Retail Partnership Manager

Department:  Retail Development

Date Posted: 8/29/2023

Dallas Market Center is seeking a Retail Partnership Manager to join our team!  You will focus on delivering high quality buyers, retailers, and buying groups targeting specific niche industries important to the Dallas Market Center. You will develop and execute programs and marketing strategies to achieve attendance goals. You should also have a strong understanding of the retail and wholesale business. The target industries for this role include Children’s Apparel, Western & English, Women’s Footwear and Floral.

Position Description:

• Recruit and secure quality buyer attendance through various programs and strategies. (i.e. exhibitor partnerships, telemarketing, strategic travel incentives, and store visits)
• Build relationships with permanent and temporary exhibitors to identify prospects and VIP retailers
• Develop relationships with retailers to build awareness and loyalty to Dallas Market Center
• Support broad Retail Development and DMC goals; serve as a spokesperson for the Dallas Market Center to the assigned industries
• Test new strategic initiatives and adapt from learning: don’t be afraid to think outside of the box
• Identify key industry buying groups with support and develop plans to bring them to the Dallas Market Center
• Effectively maximize budget: identify and communicate tradeoffs
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive customer database including loyal buyers, territory-based buyers and strategic prospects
• Serve as the industry expert for assigned niche industries
• Initiate new programs to support leasing goals in market segments or new business development
• Liaise with Marketing to leverage Buyer Development activity
• Understand revenue goals and effectively maximize budgets
• Other related duties as assigned

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing or related field

Required Experience:

• Minimum 3 to 5 years Marketing, Sales, or Retail experience, preferably in the wholesale industry
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office: Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, organizational, networking, verbal, and written skills

Physical Requirements:

• Office Environment – Ability to sit for vast majority of work shift.
• Market Environment – Ability to stand and walk for extended periods of time.

Required Competencies:

• Communication:  Effectively listens to others and makes clear and effective oral presentations to individuals and groups regarding work-unit or organization issues. Communicates effectively in writing; is clear, concise, and easily understood.
• Creative Thinking: Develops insights into problems or creates a work environment that encourages innovative thinking and “outside-the-box” solutions to problems.
• Decisiveness: Assesses risks and takes the appropriate actions needed to achieve work-unit objectives within appropriate time frames.
• External Awareness: Becomes and remains informed of external trends, interests, and issues with potential impacts on internal organization policies, procedures, operations, positions, and practices.
• Flexibility:  Adapts to change in the work environment in ways that help work-unit staff keep projects “on course.”
• Interpersonal Skills:  Considers and appropriately responds to the needs, feelings, capabilities, and interests of others in a professional manner.
• Leadership: Identifies and adapts leadership style to situations and people; demonstrates high standards of behavior; empowers subordinates; consistently and effectively motivates work unit.
• Planning:  Establishes policies, guidelines, plans, and priorities required to meet work-unit or organization objectives.
• Problem Solving: Recognizes and defines problems; challenges others to identify alternative solutions and plans to solve those problems.
• Resource Utilization:  Responsibly spends financial resources in ways that result in ultimate accomplishment of work-unit or organizational objectives. Effectively and efficiently uses materials, supplies, equipment, systems, or organization facilities.
• Self-Management:  Engages in the effective use of self-assessment and self-management techniques to proactively and continuously improve own performance. Exhibits full responsibility for one’s own work achievements and consistently maintains an elevated level of self-management that contributes to sustained high performance.
• Time Management:  Effectively uses the time available to complete work tasks and activities that lead to the achievement of expected work objectives (as results or outputs).