Key Account Director, Beauty Specialty

Summary

Senior commercial leader responsible for managing strategic retail partnerships across Sephora US & Canada, Sephora @ Kohl’s, Bluemercury, and Cos Bar for a multi-brand beauty portfolio. The role drives sell-out growth, market share, and long-term brand equity through joint business planning, P&L ownership, and cross-functional coordination. Based in New York with a hybrid work policy, the position requires strong strategic vision, executive presence, and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute account strategy and annual/3-year joint business plans across key specialty retailers.
• Drive sell-out performance, market share gains, and profitability with accountability for account P&L.
• Serve as the senior point of contact for retailer stakeholders and lead top-to-top engagements.
• Lead negotiations on joint business plans, exclusives, promotional investments, and margin strategy.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, E-Retail, Demand Planning, Sales Operations, and Finance to ensure aligned execution.
• Mentor and guide junior team members and lead internal business reviews and forecasts.

Requirements

• 7–10+ years of experience in beauty, luxury, or consumer retail with significant strategic/key national account responsibility.
• Proven track record managing major retail partnerships (Sephora experience preferred) and building joint business plans.
• Strong financial and analytical acumen including P&L ownership, forecasting, and promotional tracking.
• Excellent communication, executive presentation, and stakeholder influence skills.
• High proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint; experience with SAP and cross-functional collaboration preferred.