Kendo North America Sales Manager

Location
Employment Full-time
Seniority Manager
Compensation $108,300–135,500/year
Posted ✦ Today
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Kendo (LVMH) seeks a North America Sales Manager for Fenty in San Francisco — hybrid role managing the Ulta partnership and channel strategy.

Overview

Kendo Holdings is a San Francisco–based beauty brand developer and wholesaler within the LVMH group. Operating as an incubator for next-generation beauty concepts, Kendo develops and scales prestige brands (including Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin) for Sephora and selective retail partners, combining entrepreneurial agility with the resources and standards of a global luxury house.

Role & Responsibilities

  • Own the Ulta Beauty relationship for Fenty brands, acting as the primary commercial lead to drive sell‑in and sell‑out against agreed targets.
  • Develop and execute channel strategy and 360º activation plans with North America marketing, merchandising, education, visual, and operations teams to maximize launch and long‑term performance.
  • Manage channel P&L levers including Gross‑to‑Net sales budgeting, co‑op and sampling strategy, and annual channel forecasts in partnership with merchandise planning.
  • Define and optimize assortment and merchandising to align inventory, forecast, and assortment with sales trends and minimize excess and obsolescence.
  • Provide regular sales reporting and analysis (weekly recaps and ad‑hoc) to inform decisions and present insights to senior management and retail partners.
  • Lead and develop a high‑performing team (1 direct report) and cultivate strong cross‑functional relationships to ensure consistent brand execution across touch points.
  • Monitor competitive landscape and identify innovation and partnership opportunities to grow channel profitability.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
  • Minimum 5 years of related business experience; 5+ years global experience in Merchandising, Brand Management, or Account Management required.
  • Makeup experience is required; proven experience working with Ulta Beauty is strongly preferred.
  • Demonstrated strategic thinking, storytelling and presentation skills with comfort presenting to senior executives.
  • Strong analytical, forecasting and problem‑solving capabilities; ability to manage budgets and commercial plans.
  • Ability to travel up to 10% and to thrive in a fast‑paced, rapidly changing environment.

Skills

Merchandising Brand Management Account Management Budgeting and forecasting Gross to Net Sales management Global Sampling and Co‑Op strategy Visual merchandising Assortment planning Inventory management and excess/obsolescence strategy Sales reporting and analysis Stakeholder storytelling and executive presentations Cross‑functional collaboration

Experience

Minimum five years of relevant business experience with global exposure in merchandising, brand management, or account management; makeup category experience required. Prior experience managing the Ulta Beauty relationship is strongly preferred. Experience leading a small team and working across commercial, marketing, and supply‑chain functions is expected.

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

Workplace

This position is based in San Francisco, California, USA. Cerulean lists 30 open roles in San Francisco, including 5 posted recently. The broader California area accounts for 360 active listings on Cerulean, 16 of which are new. In USA as a whole, Cerulean currently features 2.211 open positions, with 80 posted this week.

Compensation

The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 108,300 to USD 135,500 per annum.

Benefits

Annual bonus; medical, dental and vision insurance; flexible paid time off program; parental leave; employee discount/perks; retirement plan with employer contributions; Summer Fridays; two weeks Work From Anywhere annually; December wellness/shutdown week; hybrid work schedule (in office Tue–Thu).

Culture

Kendo operates as an entrepreneurial, creative hub within the LVMH family, prioritizing a 'can‑do' mindset, inclusivity, and storytelling. The environment values speed, cross‑disciplinary collaboration, product excellence and agility, with an emphasis on consumer‑driven innovation.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.