Wholesale & Channel Expansion Manager

About League One Volleyball (LOVB)

League One Volleyball (LOVB), founded in 2019, is on a mission to revolutionize women’s sports through a unique blend of sports performance, training, and media. With a focus on volleyball, LOVB aims to empower female athletes and transform the sport’s landscape in the USA. Volleyball holds a special place as the leading girls' youth sport with 38 million current and former players, predominantly female (~90%), yet it remains underrepresented by traditional sports investors and media. LOVB capitalizes on this opportunity by nurturing a powerful club network and developing the premier professional volleyball league complemented by a digital ecosystem that engages the community, drives participation, and celebrates women's sports.

Role Overview

The Wholesale & Channel Expansion Manager will spearhead LOVB’s growth across third-party channels beyond the company’s owned platforms. This individual will lead strategy and execution to introduce LOVB’s brand through wholesale and distribution partnerships, expanding reach without compromising brand values. Collaborating across merchandising, partnerships, and business development, the manager will craft a channel expansion roadmap that targets new sport, lifestyle, and retail audiences.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement LOVB’s wholesale and external channel strategy tailored to sporting goods, specialty retail, lifestyle, and event partners.
• Identify and prioritize partners aligned with LOVB’s brand and growth objectives.
• Create a channel expansion plan that complements existing owned channels without direct competition.
• Continuously assess market opportunities for brand visibility and relevance growth.
• Source, pitch, and secure wholesale and distribution partnerships, managing accounts end-to-end including onboarding and ongoing support.
• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, and distribution agreements.
• Curate channel-specific product assortments that align with partner needs while maintaining brand coherence.
• Collaborate with Product Merchandising to optimize assortments across diverse consumer segments and retail settings.
• Ensure suitable product positioning across tiers such as youth, club, professional, and lifestyle.
• Lead seasonal sell-in strategies and provide compelling product storytelling support to partners.
• Maintain consistent, premium brand experiences across all external touchpoints, developing wholesale visual merchandising guidelines and signage standards.
• Partner with Creative and Marketing teams to deliver assets that effectively represent LOVB in partner environments.
• Conduct regular audits of partner brand execution to uphold quality and alignment.
• Manage wholesale revenue targets, margins, and account performance metrics.
• Analyze sales data to inform strategy refinement and identify optimization opportunities in distribution, pricing, and product mix.
• Collaborate with Planning and Operations for inventory allocation and fulfillment efficiencies for wholesale channels.

Requirements

• 5 to 8+ years of experience in wholesale, sales, business development, or channel expansion, preferably within apparel, sports, or lifestyle sectors.
• Demonstrated success in identifying, building, and managing retail or distribution partnerships.
• Strong grasp of wholesale economics including pricing and margin principles.
• Exceptional relationship-building and negotiation capabilities.
• Strategic mindset paired with analytical and financial proficiency.
• Ability to perform effectively in a dynamic, fast-growing environment with cross-functional collaboration.
• Willingness to travel domestically for partner engagements and market development activities.

Desired Attributes

• Highly adaptive, positive, creative, and solution-oriented with a proactive work approach.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of working independently and within a remote team.
• Comfortable managing shifting priorities in a fast-paced setting and knowing when to escalate issues.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

• This role is remote within the United States and occasionally requires travel for site visits and events.
• Ability to use computers, video conferencing tools, and communicate clearly via multiple channels.

Importance of This Role

Expanding beyond LOVB’s owned channels is pivotal for reaching new athletes, fans, and communities. This role ensures that such growth is purposeful, partnering with aligned entities and enhancing both brand awareness and equity.