aren’t equal, we all lose. 

To learn about how we collect and use Applicant information, please visit our Employee/Applicant Privacy Policy. 

Lakeshore is an E-Verify employer. We use E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. 

Please see the E-Verify Participation Poster and Know Your Rights Poster in English and Spanish for more information. INDRLL1