Trade Development Manager – Architecture & Design
Job Location:
Newark, DE - USA
Yearly Salary:
Posted:
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
Trade Development Manager Architecture & Design
Newark NJ
$150000$200000
MondayThursday 8:00 AM5:00 PM; Friday 8:00 AM1:00 PM
Travel: Regular East Coast market travel; approximately 50% field-based
Why This Role Exists
The business has built a strong dealer-based channel and is now investing in a major growth opportunity: the architect and designer community.
This role will help build that channel from the ground up.
The Trade Development Manager will become a visible face of the brand within the A&D community developing trusted relationships with architects interior designers specifiers and design firms. The objective is to create awareness earn advocacy influence recommendations and specifications and ultimately drive demand through the existing dealer network.
This is not a traditional direct-sales role. Success comes from influence relationships education and long-term market development.
What You Will Own
- Build and grow relationships with architects interior designers specifiers and design firms across the region.
- Develop new A&D relationships while deepening existing ones into long-term brand advocates.
- Create consistent market activity through firm visits Lunch & Learns CEUs showroom presentations product training and industry events.
- Present the brand and product story in a credible engaging way that resonates with the design community.
- Influence product recommendations and specifications from early-stage design through project execution.
- Identify the firms associations events and market opportunities that can create the greatest impact.
- Build a measurable pipeline of relationships projects specifications and opportunities.
- Partner closely with Sales Marketing Product and the dealer network to help convert design influence into business.
- Bring market intelligence designer feedback competitive insights and emerging opportunities back into the organization.
- Help shape the long-term A&D strategy process and go-to-market approach.
What Success Looks Like
Success is not measured simply by the number of meetings held.
The right person will:
- Consistently secure meetings with relevant architects and designers.
- Turn cold relationships into active engaged opportunities.
- Build a growing network of professionals who know trust recommend and specify the brand.
- Generate meaningful project activity and specification influence.
- Create a repeatable approach for developing the A&D channel.
- Build relationships that eventually translate into measurable business through the dealer network.
- Establish the brand as a credible and increasingly recognized resource within the design community.
What You Need
- A current active network of architects interior designers and/or specifiers that you personally manage and can begin activating quickly.
- Proven experience developing business within the A&D community.
- Demonstrated ability to open new doors rather than simply manage inherited accounts.
- Strong presentation presence and comfort representing a brand in front of individual designers firms and groups.
- Experience influencing specifications recommendations material selections or other long-cycle design decisions.
- Experience representing a design-led product such as architectural materials surfaces appliances kitchen & bath products flooring tile plumbing furniture wallcoverings decorative products or related interior finishes.
- Ability to combine a hunter mentality with long-term relationship development.
- Strong follow-through and ability to manage relationships from initial introduction through project opportunity.
- Comfort operating independently in a fast-moving entrepreneurial environment.
- Practical business judgment and an understanding of how market influence ultimately translates into revenue.
Helpful But Not Required
- Experience delivering CEUs or accredited educational presentations
- NKBA ASID AIA CSI NEWH or similar industry involvement
- Kitchen bath cabinetry or residential interiors experience
- Formal design or architecture education
The Opportunity
This is an opportunity for someone who wants more than a traditional territory-sales position.
You will have the ability to build a channel shape the strategy establish key relationships and create a market presence that does not yet fully exist.
The right person will not simply inherit a playbook.
They will help create it.
Apply Online:
Required Experience:
Manager
About Company
Mai Placement is an executive recruitment firm specializing in placing high-level candidates across diverse industries by leveraging industry-specific expertise and an intuitive, research-backed matching process geared toward long-term success.
