Head of Wholesale Europe

Company Description

blackcrows is an independent ski brand born in Chamonix, and embraced by mountain communities around the world. We design skis, outerwear and accessories with a relentless focus on performance, identity and style—objects shaped by a desire to merge beauty and efficiency. 

Rooted in ski culture and driven by a spirit of freedom and adventure, blackcrows celebrates the mountains as a creative space. With offices in Chamonix, Paris and Los Angeles, a global distribution and own physical retail stores in key locations, the brand continues to expand its vision of contemporary skiing.

Job overview

As blackcrows continues its international growth, we are seeking a Head of Wholesale Sales Europe to lead and scale our wholesale business across the continent. This is a pivotal commercial leadership role, with full ownership of European wholesale performance and a mandate to deepen relationships with our best partners while expanding our presence in strategic markets.

The Head of Wholesale Sales Europe will define and execute the regional wholesale strategy, manage a field sales organisation, and serve as the primary point of contact for key retail accounts across Europe.

This role requires a unique combination of commercial drive, brand sensitivity, and the organisational ability to operate effectively within an entrepreneurial, culture-led brand.

Key responsabilities

1. Wholesale Strategy & Business Performance

• Define and own blackcrows' European wholesale strategy, aligned with global brand positioning and growth objectives.

• Drive revenue growth and sell-out performance across all European markets.

• Own the European wholesale P&L: revenue targets, margin, and distributor/agent commission structures.

• Build and manage the seasonal commercial calendar (sell-in campaigns, product launches, trade events) in close collaboration with the Product, Marketing, and Creative teams.

• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and retail landscape across key European territories.

• Identify opportunities to expand distribution in strategic markets while maintaining brand selectivity and positioning.

2. Field Team Management

• Lead, supervise and develop the European field sales team (agents and/or employed sales reps) across territories.

• Implement the company's commercial strategy in the field and ensure consistent brand representation across all markets.

• Provide continuous training and support to sales teams: product knowledge, brand storytelling, sales tools, and argumentation.

• Oversee field team budgets, travel planning, and forecast accuracy.

• Monitor and optimise field service quality, including sell-in execution and in-store brand standards.

• Develop and maintain strong, trust-based relationships between blackcrows and its retail partners.

3. Key Account Management

• Own and develop relationships with major European strategic accounts (specialist ski retailers, premium outdoor chains, key door accounts in markets such as France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia, UK and Benelux).

• Organise and lead sell-in meetings, ensuring strong order volumes and optimal product assortment.

• Deploy and oversee the execution of the marketing plan for key accounts, including in-store activation, co-op campaigns, and product training.

• Drive sell-out performance and monitor stock levels, ensuring healthy inventory positions at retail.

• Coordinate product training sessions for blackcrows retail partners (hard goods & soft goods).

4.Distributor Network Management

• Take full ownership of blackcrows’ third-party distributor relationships across markets where the brand operates indirectly, including Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and the Southern Hemisphere.

• Identify, evaluate, and onboard new distributor partners where relevant, ensuring strategic and cultural alignment with the blackcrows brand.

• Set clear seasonal sell-in targets and sell-through expectations for each distributor market, and hold partners accountable to agreed performance levels.

• Conduct regular business reviews with distributor partners, monitoring performance, stock health, and brand execution standards.

• Ensure distributors are fully equipped to represent the brand with the same level of commercial rigour and brand integrity as directly operated markets — providing product training, brand tools, and sales support as needed.

• Collaborate with Legal and Finance on distributor agreements, commission structures, and payment terms.

5. Marketing & Events

• Work closely with the marketing and brand teams to maximise commercial impact in the European market.

• Support the organisation and smooth execution of on-snow and off-snow events, athlete and ambassador activations, and trade shows.

• Act as a brand ambassador and cultural advocate for blackcrows within the European retail ecosystem.

6. Internal Coordination & Collaboration

• Work closely with Finance to monitor agent commissions, payment terms, and cash collection.

• Collaborate with Legal on the preparation and management of customer and agent contracts.

• Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to ensure order execution, delivery performance, and stock allocation.

• Share market intelligence, competitive insights, and regional feedback with the broader leadership team.

• Comply with company processes and actively contribute to their continuous improvement.

This list is not exhaustive and may be added to and/or revised during your assignment, depending on our discussions and your interests.

Success in the Role (12–18 months)

• European wholesale revenue growing ahead of market, with strong sell-out performance across key accounts.

• A motivated, well-aligned field sales team with clear goals and strong brand knowledge.

• Deepened relationships with strategic European accounts, with blackcrows recognised as a must-stock brand in the premium ski specialty channel.

• Improved visibility and forecasting accuracy across the European territory.

• Expanded distribution in 1–2 underpenetrated strategic markets.

We are looking for a commercially driven leader with a genuine passion for ski and mountain culture, who combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution and a strong sense of brand.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of experience in sales, with a significant portion in B2B wholesale within the ski, outdoor, or action sports industry.

• Deep knowledge of the European ski and outdoor retail landscape is mandatory.

• Proven track record of managing and developing a field sales team across multiple markets.

• Successful experience managing key accounts with major European specialty or premium outdoor retailers.

• Experience working with or within independent, culture-driven brands is a strong plus.

• Understanding of French culture and the ability to work within a French-headquartered organisation is an advantage.

Skills

• Entrepreneurial: proactive, takes initiative, and thrives in a fast-moving and limited-resource environment, ability to operate within an organisation that is not yet fully mature

• Commercially sharp: analytically rigorous with a strong focus on performance metrics and business outcomes.

• Tactical approach: ability to prioritize actions considering the best ROI (quantitative or qualitative)

• Work in project mode: ability to approach any project or transversal topic with methods and anticipation, taking in account impact on other teams and including them efficiently

• Brand-sensitive: understands how to balance commercial growth with brand integrity and long-term equity.

• Autonomous and accountable : able to work independently while reporting proactively (updates, risks, and opportunities).

• Collaborative: works effectively with cross-functional teams across time zones and cultures

• Organised: manages multiple projects, accounts, and territories simultaneously in a deadline-driven environment.

• Emotional intelligence: ability to maintain harmonious relationships in a high-pressure environment, particularly during peak seasons

• Communicator: clear, concise, and compelling — in the field, in meetings, and in writing.

• Fluent in English; proficiency in French and/or another European language is a significant advantage.

Contract & Conditions

• Start date: as soon as possible

• Contract: permanent, full-time

• Location: Paris

• Travel: significant — expect over 50% of the time, particularly during the selling seasons

What we offer

• The rare opportunity to help shape the European commercial trajectory of a fast-growing, independent ski culture brand.

• A passionate, committed and multicultural team built around strong shared values.

• Iconic products rooted in mountain culture — hard goods and soft goods you'll be proud to represent.

• A company culture defined by a genuine love of ski and outdoor culture.

• Direct access to leadership and the ability to make a meaningful impact from day one.
  

blackcrows is committed to providing a working environment that promotes diversity, inclusion and equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, gender, age, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability (physical or mental), marital status, citizenship, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or any other legally protected status.