Sales Director, Strategic Department Stores

OUTGROWN YOUR OWN BACKYARD? COME PLAY IN OURS.

At Columbia, we’re as passionate about the outdoors as you are. And while our gear is available worldwide, we’re proud to be based in the Pacific Northwest, where natural wonders are our playground.

Every product we make and every task we undertake is inspired by the famous words of our founder Gert Boyle: “It’s perfect. Now make it better.” As pioneers of relentless improvement, we are constantly evolving.

We believe the outdoors is ours to protect and strive to keep our planet healthy. We believe in empowering people to experience the outdoors to the fullest.

And we believe in you.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Columbia Sales Team is a key driver of our brand’s growth, partnering closely with national retailers, independent boutiques, and internal partners across Merchandising, Marketing, Planning, and Product. Together, we translate consumer insights and marketplace realities into strategies that elevate our presence and performance.

As the Strategic Account Director, you will lead our national department store business, including some of our largest and most complex accounts, and shape how Columbia shows up with these critical partners. You will own the performance of this business, set a clear vision, and develop strategies that drive sustainable growth across both traditional and digital channels.

Your leadership will strengthen senior-level relationships, guide a high-performing team, and help evolve how we operate within the department store channel to ensure long-term success in a competitive and rapidly changing environment.

This is a role for a strategic thinker, a commercially-minded operator, and a leader who thrives at the intersection of business ownership, customer partnership, and enterprise collaboration.

HOW YOU’LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

• Own and drive the performance of key department store accounts, developing and executing strategies to improve revenue, profitability, and long-term growth.
• Create and execute strategic account plans that expand market share, strengthen partnerships, and unlock new opportunities across national department store retailers.
• Lead senior-level relationships with key customers, influencing merchants and executives to grow the business and address performance gaps.
• Define and evolve the business model for the department store channel, including pricing, markdown strategy, returns, and digital/dropship execution.
• Monitor customer, consumer, and market trends to inform strategy and influence cross-functional decision-making.
• Partner across the enterprise to build aligned go-to-market strategies, channel programs, and support models that elevate our brand.
• Build an empowered sales culture by coaching, developing, and inspiring a high-performing team to achieve ambitious goals.
• Champion a high-performance mindset that encourages innovation, accountability, and enterprise thinking.

YOU ARE

• A clear, confident communicator who can influence at all levels, including senior external partners.
• A strategic thinker who can zoom out to set direction and zoom in to manage complex, detail-oriented business dynamics.
• Commercially driven, with a strong sense of ownership and accountability for business performance.
• Skilled in persuasion, negotiation, and executive-level relationship building.
• A leader who organizes, energizes, and elevates teams to deliver results
• Adept at analyzing market conditions and translating insights into actionable strategies.
• A problem-solver with a bias for action and forward momentum.

YOU HAVE

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of progressive sales leadership experience, including managing major accounts and leading high-performing teams.
• Proven success owning and growing complex wholesale or retail partnerships, preferably within the department store channel.
• Strong understanding of the department store business model, including financial levers such as pricing, markdowns, and inventory management.
• Experience operating across both brick-and-mortar and digital environments; familiarity with dropship or similar fulfillment models is a plus.
• Proven ability to operate within a matrixed organization and influence cross-functional partners.
• Strong financial, analytical, and business acumen.
• A demonstrated commitment to Columbia’s core values:
  • Compete to win
  • Relentless improvement
  • Honesty, respect, and trust
  • Doing the right thing for consumers, customers, employees, and the company

#LI-JD1

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities, but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company. 

Columbia Sportswear Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. Columbia Sportswear is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf. If you need reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please notify your recruiter.

Salary Range: $194,680 - $340,570

*Pay decisions are determined by multiple factors, including what the market is paying, a candidate’s capabilities and skills, years of experience, and internal equity.

At Columbia Sportswear Company, we’re proud to offer regular full-time employees a benefits package that includes a variety of services and products to help make your life and work more rewarding. Our benefit programs contribute to overall employee well-being by aligning those programs with the fundamental elements of well-being: physical, social/emotional, financial, career and community. Benefits that can protect your family’s financial future and help you save money through our 401k plan plus a generous company match. Columbia offers medical, dental, vision, life Insurance, disability, flexible spending accounts, health savings account, and an assortment of voluntary benefit offerings (accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and legal services). In addition, Columbia offers EAP + which is free and confidential 24/7/365 counseling services. We have extensive wellness benefits, employee discounts and a generous time off program available.

If you need an accommodation/adjustment to successfully complete and submit your application, please reach out to AskHR@columbia.com with the Subject: Applicant Assistance Requested.