OverviewLifeway is seeking a
Director, Trade Sales to lead and grow its external trade retail channel across Christian retail, general market, mass market distribution, and ministry and specialty partners. In this senior leadership role, you will set the vision, build strategic growth plans, and oversee the channel leaders responsible for driving annual revenue growth across Lifeway's entire domestic trade portfolio. You will collaborate cross-functionally with Publishing, Marketing, Finance, and Creative teams to bring Lifeway's resources to market and expand its reach to churches and readers everywhere.
This is a hybrid remote/in-office position located in the greater Nashville, TN area and relocation assistance is available.#LI-Hybrid
Responsibilities- Lives out Lifeway's mission and values, showing deep commitment to Kingdom work
- Lead and grow Lifeway's trade retail channel partnerships across Christian retail, general market (Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million), mass market distribution (Readerlink), and ministry and specialty accounts
- Hire, coach, mentor, and develop the Trade Retail and Distribution Sales team, setting clear performance expectations and supporting career growth and succession planning
- Build and execute innovative strategic account growth plans including the sell-in of new releases, backlist catalog, and custom publishing solutions to expand market share
- Partner cross-functionally with Publishing, Marketing, Finance, Creative, and IT to align priorities and develop go-to-market strategies that grow sales and market share across all Lifeway brands
- Develop and manage annual revenue budgets, forecast channel performance, and oversee expense management to ensure profitable year-over-year growth
- Oversee account negotiations including discount structures and co-op agreements, and build strong relationships with account buying, marketing, and merchandising teams
- Drive a consistent annual growth target of across all domestic trade channels with full top- and bottom-line accountability
- Moderate travel, typically overnight
QualificationsEducationBachelor's degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, Communication, or a related field, required
Master's degree, preferred
Advanced graduate degree (PhD, etc.), not required
Skills, Knowledge, & Experiences, required- 10+ years of progressive sales experience across multiple retail and distribution channels including Christian retail, general market, mass market, and specialty/ministry partners
- 7+ years of sales management experience leading and developing sales teams
- 5+ years of experience in the publishing industry with strong knowledge of the market
- Demonstrated expertise in trade sales strategy and the ability to drive revenue and market share growth across diverse channel partners
- Strong financial and P&L acumen including budget management and profitable revenue accountability
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present confidently to executive and external audiences
- Moderate domestic travel, typically overnight
- Presence onsite at Lifeway's Brentwood TN office for key in-person meetings and events 6+ times per month
Actively involved in an evangelical Christian church
Skills, Knowledge, & Experiences, preferred - Experience with channel forecasting, demand planning, and managing a multi-brand product portfolio
- Existing relationships with key trade retail and distribution accounts
- Experience using Salesforce CRM
- Experience supporting or managing custom publishing programs
