VP of Sales; Walmart Team Lead

Base pay range

$/yr - $/yr

Korn Ferry has partnered with our client on their search for VP of Sales (Walmart Team Lead)

Purpose of the Position

The Team Lead, Walmart will report directly to the Chief Commercial Officer and is responsible for driving profitable growth, strengthening Walmart partnership, and building the future business with the world’s largest retailer.

This leader will manage the day-to-day operations of the Walmart account for a beauty industry company with multiple brands, while also providing leadership and oversight to the Bentonville-based account team.

This role is responsible for balancing direct account ownership with people leadership and ensuring flawless customer execution while developing high performing talent. The Team Lead, Walmart will manage joint business planning, category growth strategies, and cross-functional execution to deliver strong financial results, market share gains, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Business & Customer Leadership

• Serve as the primary lead for Walmart U.S. across a multi brady beauty company, managing all aspects of account execution and growth.
• Own customer P&L responsibility including sales, trade spend, retail media, profitability, and mix management.
• Lead Joint Business Planning (JBP), line reviews, modular planning, and promotional negotiations with Walmart merchants.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Demand Planning, and Finance to ensure OTIF performance, accurate forecasting, and proactive risk mitigation.
• Deliver sales and gross margin targets while identifying risks, opportunities, and corrective actions.
• Directly manage and coach a National Account Manager and Walmart Analyst, providing clear goals, accountability, and career development.
• Oversee the Bentonville office, setting a strong presence and ensuring effective rhythms with cross-functional partners and HQ.
• Foster a culture of executional excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Category & Channel Strategy

• Act as category leader and trusted advisor to Walmart, deliver data driven insights, consumer trends, and actionable recommendations.
• Develop and implement channel specific strategies for assortment, pricing, promotions, merchandising, and retail media.
• Integrate Walmart brick-and-mortar and  to maximize item productivity, visibility, and conversion.
• Deliver accurate SKU level forecasts in partnership with Demand Planning, Supply Chain, and Finance.
• Track and report business performance weekly, leveraging Retail Link DSS, Circana, and other tools.
• Own forecast accuracy and provide corrective actions when variances occur.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Marketing, Brand, Supply Chain, and Finance to align strategy and execution.
• Translate brand priorities into Walmart relevant programming, including merchandising, coop marketing, and shopper activation.
• Ensure alignment with the broader commercial strategy and enterprise S&OP process.

Relationships & Roles

Internal & External Cooperation

• Build and sustain senior level partnerships with Walmart merchants and cross-functional teams.
• Represent company internally as the voice of Walmart, ensuring strong alignment across sales, marketing, and operations.
• Lead internal business reviews, QBRs, and customer facing presentations with clarity and influence.
• Build internal trust, value others, communicate effectively, drive execution, foster innovation, focus on the customer, collaborate with others, solve problems creatively and demonstrate high integrity.
• Perform other duties as needed and directed by management.

The Candidate

Experience and Professional Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or related field required; MBA preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive CPG sales account management experience with Walmart.
• Minimum 2 years of people leadership experience, including direct management of sales or analytics staff.
• Proven record of exceeding sales targets and delivering profitable growth.
• Experience in beauty, personal care, or adjacent consumer categories highly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong financial and analytical acumen; fluency in Retail Link,…