VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES (WHOLESALE)

Puffin Drinkwear is… an inclusive brand that makes personality infused apparel for your drink to wear. We call it Drinkwear. We’re focused on having Fun Together and are seeking an individual who embodies similar fun-loving qualities to help grow our community and contribute to our mission.

We’re looking for... A Vice President of Sales (Wholesale) who, when not working with sales reps and customers, can be at our Puffin HQ in Bend, Oregon contributing as part of the Puffin Leadership Team. Puffin openly supports workplace flexibility, however, as a tight team we place exceptional value on collaboration and are an “In-Office” work environment operating as a team physically together in an exceptional workspace. (You’ll love it, our office is located in Bend, OR and near all sorts of good stuff).

 

As our new Vice President Sales... Reporting to the CEO, you will lead the wholesale Sales and Customer Service team and continue Puffin’s growth and marketplace penetration as we define and own the Drinkwear category. Balance strategic level activities with overseeing and performing day-to-day business development, planning, and execution.

In a typical week you will… Lead Puffin’s in-house Sales & Customer Service team and external rep force to plan and deliver profitable topline revenue and develop and drive Puffin’s distribution and coverage strategy to ensure a Puffin can easily be added to any activity by anyone looking to have Fun Together. “Own the number” and partner with Product, Planning & Operations, and the Ecommerce / DTC teams to execute to plan.

You’re a good fit for this role if... you have a founded point of view and work well collaborating cross-functionally. You are a strategic thinker with a proven track record of achieving revenue targets, building, and managing high-performance teams, and developing effective brand strategies. As an INC. 5000 Fastest Growing Company, we regularly bump into “new” problems to solve, however, we’ve invested in the required systems to limit the firefighting. That being said, a resilient, creative, and entrepreneurial leader with a “can figure it out” attitude will thrive at Puffin as we evaluate if boundaries exist for Puffin within the marketplace. Your experience and passion will lead to broadening Puffin’s wholesale footprint more deeply into Outdoor, Sporting Goods, Natural Foods, and Lifestyle channels and evaluate how and when best to activate the brand outside of North America. You are an effective planner with an analytical mind but are equally enthusiastic about chasing vetted at-once opportunities.

In return, you’ll get from us… an inclusive team of people to grow with. We are open to new ideas and can’t wait to hear your thoughts on building our wholesale distribution and growing Puffin’s fan base. Exposure and participation with our Board (PE backed). We are selective and hire only great people and therefore are accustomed to extending independence and autonomy. Puffin is committed to living true to our Values (Fun - Creativity - Curiosity - Community – Generosity) and expect our employees to call us out if we fall short.

To apply...

1. Let us know why you'd be a great fit for Puffin Drinkwear.
2. Share your résumé.
3. Send to: hr@puffindrinkwear.com

 

Job Title: Vice President of Sales (Wholesale)

 

Location: Bend, Oregon

 

Responsibilities:

 

●       Deliver wholesale sales revenue and contribution margin performance at or above budget.

●       Lead and manage internal and external sales teams to create a culture of brand evangelism.

●       Participate seasonally with Key Accounts, Top to Tops, and major line reviews. Host seasonal sales meetings.

●       Develop and implement short and long-term sales strategies in conjunction with product and marketing for all wholesale channels and across the entire product assortment (inline, licensing, and collaborations) to ensure tracking to Long Range Plan objectives.

●       Research key account needs and collaborate with in-house partners to identify brand development opportunities (retail marketing, product development/SMU’s, operational needs).

●       Explore and evaluate channels/geographies for incremental growth. Develop roadmap and activation timelines. Analyze market trends and adjust sales strategies accordingly.

●       Be an integral leader in the Go-To-Market (GTM) process to continually evolve and improve cross-functional workflow to ensure the successful and on-time launch of new products.

●       Lead seasonal GTM milestone discussions and decision making in relation to defined annual revenue, profitability, and sku-performance objectives.

●       Work cross-functionally with Operations and Planning by creating (annually) and maintaining (monthly) the sales budget ($) and forecast (unit & style) accuracy.

●       Partner and support Ecommerce/DTC and Licensing/Collaborations/Partnership channel teams to ensure brand position alignment and maximum growth.

●       Own the Department’s functional budgets and staffing plan. Ensure the sales team is resourced to win.

●       Lead and live true to the Puffin Leadership Pact.

 

Reporting:

 

●        Establish clear sales metrics, benchmarks, and key performance indicators for measuring progress, continuously improving channel profitability and team performance.

●        Maintain key account metrics (doors and sell-through) and inventory health (turns and margin).

●        Present sales activity updates to staff, leadership team, CEO, and board.

●        Present at select board meetings and work with board members as needed on a project basis.

●        In partnership with CFO and Operations, support S&OP planning and execution.

 

Qualifications and Skills:

 

●       10+ years of relevant industry experience within apparel, footwear, outdoor, and/or accessories.

●       5+ years’ experience in sales leadership.

●       Proven leadership experience including leading change and developing strong teams. Coach, mentor and develop existing professionals and motivated individuals.

●       Exceptional communication and presentation skills.

●       Understanding of brand licensing, partnership, and collaboration development.

●       Excellent knowledge of industry trends, channel segmentation, premium brand management.

●       Sales and/or distributor experience outside North America (desired, not required).

●       Financial analysis proficiency including “retail math,” establishing sales budgets (bottom’s up), commission structures, and associated action plans (by channel and territory).

●       Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities.

●       Self-starter that can thrive in both a corporate and start-up environment.

●       High level of organizational skills and attention to detail.

●       Capable at operating at both a strategic/conceptual level and at a detailed, operational level; is metrics driven; and highly disciplined.

●       Strong skills working with MS Outlook (Excel - including Pivots and V Look Ups, PowerPoint, Teams) and project management software (Asana).

●       Interest and ability to travel domestically and internationally for customer meetings, rep travel and training days, and industry events as needed (average 25% and up to 50% during peak season).

●       Strong understanding and comfort working within ERP systems (Business Central) and integrated technology suites (Elastic and SPS).

●       Bachelor’s Degree in business, marketing and / or related field experience.

 

Company Benefits:

●       Healthcare: Medical, Dental, Vision (Puffin covers 95% employee premium)

●       Competitive Policies: PTO (4 weeks), Holidays (10 annually), Work from Home (WFM), Summer Hours, and Sabbatical

●       Career development and advancement (Grow with us!)

●       Quarterly Company events, activities, and give-back volunteer opportunities via Puffin’s Good Together initiative

●       Unlimited good times

 

More about Puffin Drinkwear:

We create “drinkwear” that brings smiles, personality, conversation, and fun. Our tagline of Fun Together is no accident. We were founded in 2019 in Bend, Oregon. Tyrone Hazen, Founder and Head of Partnerships, was out enjoying a campfire with friends. As banter continued Tyrone was handed the remnant of an old sleeping bag to keep his hand warm and bottle cold. He laughed and thought how funny it would be if his bottle had its own sleeping bag. Surrounded by friends and good conversation, the idea for Puffin was born.