Director, Upholstery Sales

Position Summary: The Director of Upholstery Sales is accountable for driving profitable growth across CULP's upholstery business by developing and executing a commercial strategy that expands share with key accounts, leads a high-performance sales team, and aligns cross-functionally to deliver customer value and operational execution. This role requires 30% - 50% US based travel including key customer visits and trade shows.

Position responsibilities:

• Areas of specific accountability include:
• Strategic sales management- Build, communicate, and execute a multi-year sales strategy.
• Key account development- Personally lead relationships with top revenue accounts.
• Sales team leadership- Attract, retain, and develop a high-performance team.
• Pricing and margin strategy- Own pricing strategy with cross-functional input.
• Forecasting and Demand planning- Drive accuracy and transparency in collaboration with planning/finance.
• Market intelligence- Stay ahead of trends and competitive threats.
• Lead national and regional upholstery sales reps to exceed goals
• Set clear account-level plans, territory goals, and KPIs
• Work cross-functionally with product, design, operations, and finance
• Develop pricing strategies that balance market competitiveness and profitability
• Lead quarterly account reviews and sales team performance check-ins
• Actively participate in trade shows and customer visits
• Provide feedback to product teams based on customer needs and trends
• Partner with marketing to create compelling customer-facing content and storytelling
• Drive collaboration with internal business partners to achieve expected results:
• Merchandising - relay trends and customer needs to influence line plans.
• Operations - align on inventory planning, lead times, and delivery.
• Finance - ensure revenue forecasting and pricing discipline.
• Design Services - partner on sell through strategies and customer specific programs.
• Customer Service - ensure seamless post-sale support and satisfaction.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Operate with transparency, humility, and urgency
• Make decisions based on data, intuition, and long-term thinking
• Inspire belief in the strategy and accountability within the team
• Be in the field-close to the customer and close to the team
• Navigate ambiguity with calm and confidence
• Lead with "no surprises" communication to internal partners and customers
• Strategic sales planning and execution
• Enterprise-level customer relationship management
• Leadership and coaching of sales professionals
• Financial fluency (P&L ownership, pricing, contribution margin)
• Data analysis, CRM, and forecast systems (e.g., Salesforce, Power BI)
• Deep understanding of the upholstery fabric and residential furniture industry

Education requirements:

• BA in Marketing/Professional selling, an MBA is preferred.

Travel Requirements:

• 30% - 50% US based travel, including key customers and trade shows.