Commercial Manager

Chicago, West Loop | Hybrid, 3 days in the office $65,000 base salary plus commission | Expected OTE $80,000-$90,000 Medical, dental and vision benefits CLIFTON designs and manufactures custom clothing for businesses, schools, sports clubs, agencies, hospitality groups and events across the US, UK and Europe. We receive a steady flow of inbound enquiries, ranging from straightforward team orders to larger and more complex international projects. We are looking for a Commercial Manager to take ownership of that pipeline, make sure the right opportunities are properly progressed and help us build new business in the markets where CLIFTON is strongest. This is not a pure cold-calling role and it is not a corporate management position with a large sales team underneath it. It is a hands-on commercial role in a growing owner-led business. You will review new enquiries, speak with prospective customers, understand what they need and assess whether the opportunity is a good fit for CLIFTON. You will keep the pipeline accurate, follow up consistently and ensure promising opportunities do not disappear between inboxes, systems or people. Alongside the inbound pipeline, we want someone comfortable identifying and approaching organizations that are a strong fit for CLIFTON. This means thoughtful, targeted business development rather than indiscriminate outreach. You should be able to research a prospective customer, identify a genuine reason to contact them and start a relevant commercial conversation. You will initially work closely with the founder and existing team, but the aim is for you to become the clear day-to-day owner of lead qualification, pipeline management and new business development. The role will involve: Qualifying incoming B2B enquiries and progressing the strongest opportunities Managing the CRM, pipeline stages, follow-ups and next actions Building a targeted pipeline of prospective customers Re-engaging promising expired quotes and previous opportunities Reporting clearly on pipeline value, conversion and reasons for wins or losses We are looking for someone commercially confident, organized and comfortable making decisions. You should be able to recognize a genuine opportunity, communicate naturally with different types of buyers and follow a project through without needing constant supervision. You may currently work in account management, inside sales, business development, commercial operations or another hands-on B2B role. Experience in apparel, custom products, manufacturing, promotional merchandise, agencies or events would be useful, but it is not essential. Much more important is that you can manage a varied pipeline, use a CRM properly, build new commercial relationships and understand the difference between sales activity and real progress. Success will be measured by the quality and value of the pipeline, conversion into profitable paid orders, new opportunities created and the extent to which the commercial process can operate without routine founder involvement. The role includes: Commission linked to profitable paid orders Expected total compensation of approximately $80,000 to $90,000 Medical, dental and vision insurance Hybrid working, with three days per week in our Chicago office #J-18808-Ljbffr