Head of Sales – New Accounts

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Drive new customer acquisition efforts for GE holiday lighting, concentrating on establishing national retail accounts and fostering profitable, sustainable growth.

• Formulate and implement a prioritized acquisition strategy with an initial focus on major mass, club, and home-improvement retailers.

• Leverage existing relationships and cultivate new connections with buyers, merchandising leaders, and key decision-makers.

• Create retailer-specific strategies based on customer priorities, consumer needs, category insights, competitive landscape, and company strengths.

• Lead customer presentations, line reviews, proposals, and negotiations to obtain initial purchasing commitments.

• Maintain a structured pipeline that includes prioritization, stages, probabilities, next steps, risks, and expected timelines.

• Collaborate with Merchandising on product assortment and pricing, and with Brand Management on promotional plans and retailer commitments.

• Assess opportunities and recommend trade-offs based on revenue potential, profitability, strategic importance, operational demands, and risk factors.

• Lead commercial negotiations and manage contracting from initial discussions through to agreement execution, including payment terms, allowances, returns, freight, promotional commitments, and exclusivity.

• Work alongside Legal, Finance, and Operations to evaluate terms, ensure commitments are actionable, and communicate customer needs to cross-functional teams.

• Own the revenue and profitability of new accounts throughout the first complete selling and holiday-season cycle; coordinate implementable launch plans across various functions.

• Ensure that customer expectations, commercial terms, assortment decisions, timelines, and retailer-specific requirements are clearly understood throughout the organization.

• Cultivate relationships beyond the initial buyer and collaborate with the Senior Director of National Accounts throughout the process to ensure continuity.

• Facilitate a structured handoff once the business is established, documenting relationships, account history, economics, commitments, customer requirements, risks, and future opportunities.

• Identify and establish relationships in new channels or with brokers or distributors that can expedite profitable growth.

• Hold external sales partners accountable for target accounts, pipeline development, and commercial results.

• Report directly to the President of GE Holiday Lighting.

⛳️ Requirements

• A minimum of 10 years in consumer-product sales, including at least 5 years of direct responsibility for national retail sales.

• Demonstrated success in personally opening significant new national retail accounts, with current access to major U.S. retail decision-makers, particularly in mass, club, and home improvement sectors.

• Experience guiding new business from initial access through negotiation, contracting, launch, and early account development.

• In-depth understanding of retailer buying processes, line reviews, assortment planning, promotions, and complex commercial negotiations.

• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including the assessment of revenue, margin, terms, inventory risk, and operational complexity.

• Ability to translate consumer, category, and competitive insights into compelling selling strategies, supported by exceptional presentation and relationship-building capabilities.

• Proven initiative, persistence, and accountability throughout lengthy sales cycles.

• Capacity to lead cross-functional initiatives by influencing others without relying on formal authority or a large team.

• Direct selling experience with Costco, Walmart, and/or The Home Depot is highly preferred.

• Background in seasonal, home, décor, lighting, toys, hardware, consumer electronics, consumer durables, or other relevant consumer-product categories.

• Experience in developing distributor or broker relationships or managing large international retail accounts.

• Familiarity with licensed or nationally recognized consumer brands.

• Experience in a growing business where sales leaders blend strategic thinking with hands-on execution.

• Willingness to travel up to 40% within the US.

• Remote position based in the US, with a strong preference for candidates in the US Central or Eastern time zones.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive compensation package, including a cash-based incentive plan; salary is reviewed annually and may be adjusted as part of the regular compensation review process.

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage, with 100% of monthly premiums covered for team members, and over 85% employer-paid premiums for other tiers that include dependents.

• Up to $2,000 in annual funding towards HSA accounts.

• Medical, transit, and dependent care FSA options available.

• Infertility coverage included in all medical plans.

• Generous parental leave program with flexible return options.

• Company-paid life and AD&D insurance.

• Company-paid short and long-term disability insurance.

• 401(k) plan with dollar-for-dollar company match up to $4,000 per calendar year.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and various mental health and wellness benefits.

• Paid holidays, annual shutdown week, PTO, and volunteer time-off (VTO) packages.

• Paid 5-week sabbatical leave after 10 years of service.

• Annual continuous learning benefit of up to $1,000 per person, per fiscal year.

• Up to $300 flexible reimbursement to assist with setting up new team member's work-from-home environment.

• Generous merchandise discount for team members.

• Additional benefits include identity theft protection, subsidized parking, monthly wellness initiatives, and pet insurance, along with accident and critical illness insurance.