Business Development Specialist – North America
As a Business Development Specialist (BDS), you are the face of REF Stockholm in North America. Your mission is to train, inspire, and grow the brand in the region – working hand-in-hand with distributors, district sales consultants (DSCs), salons, and stores to build long-term loyalty and deliver measurable sales results. This is a field-first role (3–4 days per week in the field) with Key Account responsibility for top salons, distributors, and retail partners in your territory.
Key Responsibilities:
- Distributor collaboration: weekly ride-alongs with DSCs, coaching, and joint salon/store visits.
- Business planning: annual joint business plans and quarterly reviews (QBRs) with distributors including goals, forecasts, campaign calendars, education plans, and budget allocation (co-op, spiffs).
- Territory store & salon activation: lead local trainings, incentives, and promotional programs directly in salons/stores within your region.
- Education & support: deliver hands-on product and technical training sessions in salons and stores; coach staff to maximize retail sell-through.
- Incentives: design, implement, and monitor store-level sales contests, recognition programs, and incentives.
- Merchandising & visibility: ensure proper product placement, planogram compliance, POS displays, demo stations, and visibility in salons and stores.
- Performance reviews: analyze sales performance at the salon/store level and create corrective or growth plans.
- Trade shows & events: represent REF at major industry events (Premiere Orlando, ABS Chicago, Premiere Anaheim/Columbus, ISSE Long Beach).
- Key Account Management: develop annual agreements, quarterly targets, joint campaigns, and loyalty goals with top salons and distributors.
- Reporting & data: maintain clean and accurate data in HubSpot CRM; log all visits, trainings, and activations; generate monthly performance reports and action plans.
What We’re Looking For:
- Licensed cosmetologist/stylist or strong professional hair education background.
- 3–5+ years in professional haircare (brand, distribution, or education).
- Proven ability to deliver against sales KPIs and grow salons/distributors.
- Dynamic presenter and educator – confident leading groups and energizing audiences.
- HubSpot CRM proficiency required; strong Excel (pivots), ideally BI tools (Power BI, Tableau).
- Entrepreneurial and self-driven.
- Willing to travel 50–60%, including some evenings/weekends for trade shows and events.
- Practical requirements: valid driver’s license, personal vehicle, ability to lift up to 40 lbs (~20 kg), and authorized to work in the U.S.
Compensation & Perks
- Base salary: Range $65–75k
- Bonus (OTE): up to $10k annually, tied to KPIs (sell-through, new doors, education, merchandising).
- Total OTE range disclosed in compliance with pay transparency regulations (CA/IL).
How to apply:
- Send your resume and a short intro video (2–3 min) where you share:
- Your biggest growth case in professional haircare.
- How you helped take a distributor or salon on a growth path.
- Your favorite sell-through or incentive activation.
- Email applications to: randy.selinger@refstockholm.com
We look forward to your application!
- Department
- Sales
- Locations
- CA
- Remote status
- Hybrid
CA
Why you should work for us?
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Community
We are a small company with big ambitions. Here, collaboration is valued, with results and a strong sense of community as the main ingredients.
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Development
We are the place for those who want to grow. In an environment characterized by entrepreneurship, ownership, and responsibility, we ensure that every employee has great opportunities for development.
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Competitive package
We offer favorable conditions where each employee’s performance is valued.
REF culture
At REF, we are a team of 35 employees based across our headquarters in Stockholm, and a hybrid workspace in California.
We are a small but incredibly dedicated team with the shared goal of building REF into a modern challenger in the professional haircare industry.
Our bright, open-plan office is located in central Stockholm. The office serves as our hub, featuring an in-house photo studio for all productions as well as our own REF Studio – an educational salon where we conduct both digital and in-person training sessions.
About REF International
REF Stockholm is a natural beauty brand that focuses on high-performance vegan haircare and styling. REF is a family-owned company established in 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden. We offer high-quality products within carefully developed series and segments – created with the utmost attention to detail. We work with a passion for innovation, creativity, high-performing formulations, and a deep respect for the environment. REF Nature + Science combines natural, organic ingredients with the latest in scientific advancements, developed together with a global network of 10,000 hairdressers.