Find & Apply For Business Development / Sales Manager Jobs in Walnut, California

About Pleaser USA Pleaser USA is a privately held, family-owned footwear company with more than 30 years of experience building distinctive alternative footwear brands. Our portfolio includes brands such as Pleaser, Demonia, Fabulicious, funtasma, Pinup Couture and Devious, serving unique and passionate customers through both wholesale and direct-to-consumer retail channels. As we enter our next stage of growth, we are looking for an experienced and entrepreneurial Director of Marketing & Business Development to help take the company and its brands to the next level. The Opportunity This is a key leadership position with broad responsibility for marketing, brand development, business development, and growth across both our wholesale and retail businesses. The Director will lead and strengthen our marketing organization, develop strategies for our brand portfolio, expand customer audiences, support product and category development, identify new markets and revenue opportunities, and build strategic partnerships. Working directly with the CEO and ownership, the successful candidate will bring strong marketing expertise, commercial thinking, and new ideas while working within the company's vision and entrepreneurial culture. Key Responsibilities Marketing Strategy & Execution Develop and execute annual and multi-year marketing strategies aligned with company objectives, brand positioning, and approved budgets. Lead marketing strategy across both wholesale and direct-to-consumer retail channels. Translate business objectives into campaigns, channel strategies, timelines, budgets, responsibilities, and measurable performance targets. Guide brand marketing, performance marketing, social media, content, creators and influencers, public relations, events, email, SMS, SEO/SEM, and other relevant channels. Establish and manage the marketing calendar and ensure effective campaign and product-launch execution. Evaluate marketing performance and allocate resources based on brand impact, customer growth, commercial contribution, and ROI. Establish stronger marketing planning, measurement, reporting, and accountability. Brand Development & Portfolio Growth Develop differentiated marketing strategies for Pleaser, Demonia, Fabulicious, and other brands within the company's portfolio. Protect the identity and authenticity of each brand while identifying opportunities for responsible growth. Strengthen Pleaser's position with its established customers while expanding into appropriate new audiences and categories. Support Demonia's continued growth within alternative fashion and subculture communities through authentic content, creators, partnerships, events, and community engagement. Develop strategies to increase brand awareness, customer acquisition, engagement, loyalty, and sales. Use consumer research, sales data, social listening, competitive analysis, and market intelligence to guide marketing decisions. Identify opportunities to expand brands into new categories, markets, customer segments, and channels. Product & Category Development Partner with product development, merchandising, design, and sourcing teams to identify new product and category opportunities. Provide consumer and market insights to support product-development decisions. Identify trends and customer needs that can lead to new products, collections, collaborations, or categories. Develop go-to-market strategies for new products and categories. Evaluate opportunities to extend existing brands into adjacent products and markets. Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Identify, evaluate, and develop new business opportunities aligned with company brands, customers, capabilities, and growth objectives. Develop relationships with potential retailers, distributors, licensors, collaborators, creators, event partners, marketplaces, and other strategic partners. Explore opportunities involving new markets, international distribution, licensing, collaborations, retail partnerships, marketplaces, events, and new customer channels. Develop business cases and proposals evaluating strategic fit, target audience, revenue potential, investment, operational requirements, risks, and expected return. Lead or participate in negotiations and coordinate internal approvals, due diligence, launch planning, and ongoing partner management. Maintain a prioritized business-development pipeline and communicate opportunities, status, risks, next steps, and expected value to senior management. Turn promising relationships and ideas into practical, measurable business initiatives. Wholesale & Retail Growth Partner with wholesale and sales teams to develop marketing programs supporting account acquisition, sell-through, reorders, and customer loyalty. Develop marketing strategies for wholesale customers, distributors, specialty retailers, and other B2B partners. Partner with e-commerce leadership to support customer acquisition, conversion, retention, merchandising, and customer lifetime value. Identify opportunities to strengthen the connection between brand marketing, wholesale sales, and direct-to-consumer retail. Develop channel-specific strategies while maintaining consistent and differentiated brand positioning. Team Leadership & Organization Building Lead, coach, and develop the existing marketing team. Evaluate the current marketing organization and identify opportunities to strengthen, restructure, and/or expand the team. Recommend hiring, agency, technology, and process investments necessary to support growth. Build a high-performing marketing organization with clear responsibilities, priorities, performance expectations, and accountability. Develop team members and create a culture of creativity, collaboration, ownership, and measurable results. Manage external agencies, consultants, creative partners, vendors, and other marketing resources. Cross-Functional Leadership Work closely with product, merchandising, design, sourcing, purchasing, sales, wholesale, e-commerce, operations, finance, and other departments. Coordinate cross-functional initiatives to ensure marketing and business-development programs are practical, financially sound, and operationally executable. Support major product and category launches with positioning, go-to-market plans, channel strategies, campaigns, and performance measurement. Present recommendations to the CEO, ownership, and senior management using customer insights, market analysis, financial reasoning, and clear execution plans. Required Skills & Capabilities The successful candidate will demonstrate: Strong strategic and hands-on marketing leadership experience. Ability to develop differentiated strategies for multiple brands serving different audiences. Strong understanding of brand positioning, consumer behavior, digital marketing, social media, e-commerce, retail, and wholesale channels. Strong business-development and commercial judgment. Ability to identify and evaluate new markets, partnerships, channels, and revenue opportunities. Strong analytical skills, including marketing KPIs, customer data, budgets, financial information, and ROI. Ability to translate strategic objectives into clear plans, budgets, timelines, responsibilities, and measurable results. Strong people-management, coaching, prioritization, and vendor-management skills. Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and executive-communication skills. Strong cross-functional collaboration and influencing skills. Entrepreneurial, adaptable, resourceful, and hands-on working style. Required Experience Approximately 8+ years of progressive experience in marketing, brand management, growth, business development, or a related leadership function. Experience in consumer products, footwear, fashion, apparel, accessories, lifestyle, retail, or another brand-driven industry. At least 3 years of experience leading a marketing team, major brand, business-development function, or comparable area of responsibility. Demonstrated success developing and executing integrated marketing strategies across multiple channels. Experience managing meaningful marketing budgets and using performance data to guide investment decisions. Experience identifying, evaluating, negotiating, or executing partnerships, collaborations, licensing arrangements, channel opportunities, or other growth initiatives. Experience working cross-functionally with e-commerce, sales, wholesale, product, creative, finance, operations, or related teams. Demonstrated record of delivering measurable audience, brand, revenue, customer-growth, or other meaningful business results. Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, communications, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience. Preferred Experience The following would be especially valuable: Experience working in a privately held, family-owned, entrepreneurial, or founder-led company. Experience working directly with owners, CEOs, or C-suite executives. Experience managing a multi-brand consumer portfolio. Experience growing distinctive, niche, alternative, or subculture-oriented brands. Experience in footwear, alternative fashion, apparel, accessories, lifestyle, or related categories. Experience with both direct-to-consumer and wholesale business models. Experience reaching new or younger audiences while maintaining loyalty among established customers. Experience expanding brands into adjacent categories or customer segments. Experience with licensing, collaborations, international distribution, retail partnerships, events, creator programs, or strategic partnerships. Experience building or transforming a marketing organization. Experience improving marketing processes, reporting, technology, agency relationships, or team capabilities. Working With Ownership Pleaser USA is a privately held, owner-led company. The owners remain actively involved in the business and are closely engaged in the company's strategic direction and future growth. The Director will work directly with the CEO and ownership and should be comfortable operating in an entrepreneurial environment where open communication, collaboration, and practical decision-making are highly valued. The ideal candidate will bring independent thinking, professional expertise, data-driven recommendations, and new ideas while understanding and respecting the company's vision, history, brands, and entrepreneurial culture. We are looking for a leader who can challenge ideas constructively, offer solutions, and help turn the company's vision into measurable business results. What Success Looks Like Within the first 12-24 months, success should include: Clear, differentiated marketing strategies for Pleaser, Demonia, Fabulicious, and other priority brands. Stronger and more consistent brand positioning and communication. More disciplined marketing planning, execution, measurement, and budget allocation. Measurable improvement in brand reach, customer acquisition, engagement, retention, and revenue. Meaningful growth across priority wholesale and retail channels. A qualified pipeline of new business-development opportunities and strategic partnerships. Successful launches of selected new partnerships, products, categories, markets, or channels. Stronger coordination between marketing, product, e-commerce, wholesale, sales, and creative teams. Greater use of consumer insights, market data, and analytics in business decisions. A capable, accountable, and scalable marketing organization with clear roles and performance expectations. Consistent, decision-useful reporting to the CEO and senior management. A stronger marketing and business-development foundation capable of supporting the company's next stage of growth. Why Join Pleaser USA? This is an opportunity to join an established company with more than three decades of brand history, distinctive products, passionate customers, and significant opportunities for future growth. You will not simply inherit a finished marketing organization. You will have the opportunity to help build it, shape it, and define what comes next. Working directly with the CEO and ownership, you will have a meaningful role in developing our brands, expanding our markets, building new business opportunities, strengthening our team, and helping shape the future of the company. If you are an experienced marketing and business-development leader who enjoys building, creating, solving problems, and turning opportunities into measurable results, we would like to hear from you.

Pay:

$185,000.00 - $225,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Employee discount Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person