VP of Sales and Product Development
1 day ago
New York
Job Description Vice President of Sales & Product Development Job Overview We are seeking an experienced and highly connected Vice President of Sales & Product Development to lead our sales growth, product development, and production initiatives within the home textiles industry. This is a hands-on executive role for someone who understands the home textiles and home furnishings business from product concept through production and ultimately to the retail floor. The ideal candidate will bring an established network of retail buyers, merchants, distributors, and industry contacts, along with a strong understanding of how products are developed, sourced, manufactured, priced, and brought to market. The successful candidate will be responsible for expanding our customer base, developing new retail opportunities, strengthening existing customer relationships, identifying new product opportunities, and working closely with factories and production teams to bring commercially successful products to market. We are particularly interested in candidates who have previously worked in the home textiles, home furnishings, bedding, bath, tabletop, window, or related consumer products industry and who can bring meaningful industry relationships and firsthand production experience to the role. Responsibilities • Develop and execute comprehensive sales strategies to grow revenue across major retailers, department stores, mass merchants, specialty retailers, off-price retailers, e-commerce platforms, and wholesale customers., • Leverage existing relationships and industry connections to open new accounts and create opportunities with retail buyers, merchants, sourcing teams, distributors, and other key decision-makers., • Manage and expand relationships with existing customers while identifying opportunities to increase product placement, assortment, and sales., • Lead business development efforts by identifying new retail accounts, market opportunities, product categories, and potential strategic partnerships., • Represent the company directly with major retail customers and serve as a senior-level point of contact throughout the sales process., • Lead the development of new products from initial concept through sampling, costing, revisions, production, and final delivery., • Work directly with factories and production teams to manage product development and manufacturing processes., • Review samples, specifications, materials, construction, colors, prints, packaging, and overall product quality to ensure products meet customer and company requirements., • Understand production timelines, minimum order quantities, factory capabilities, costing, materials, quality control, and shipping considerations., • Work closely with overseas and domestic factories to develop products that are commercially viable and meet target costs and delivery requirements., • Evaluate factory capabilities and identify appropriate manufacturing partners for new and existing product categories., • Negotiate pricing, costs, margins, production requirements, and business terms with customers and manufacturing partners., • Collaborate with design and product development teams to identify trends and create products that are commercially relevant to today's retail market., • Monitor market trends, competitive assortments, pricing, and consumer preferences to identify new product opportunities., • Work closely with merchandising, design, operations, logistics, and production teams to ensure successful product launches., • Develop sales forecasts and business plans based on customer opportunities, market conditions, product development, and historical performance., • Lead and mentor sales and product development personnel, establishing clear goals and accountability., • Analyze sales performance, customer activity, margins, product performance, and market opportunities to make informed business decisions., • Attend major industry trade shows, customer meetings, factory visits, and other industry events to develop relationships and identify new business opportunities., • Represent the company professionally with major retailers and industry partners., • Help shape the company's long-term sales and product strategy as a member of the executive team. Industry Experience The ideal candidate will have significant experience in the home textiles or home furnishings industry. Relevant experience may include: • Home textiles, • Bedding, • Bath and shower textiles, • Tabletop and kitchen textiles, • Window treatments, • Decorative textiles, • Home décor, • Soft home goods, • Consumer products, • Home furnishings, • Private-label product development, • Retail or wholesale merchandising Key Qualifications • Extensive experience in the home textiles, home furnishings, or related consumer products industry., • Established relationships with retail buyers, merchants, sourcing teams, distributors, and other industry decision-makers., • A proven track record of opening new retail accounts and growing existing customer relationships., • Strong understanding of the retail and wholesale business, particularly major retailers and national accounts., • Hands-on experience with product development and production., • Strong understanding of factory operations, sourcing, manufacturing, costing, sampling, quality control, and production timelines., • Experience working directly with domestic and/or overseas manufacturers and factories., • Ability to take a product from concept and development through production and delivery., • Strong understanding of product costing, margins, pricing, and negotiation., • Proven success developing and executing sales strategies that generate measurable revenue growth., • Strong account management and negotiation skills., • Experience managing and mentoring sales, merchandising, product development, or related teams., • Excellent understanding of retail trends, consumer products, and competitive market positioning., • Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to build long-term relationships with customers and business partners., • Ability to travel domestically and internationally for customer meetings, trade shows, factory visits, and business development., • Highly organized, entrepreneurial, and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment., • Strong analytical and business judgment skills with the ability to evaluate opportunities based on sales potential, margins, production requirements, and customer demand. What We Are Looking For We are looking for more than a traditional sales executive. The ideal candidate is someone who knows the home textiles business, understands how major retailers operate, has existing relationships within the industry, and knows how to turn an idea into a finished product. You should be comfortable sitting with a retail buyer to discuss an assortment, working with a designer on a new product, speaking with a factory about construction and costing, reviewing samples, negotiating pricing, and ultimately closing the business. This position is ideal for a seasoned home textiles or home furnishings professional who can bring industry relationships, sales expertise, product knowledge, and production experience together under one role. Why Join Us As Vice President of Sales & Product Development, you will play a central role in shaping the company's next stage of growth. You will have the opportunity to influence the products we develop, the customers we work with, and the markets we enter while working directly with the executive team and our manufacturing partners. If you have the relationships, industry knowledge, sales experience, and production expertise to help take a growing home textiles business to the next level, we want to hear from you.