Director of Ecommerce

Director of eCommerce

Reports to: COO

Department: eCommerce

Direct Reports: 1-2 (eCommerce Coordinator/Manager), with oversight of web developer and digital agency

Location: Charleston, SC (hybrid - 3 days/week in office)

Company Overview

minnow is a founder-led, direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) family lifestyle brand dedicated to creating quality products and inspiring meaningful family experiences. Founded in 2016, our team is based in Charleston, SC. The company is focused on inspiring and encouraging family experience through classic and high-quality swimwear and clothing.

Position Overview

The Director of eCommerce owns minnow’s digital flagship and the P&L behind it. This is a player-coach role: you set and execute the strategy that drives profitable, sustainable growth, and you build and lead a small, high-performing team to deliver it. Reporting to the COO and partnering closely with the rest of the leadership team, you are the senior-most voice on the digital business, accountable for revenue, margin, and the customer experience end to end. This person is equally comfortable setting direction in a leadership meeting and getting hands-on in Shopify, analytics, and the day-to-day of running a high-growth DTC channel.

Ownership & Accountability

• Own the eCommerce P&L end to end (revenue, gross margin, contribution, and the annual digital plan) and be accountable for hitting it.
• Set and execute the strategic direction for minnow’s digital business in coordination with the CEO, COO, and VP of Merchandising.
• Develop, evolve, and refine the minnow eCommerce strategy to maximize profitability and support sustainable growth, including the evaluation and implementation of new, margin-accretive customer acquisition channels.
• Build the forward-looking channel plan and annual budget; track and respond to KPI performance to deliver the financial plan.
• Own the marketing calendar and channel mix across email/SMS, organic/paid search, and organic/paid social.
• Lead retention, promotion, and loyalty strategy to grow LTV through engagement and improved repeat purchase rate.

Team Leadership

• Build, manage, and develop a small eCommerce team (1-2 direct reports), setting clear goals and raising the bar on performance and craft.
• Directly manage the relationship and output of the web developer and digital agency, holding partners accountable to results.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with brand marketing, design, operations, merchandising, and finance.
• Enhance a performance culture through regular KPI reporting, gap identification, and continuous improvement.

Digital Marketing & Website Management

• Own the most impactful KPIs (website visits, conversion rate, average order value (AOV), repeat purchase rate, customer acquisition cost (CAC), and lifetime value (LTV)) and convert data into insight that continually improves ROI.
• Lead end-to-end website strategy and day-to-day operational execution.
• Maintain and evolve a testing framework to expand the volume and pace of learning through consistent A/B testing, and evangelize a culture of data-driven decision making.
• Optimize UX/UI based on traffic, search, and sales data.
• Work closely with the digital agency to launch new campaigns, improve existing ones, and test new marketing channels.
• Exercise a “test and learn” approach to improve the effectiveness of spend, optimizing campaign creative, copy, and consumer cohorts.

eCommerce Performance & Operations

• Continually assess the effectiveness of all eCommerce operations and evaluate needs based on technology and key competitors in the marketplace.
• Oversee day-to-day eCommerce operations, maintenance, and performance measurement.
• Partner with cross-functional counterparts to guide content design, product merchandising, promotions and campaigns, copywriting, and photography.
• Provide cross-functional support to the brand marketing team for positioning and brand development.

What Success Looks Like in the First 90 Days

• First 30 days: Learn the business.
• Develop a working command of the eCommerce P&L, the Shopify Plus stack, the data, and the marketing calendar.
• Build strong relationships with the COO, CEO, VP of Merchandising, and your direct reports and agency partners.
• Complete a clear-eyed audit of the site, conversion funnel, channel performance, and current agency output. Listen and diagnose before making major changes.

• By 60 days: Set the direction.
• Deliver a prioritized eCommerce roadmap and a channel and budget plan, with a clear point of view on where the growth and margin levers are.
• Establish a regular KPI reporting and review cadence with the leadership team.
• Ship the first round of quick wins (for example, site/CRO improvements or campaign optimizations) and show early measurable impact.

• By 90 days: Own it.
• Own the eCommerce forecast and P&L and be accountable to the plan.
• Have a functioning team operating rhythm in place, with clear goals for your reports and agency partners.
• Demonstrate measurable lift against the KPIs that matter, and a credible, sequenced plan for the rest of the year.

Who You Are

• Low-ego and secure. You can receive direct, candid, and at times bluntly delivered feedback, separate the signal from the delivery, and act on it without taking it personally or disengaging. You give that same candor in return.
• A self-directed owner. You thrive in a founder-led environment where standards are high, opinions are strong, and the pace is fast. You bring a point of view and the spine to defend it, and you know when to commit and move once a decision is made.
• Resilient and steady. You stay focused on the work and the outcome when things get hard or messy, and you do not need a perfect environment to do great work.
• Commercially driven and analytical. You are energized by owning a number and being measured against it.

Candidate Profile

This candidate should have a minimum of 7-10 years of strategic direct-to-consumer marketing experience, including hands-on ownership of online/eCommerce/digital channels, demonstrated experience scaling growth businesses, and at least 2-3 years managing people or partners. Must be an analytically-focused decision-maker driven by commercial success. Must have:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. Degree in Business, Marketing, Advertising, Communications, or a related discipline preferred.
• A track record of owning a digital P&L and delivering against revenue and margin targets.
• Experience building and leading small teams, and managing digital media and website development partners and agencies.
• Proven ability to simplify the complex and to articulate and address business issues and opportunities with leadership and cross-functional partners, including the c-suite.
• Ability to articulate trends, results, and strategy based on data analysis and present appropriate adjustments to plans accordingly.
• Results-oriented: a sense of urgency for overcoming obstacles and achieving measurable results; resourceful, driven, and willing to get hands dirty and personally drive projects and timelines.
• Ability to build a dynamic, team-oriented, results-driven environment.
• Extensive working comprehension of Shopify Plus.