Sales Director

ABOUT RUMORED

Rumored is a fast-growing, founder-led, women's fashion brand rooted in vintage references and reimagined for modern life. We create elevated pieces that feel distinctive but still wearable, with close attention to silhouette, fit, fabric, color, and finishing.

Please ensure you read the below overview and requirements for this employment opportunity completely.

Product is at the center of every decision we make. We pair strong creative instinct with customer and market insight, then use that information to make the assortment, product, and business stronger. We operate with a lean, highly accountable team that moves quickly and expects people to take real ownership.

HOW WE WORK

• We are product-first. We care deeply about design, fit, fabric, quality, and the details that make each piece feel distinctly Rumored.
• We are direct. We identify issues, solve problems, and move quickly.
• We are relationship-driven. Strong partnerships are built through trust, consistency, and execution.
• We protect the brand as we grow. Revenue matters, but so does how and where Rumored shows up.
• We are owners. We take accountability for outcomes and continuously look for ways to improve.
• We use data to inform decisions without allowing it to replace sound judgment.

THE ROLE

Reports to: Founder/CEO

Location: Remote. Los Angeles or New York City are strongly preferred.

Travel: Regular travel for key account meetings, market appointments, trade shows, and periodic time at the Los Angeles showroom.

Type: Full-time

Experience: 8+ years in wholesale sales within contemporary women's fashion, apparel, or a premium consumer brand

The Sales Director will own Rumored's wholesale channel, including revenue growth, new business development, key retailer relationships, forecasting, team leadership, operational execution, and long-term distribution strategy. This person will build and lead the wholesale department, initially overseeing the Senior Wholesale Manager and East Coast Account Representative and expanding the team with territory representatives as the business grows. They will remain directly involved in priority accounts and day-to-day execution.

At Rumored, sales begin with the product. This person must understand why each collection is special, tell that story with conviction, and translate retailer feedback into useful insight for Product, Planning, and leadership. They will grow the channel thoughtfully, prioritizing the right partners, healthy sell-through, and long-term brand value rather than distribution for its own sake.

This is a high-ownership role for a strategic leader who is equally willing to execute. They will set the commercial plan, lead the team, stay close to priority accounts, and partner with the Founder and CEO, Production, Planning, Marketing, Finance, and Operations to ensure growth remains profitable, operationally sound, and aligned with the brand.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

New Business Development

• Build and maintain a qualified pipeline of prospective major retailers, specialty boutiques, rental platforms, and strategic partners.
• Lead outreach, presentations, negotiations, and onboarding for new accounts.
• Use existing industry relationships and market knowledge to accelerate account acquisition.
• Evaluate opportunities based on revenue potential, brand alignment, margin profile, inventory requirements, and operational feasibility.
• Represent Rumored at relevant trade shows, market weeks, and industry events.

Wholesale Strategy and Growth

• Set the annual and seasonal wholesale strategy, revenue plan, and channel priorities.
• Develop account-level growth plans across existing and prospective partners.
• Balance near-term revenue growth with margin health, brand positioning, inventory capacity, and long-term account value.
• Serve as the wholesale voice in leadership discussions and proactively communicate risks, opportunities, and recommendations.

Key Account Leadership

• Own relationships with key wholesale partners and serve as Rumored's senior point of contact for the channel.
• Lead seasonal sell-ins, market appointments, collection presentations, and business reviews.
• Present each collection with a strong command of its product story, design intent, vintage references, fit, fabric, and customer.
• Build trusted relationships with buyers, merchants, and planning teams.
• Negotiate pricing, margins, markdown support, commercial terms, and account agreements in partnership with leadership.
• Act as the primary escalation point for major retail accounts.

Forecasting, Planning, and Inventory

• Own wholesale forecasting by account, style, category, and delivery window.
• Partner with Planning, Production, and Finance to align inventory investments with confirmed and expected demand.
• Analyze sell-through, inventory productivity, returns, reorder opportunities, and account performance.
• Identify risks and opportunities early, recommend action, and improve forecast accuracy over time.

Reporting and Business Intelligence

• Evaluate and strengthen Rumored's existing wholesale reporting, then build any missing dashboards and decision tools required to manage the channel.
• Establish clear KPIs across revenue, sell-through, inventory productivity, reorder rates, margin, and account health.
• Lead a reliable weekly, monthly, and quarterly business-review cadence.
• Translate retailer and sell-through insights into clear product, inventory, and commercial recommendations.

Wholesale Operations and Infrastructure

• Build scalable systems, standard operating procedures, and working rhythms for the wholesale function.
• Own wholesale systems and infrastructure, including NuORDER and relevant forecasting and reporting tools.
• Ensure accurate order management from sell-in through delivery.
• Oversee retailer compliance, routing guides, EDI, labeling, and operational execution in partnership with Operations and Finance.

Team Leadership and Development

• Build and lead Rumored's wholesale department, starting with the Senior Wholesale Manager and East Coast Account Representative and recruiting and developing territory representatives as the business grows.
• Operate as a player-coach, balancing strategic leadership with hands-on ownership of priority accounts and initiatives.
• Set clear goals, KPIs, roles, and accountability across the wholesale team.
• Coach the team on retailer management, forecasting, planning, negotiation, and wholesale best practices, while assessing future hiring needs as the business grows.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING

• 8+ years of relevant wholesale sales experience within contemporary women's fashion, apparel, or a premium consumer brand.
• Demonstrated ownership of a growing, multi-million-dollar wholesale business and a strong record of winning new accounts.
• Established relationships with retailers such as Revolve / FWRD, Shopbop, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Moda Operandi, Nuuly, Anthropologie, Net-a-Porter, or comparable partners.
• Strong product sensibility and the ability to communicate a collection's story with clarity and conviction.
• Strong understanding of retail math, forecasting, inventory planning, sell-through, margin management, and account profitability.
• Experience building, leading, and developing high-performing wholesale sales teams, including territory representatives.
• Strong analytical, reporting, communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• The ability to operate strategically and tactically, including a willingness to build systems and personally execute the work.
• Experience building wholesale processes and infrastructure within a growing brand, including familiarity with NuORDER, EDI, and retailer compliance.
• Experience partnering directly with an executive leadership team.
• Ability to travel for market appointments, retailer meetings, trade shows, key account visits, and periodic time at the Los Angeles showroom. xuwmhxw
• International distribution experience is a plus.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• A fully remote team, based in the U.S - Los Angeles candidates will be highly considered
• Competitive annual base salary
• Annual performance bonus opportunity of up to 10%, tied to pre-agreed wholesale growth and key business goals
• Equity participation
• Health, dental, and vision stipend
• Generous PTO policy
• 50% off employee discount plus 2 free products per month
• Summer Fridays