Summary: The Sales Director will lead and expand MSI's portfolio of major national retail accounts across the United States and Canada. In this senior, customer-facing position, you will drive profitable sales growth, deepen strategic client relationships, and identify new business opportunities. Working in close collaboration with senior leadership, the role ensures seamless cross-functional execution across account strategy, product development, forecasting, inventory planning, pricing, operations, and customer service.
Work Hours: Monday to Friday from 08:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Seniority Level: Director
Employment Type: Full-time
To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to complete the following essential duties and responsibilities: Account Leadership and Growth - Execute account strategies developed in partnership with senior leadership while identifying opportunities to improve customer performance and drive profitable growth.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with merchants, senior customer leadership, sourcing teams, replenishment teams, and other key stakeholders.
- Lead customer meetings, product line reviews, annual business reviews, negotiations, and new-program presentations.
- Identify opportunities to expand existing programs and grow MSI into new products, categories, stores, and channels.
- Develop account-specific growth plans aligned with customer priorities and MSI's financial objectives.
- Maintain a strong understanding of the competitive landscape, retail pricing, market trends, and customer strategies.
- Serve as a senior point of contact for customer opportunities, business reviews, and execution-related matters.
Business Development - Build and maintain a pipeline of new product, category, and customer opportunities.
- Partner with product development, sourcing, and senior leadership to develop differentiated programs for major retailers.
- Prepare customer proposals supported by market research, competitive analysis, costing, and financial justification.
- Lead new programs from concept and customer presentation through approval, launch, and post-launch review.
- Identify opportunities to leverage successful products and programs across the United States and Canada.
Sales and Financial Management - Support the achievement of sales, gross-margin, profitability, and working-capital goals across assigned accounts.
- Develop annual account plans, budgets, forecasts, and growth targets.
- Review pricing, promotional funding, rebates, allowances, freight, warehousing, and other program costs.
- Negotiate commercial terms that balance customer objectives with MSI's financial expectations.
- Monitor account performance and develop action plans when sales, margins, inventory, or service levels fall below expectations.
- Ensure new opportunities are supported by a clear business case and appropriate internal approvals.
Forecasting and Inventory Planning - Work closely with customers and internal teams to develop reliable forecasts for existing and new programs.
- Ensure inventory plans support product launches, promotions, seasonal events, and ongoing stocking programs.
- Balance customer in-stock expectations with inventory investment, product lead times, seasonality, and financial risk.
- Regularly review sales performance, forecasts, inventory positions, replenishment, purchase orders, and service levels.
- Proactively identify potential out-of-stock, overstock, shipping, or supply-chain risks and coordinate corrective action.
- Communicate customer forecasts, launch quantities, promotional volumes, and program changes to internal teams in a timely manner.
Cross-Functional Execution - Work closely with product management, sourcing, imports, operations, distribution, replenishment, finance, marketing, and customer service.
- Lead day-to-day account execution, customer follow-up, and internal coordination.
- Establish clear ownership, timelines, and follow-up processes for customer initiatives and product launches.
- Ensure samples, costing, packaging, compliance requirements, digital content, and operational details are completed on time.
- Communicate customer priorities and changing business needs clearly throughout the organization.
- Lead escalations and problem-solving when customer service or program execution is at risk.
Team Leadership - Provide senior-level direction, coaching, and support to account teams.
- Establish clear goals, responsibilities, performance expectations, and follow-up processes.
- Hold team members accountable for deadlines, customer responsiveness, execution quality, and overall business performance through regular coaching and performance management.
- Create accountability around customer communication, forecasting, project execution, and sales growth.
- Support team members in preparing for customer meetings, negotiations, business reviews, and major presentations.
- Build a collaborative culture focused on urgency, ownership, communication, and measurable results.
- Work closely with senior leadership on account planning, talent development, and organizational priorities.
Additionally the candidate must meet the following Education and/or Experience requirements: - Bachelor's degree in business, sales, marketing, finance, supply chain, or a related field.
- 7 or more years of progressive sales, national account management, or business development experience.
- Five or more years of experience managing complex national accounts and/or leading sales teams.
- Demonstrated experience working with large retailers, distributors, or multi-location national accounts.
- Proven ability to grow sales while managing profitability, forecasting, inventory, and operational execution.
- Experience leading customer negotiations, product line reviews, program launches, and annual business planning.
- Strong financial and analytical skills, including analysis of sales, POS, margins, pricing, forecasts, inventory, and business performance.
- Strong executive-level communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
- Ability to effectively prioritize and manage multiple customers, concurrent projects, and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and business reporting tools.
- Ability and willingness to travel regularly throughout the United States and Canada.
- Experience managing major national retail or home-improvement accounts.
- Exposure to the Canadian retail market or experience managing customers in both the United States and Canada.
- Experience in flooring, surfaces, building materials, home improvement, construction products, or related categories.
- Familiarity with retail replenishment, promotional planning, store-level forecasting, and direct-import programs.
- Experience managing both domestic inventory programs and overseas supply chains.
- Experience developing private-label, exclusive, or proprietary retail programs.
- Understanding of cross-border logistics, currency considerations, and differences between U.S. and Canadian retail operations.
- French-language capability would be an asset but is not required
This role has the following physical demands: - The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use their hands to handle objects, tools, or controls; reach with their hands and arms; and communicate verbally. The employee frequently walks, stands and occasionally sits.
- The employee must regularly lift, pull and move up to 25 pounds and occasionally up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.
- This is a safety-sensitive position.
Benefits: MSI offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support and reward our employees. Depending on the role, this may include:
- Referral, holiday, and annual bonuses or commission opportunities
- Eligibility for an annual merit-based increase
- Paid Time Off
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- Company-paid Short Term and Long Term disability;
- Company-paid Life Insurance
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Traditional and Roth 401(k) plans with company matching contributions
- Charitable donation matching programs
- Free, company-sponsored 1-on-1 tutoring for children/dependents of MSI employees in grades k-12, including free tutoring for SAT and ACT tests.
