Director of Channel Growth and Partnerships

Director of Channel Growth & Partnerships

About Lakeland Fire + Safety

Lakeland Fire + Safety (NASDAQ: LAKE) is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of protective clothing and safety solutions for industrial and fire service markets. Our products help protect workers operating in some of the world's most demanding environments, including chemical handling, manufacturing, utilities, environmental services, and other critical industries.

At Lakeland, we are committed to delivering innovative protective solutions, building strong customer relationships, and driving sustainable growth across our global markets.

Position Summary

The Director of Channel Growth & Partnerships is a strategic commercial leadership position responsible for accelerating revenue growth, expanding market reach, and strengthening Lakeland's distribution and strategic partner ecosystem within the U.S. Industrial business.

This role extends beyond traditional channel relationship management. The Director will be expected to identify untapped market opportunities, develop innovative routes to market, create end-user demand through channel partners, and optimize channel investments to drive profitable and sustainable growth.

Serving as a strategic partner to the Director of Field Sales, Regional Sales Managers, and cross-functional leadership, this individual will translate market insights into actionable commercial strategies that strengthen Lakeland's competitive position and deliver measurable business results.

The successful candidate will bring an entrepreneurial mindset, strong commercial acumen, and a demonstrated ability to transform ideas into scalable revenue opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

Channel Strategy & Revenue Growth

• Develop and execute a comprehensive U.S. Industrial channel growth strategy aligned with Lakeland's commercial objectives.

• Lead and expand relationships with national, regional, and strategic industrial distribution partners.

• Establish joint business plans with key distributors, including growth targets, product expansion opportunities, and performance measures.

• Identify opportunities to increase market penetration, product adoption, and end-user demand through existing distribution networks.

• Drive new product placements, stocking programs, vending solutions, onsite supply programs, and other strategic channel initiatives.

• Conduct forward-looking business reviews with key partners to evaluate performance, identify growth opportunities, and strengthen mutual accountability.

Strategic Partnerships & Market Expansion

• Identify, evaluate, and establish new partnerships that expand Lakeland's reach beyond traditional industrial distribution channels.

• Develop innovative go-to-market strategies that create incremental revenue and access to underserved customer segments.

• Build business cases for emerging partnership opportunities, including financial projections, resource requirements, and expected return on investment.

• Lead partnership negotiations and coordinate successful implementation with internal stakeholders.

• Establish scalable partnership models that support long-term growth and competitive differentiation.

Channel Programs & Commercial Effectiveness

• Evaluate and optimize distributor incentive programs, rebates, cooperative marketing investments, and other channel expenditures.

• Develop structured partner programs that recognize performance, encourage incremental growth, and strengthen distributor engagement.

• Collaborate with Marketing and Sales Enablement to develop effective distributor training, product education, and certification initiatives.

• Lead joint demand-generation activities with distribution partners, including measurable lead-generation and conversion strategies.

• Improve the overall distributor experience by identifying opportunities to simplify processes, strengthen responsiveness, and increase Lakeland's ease of doing business.

Financial Performance & Business Analytics

• Monitor and evaluate channel performance through revenue growth, sell-through trends, gross profit, market share, and partner profitability.

• Analyze the financial effectiveness of channel investments, including rebates, incentives, promotional programs, and partnership expenditures.

• Identify performance trends, risks, and growth opportunities through data-driven analysis and market intelligence.

• Develop actionable recommendations to improve channel productivity, investment allocation, and overall commercial performance.

• Partner with Finance and Sales leadership to support forecasting, performance reporting, and strategic business planning.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration

• Partner closely with the Director of Field Sales, Regional Sales Managers, and Strategic Accounts to align channel activities with broader commercial priorities.

• Collaborate with Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Product Management, and Finance to ensure successful execution of partner commitments.

• Influence cross-functional stakeholders and drive initiatives through collaboration, accountability, and shared business objectives.

• Serve as a trusted commercial advisor to leadership on distributor trends, competitive dynamics, and emerging partnership opportunities.

• Champion a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and results-oriented execution.

Measures of Success

Success in this role will be evaluated through demonstrated commercial impact, profitable channel expansion, and the ability to develop sustainable growth opportunities.

First 90 Days

• Establish relationships with Lakeland's core national and regional distribution partners.

• Assess current channel performance, including revenue, sell-through, gross profit, and existing program investments.

• Identify key growth opportunities, performance gaps, and opportunities to improve channel effectiveness.

• Develop an initial channel growth roadmap and implement at least two high-impact initiatives.

First 12 Months

• Deliver measurable channel revenue and sell-through growth, with the objective of outperforming relevant market or category growth.

• Improve channel profitability through effective management of rebates, incentives, and program investments.

• Launch at least one new strategic partnership or route-to-market initiative generating incremental revenue.

• Expand product placements, stocking programs, vending solutions, and other channel opportunities.

• Strengthen distributor product knowledge and engagement through effective training and enablement programs.

• Establish consistent channel performance reporting, measurable partner accountability, and improved lead conversion.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience.

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in channel sales, distributor management, strategic partnerships, national accounts, or related commercial leadership roles.

• Demonstrated experience within industrial safety, personal protective equipment (PPE), maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), or related industrial markets.

• Proven success developing and growing relationships with national or large regional industrial distributors.

• Demonstrated ability to develop, launch, and scale new channel programs, strategic partnerships, or routes to market with measurable revenue results.

• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including experience evaluating gross profit, channel incentives, return on investment, and partner profitability.

• Experience translating market insights and business analytics into actionable commercial strategies.

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex initiatives, influence stakeholders, and deliver results in a cross-functional environment.

• Strong negotiation, relationship management, strategic planning, and executive communication skills.

• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution in a dynamic, growth-oriented business environment.

• Ability and willingness to travel as required to support distributor relationships, business development, and strategic initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with protective clothing, chemical protection, or critical-environment safety products.

• Established relationships within the national industrial distribution marketplace.

• Experience implementing distributor vending, onsite inventory management, or integrated supply programs.

• Experience developing partner segmentation, tiered incentive structures, or channel certification programs.

• Experience leading commercial transformation, market expansion, or new business development initiatives.

• Familiarity with CRM systems, sales analytics platforms, and distributor performance reporting tools.

Leadership Competencies

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic Agility: Identifies emerging opportunities and translates market trends into forward-looking growth strategies.

• Commercial Acumen: Understands the relationship between revenue growth, profitability, customer demand, and channel investment.

• Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Challenges traditional approaches and develops practical, scalable solutions.

• Execution & Accountability: Converts strategic priorities into measurable outcomes with urgency and ownership.

• Influence & Collaboration: Builds productive partnerships and drives alignment across teams without relying solely on positional authority.

• Customer & Partner Focus: Understands distributor and end-user needs and creates solutions that deliver mutual value.

Our Selection Process

As part of the application process, candidates may be asked to provide a brief example of a channel growth initiative, strategic partnership, or innovative commercial program they personally developed and implemented, including measurable business results.

Finalists may also participate in a business case exercise designed to evaluate strategic thinking, commercial judgment, and the ability to develop practical solutions to real-world channel growth challenges.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Lakeland Fire + Safety is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Responsibilities may evolve based on business needs.