Director, Department Store Sales

Company Description

Overview

SPANX isn’t your average company. We revolutionized an industry by challenging the status quo and putting the customer first. You might know the story: our founder, Sara Blakely, needed a base layer for her white pants, so she cut the legs off a pair of tights and SPANX was born. The spark of that origin is the fuel for our future. We grew up in shapewear. But we’ve graduated. For over 25 years, we've been experimenting, innovating, and giving women what they want and what they deserve. Because we are those women. And we’re honored to create on behalf of us all.

We make elevated essentials with confidence built in, because what you put on can change how you show up. Creating items that’ll make you feel great is a matter of the heart—and the lab. In every SPANX product is technology we design and build to highlight, complement, and form your look, just the way you like it. We are a high-growth, innovative and ambitious company and we are embarking on an exciting trajectory of both digital and international expansion. 

Job Description

About the role

The Director of Department Store Sales owns SPANX’s strategy, profitability, and relationships across the North American department store channel. This is a leadership role responsible for setting the vision for the channel, driving profitable growth, leading a high-performing team of account managers, and partnering with sales operations professionals and planners. 

The role blends strategic planning, analytical rigor, and executive relationship management. The Director partners closely with Merchandising, Planning, Marketing, and Operations to translate brand strategy into account-level execution, and serves as the primary voice of the department store channel within the SPANX wholesale organization. 

This role is based in our Atlanta headquarters, requires weekly in office work Tuesday-Thursday, and reports into VP, Wholesale. 

You’ll love it because you will…  

Channel Strategy & Growth 

• Define and lead the multi-year growth strategy for the department store channel, identifying white-space opportunities across accounts, categories, and collections. 

• Own the channel P&L and revenue targets; forecast and manage the business to deliver on financial commitments. 

• Develop seasonal and account-level plans that balance sell-in, sell-through, and inventory productivity. 

Account Leadership & Relationships 

• Serve as the senior SPANX relationship owner for buyers, DMMs, and GMMs across key department store partners. 

• Lead strategic account conversations — assortment planning, joint business planning, and negotiation — to grow SPANX’s share and shelf presence. 

• Represent SPANX at market, line reviews, and executive account meetings. 

Planning & Analytics 

• Direct the development of unit and dollar sales projection models at the account, style, color, and size level, leveraging point-of-sale and inventory data to inform buys and forecasts. 

• Establish and monitor channel KPIs — sell-through, productivity, and margin — and use them to drive decision-making. 

• Identify sales opportunity ranges and lift potential across accounts to prioritize investment. 

Team & Operations Leadership 

• Build, lead, and develop the department store sales team. 

• Establish the organizational infrastructure, roles, and rituals that enable a scalable, high-performing team. 

• Champion sales operations excellence — order management, account setup, seasonal planning, systems optimization, and cross-functional coordination. 

Cross-Functional Partnership 

• Partner with Merchandising and Product to shape assortments that meet the needs of the channel and each account. 

• Collaborate with Planning on inventory strategy, replenishment, and RTV / sell-down plans. 

• Work with Marketing to align brand and retail activation across the channel. 

Qualifications

We require…  

• 10+ years of progressive wholesale sales experience, with significant time in the department store channel; apparel, intimates, or shapewear experience preferred. 

• Proven track record of owning a channel or major-account P&L and delivering revenue growth. 

• Deep fluency in retail math and analytics — sell-through, AUR, margin, and inventory productivity. 

• Advanced Excel / data modeling skills; comfort building account-level projection models from POS and inventory data. 

• Established relationships with buyers and merchant leadership across major department stores. 

• Demonstrated people leadership — building, developing, and retaining high-performing teams. 

• Strong executive presence, negotiation skills, and cross-functional collaboration. 

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA a plus. 

What Success Looks Like…  

In this role, success means a growing, profitable department store business built on strong account partnerships, disciplined planning, and a well-run, motivated team — with SPANX positioned as a strategic, indispensable partner to each of its key retail accounts. 

Additional Information

Spanx is proud of our continued Progressive People Practices…  

• Company Healthcare Plan: $0.00 out of pocket (Employee only benefit) 
  Fertility testing and treatment are included in Spanx’s medical plans, even without the diagnosis of infertility 

• Parental Leave Policy: Primary caregiver receives 16 weeks AND will have the option to work a half-time schedule (20 hours per week) for up to four additional weeks with full-time (40 hours per week) pay 

• Mental Health Days: 10 days 

• 401K: Matched up to 4% with immediate vesting 

• PTO & Company Holidays: Holiday refresh break between Christmas and NYE 

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.