VP, Strategic Partnerships

About the Company

Kendra Scott is a fast-moving, design-led lifestyle brand built around family, fashion, and philanthropy. The team is known for creating distinctive products and delivering a standout customer experience, while maintaining a supportive, family-oriented culture and a strong commitment to giving back. The brand operates across retail, wholesale, and e-commerce, with its headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Role Overview

This senior leadership position is responsible for driving the company’s next phase of growth through major retail partnerships, international travel retail, international wholesale, licensing, category expansion, and possible future franchise opportunities. The role calls for a leader who understands major retail accounts deeply, knows how to build long-term buyer relationships, and can grow the business while safeguarding the brand.

What You’ll Do

• Contribute as a member of the Senior Leadership Team and help shape both short-term and long-term business direction.
• Own the broader roadmap for majors wholesale, strategic partnerships, licensing, and international expansion, including the operating plan and team structure needed to support it.
• Grow sales across major accounts, international travel retail, and international wholesale channels, with strong focus on building durable retailer relationships.
• Create and execute a wholesale strategy that supports overall company goals and strengthens the major accounts business.
• Deliver against quarterly and annual targets for revenue and profitability.
• Develop partnership models that may go beyond traditional wholesale, including licensing, franchise, and other brand-aligned structures.
• Build the strategy and operating playbook for international wholesale expansion.
• Assess licensing and category expansion opportunities and determine when specialized external expertise should be brought in.
• Lead, coach, manage, and motivate the team.
• Work closely with cross-functional partners to improve inventory and supply chain processes while balancing working capital needs.
• Partner with teams across Product, Merchandising, Marketing, Technology, Logistics, Sourcing, and related functions to deliver results in a highly collaborative environment.
• Represent the company at markets, trade events, and publicity activities, and meet with major buyers and retail partners.
• Maintain strong relationships so service levels, sales performance, and profit objectives are achieved.
• Develop a deep understanding of the brand, product, mission, and philosophy, and communicate them effectively to others.
• Continuously look for fresh ways to make the brand experience more engaging and memorable.
• Ensure plans are clearly communicated, aligned across the organization, and executed successfully.
• Bring structure, process, and clarity to an evolving business environment where systems and workflows are still maturing.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate brings extensive wholesale leadership experience in a high-growth environment, along with a proven record of working with major retail partners and building trusted relationships with key buyers and category leaders. Experience building international wholesale businesses is important, as is exposure to licensing, franchise, or category expansion strategies within consumer, fashion, accessories, lifestyle, apparel, or similar brand-led businesses.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• At least 15 years of experience as a wholesale director in a high-growth company.
• Strong experience with major retail partners and a track record of building trusted relationships with buyers and category decision-makers.
• Demonstrated success in building international wholesale businesses.
• Experience supporting or developing licensing, franchise, or category expansion strategies in consumer, fashion, accessories, lifestyle, apparel, or comparable organizations.
• At least 10 years of experience leading a functional team.
• Ability to set direction and motivate others toward corporate goals and strategies.
• Experience building domestic and international wholesale strategies that increase brand awareness, grow distribution, and protect brand equity.
• Ability to build and run a wholesale sales function at scale.
• Success selling to leading national and regional retailers.
• Established relationships with buyers and/or category managers at retailers and wholesalers.
• Background in brand-right growth environments with sophisticated wholesale, licensing, and international partnership models preferred.
• Experience with planning and forecasting.
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities effectively.
• Strong collaboration skills across internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to influence quickly, gain alignment across the organization, and build a business from the ground up in an evolving, highly manual environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with excellent follow-through.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to navigate a range of personalities and emotions with tact.
• Ability to anticipate long-term needs and create achievable plans and timelines.
• Solutions-focused mindset with a data-driven approach.
• Growth mindset, entrepreneurial energy, and a history of applying prior learnings to new opportunities.
• Proven ability to build cross-functional partnerships and support corporate alignment.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to persuade and inspire internal and external audiences.
• High commitment to employee development and a track record of strengthening teams and careers.
• Alignment with the company’s core values of Family, Fashion, and Philanthropy.
• Preferred location is Austin, Texas.
• International travel may be required as the partnership portfolio expands.

Additional Information

The company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity.