Sales Manager, U.S. Specialty at Darn Tough Vermont® in Waterbury, VT

Job description

• As we continue to scale one of the fastest-growing hosiery brands in North America, Cabot Hosiery Mills is seeking a Sales Manager, U.S. Specialty (USP) to lead and support a diverse portfolio of independent retailers, specialty dealers, regional chains, and mid-sized national accounts.
• This channel represents the foundation upon which our business has been built over the past two decades. While individual account sizes vary, these customers collectively represent a significant and strategically important portion of the business. This role is responsible for strengthening existing relationships, identifying new account opportunities, supporting Territory Sales Principals, and ensuring the continued growth and health of our specialty business.
• Success in this position requires strong relationship-building skills, field engagement, channel expertise, and a balanced approach to both account retention and new business development. This role serves as a key conduit between retail partners, sales representatives, marketing, and internal stakeholders.
• The role reports directly to the Vice President of Sales.
• Territory growth
• Account retention
• New account acquisitions
• Rep engagement and development
• Trade show ROI
• Specialty channel market penetration

Responsibilities

• Lead sales strategy and account management across all U.S. Specialty accounts, including independent retailers, regional chains, and mid-sized national customers.
• Support and develop Territory Sales Principals to maximize performance, coverage, and customer engagement.
• Work closely with sales representatives to identify and secure new account opportunities.
• Protect and grow existing business through consistent account management and relationship development.
• Establish annual sales targets and business plans by territory and account segment.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with owners, buyers, category managers, and retail partners.
• Act as a conduit between retailers and internal teams to support merchandising, retail marketing, and promotional execution.
• Travel extensively within the field to support sales representatives, key customers, and strategic growth opportunities.
• Partner with Marketing to develop retailer programs that increase brand visibility and product sell-through.
• Analyze account performance and identify opportunities to improve productivity and profitability.
• Assist in developing annual sales forecasts, budgets, and territory plans.
• Track market trends, competitive activity, and emerging specialty retail opportunities.
• Work closely with Operations and Customer Service teams to ensure a best-in-class customer experience.
• Develop and maintain a robust pipeline of prospective accounts and growth opportunities.
• Lead planning and execution for key industry trade shows and specialty retail events.
• Work with the VP of Sales to identify strategic opportunities to strengthen market presence and expand distribution.
• Communicate regularly with Territory Sales Principals to ensure alignment on objectives, priorities, and execution.

Requirements

• Education: BA or preferably MBA. Consideration will also be given to those having 7 to 10 years of field experience in customer and / or sales representative management.
• Proficient in Microsoft Applications including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Must have experience with Excel spreadsheets including VLOOKUP’s and Pivot Tables
• Strongly skilled in organization, problem-solving, customer service and multitasking
• Excellent communication, sales, and customer service skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, and sense of urgency to meet targets
• Flexible nature to manage competing and changing priorities
• Travel between CHM facilities as needed
• Must be available to travel 50% of the time and work weekends

Skills

Required

• Travel between CHM facilities as needed

Benefits

• 95,000 - 125,000 USD per year (Waterbury)