Head of Retail – North America Full Time

Besque is a premium body care and wellness brand, based in the UK.

Retail is our next major growth frontier, and we are hiring the person who will own it entirely.

This is a founding role. You will establish Besque’s retail presence in the United States from the ground up defining the strategy, building the relationships, negotiating the terms, and managing the execution. Over time you will build and lead the team around you.

The Role

As Head of Retail, you will be responsible for the full retail channel — from identifying and prioritising the right partners across mass market and prestige, to managing those relationships once they are live. You will work directly with leadership and operate with significant autonomy, representing Besque at the highest levels with some of the most recognisable retailers in the US market.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute Besque’s US retail channel strategy across both mass market and prestige tiers
• Identify, prioritise, and cultivate relationships with key retail buyers and category managers
• Lead all retailer negotiations including ranging, pricing, terms, and promotional programmes
• Own the end-to-end retail P&L — forecasting, trade spend, margin management, and reporting
• Work cross-functionally with supply chain, marketing, and finance to ensure flawless retailer onboarding and ongoing execution
• Develop retail-specific marketing and merchandising programmes in partnership with the brand team
• Build and manage the retail team as the channel scales
• Represent Besque at trade shows, industry events, and retailer meetings

Requirements

• Significant experience in retail sales, wholesale, or trade marketing within the beauty, personal care, or wellness industry
• Established relationships across US retail — buyers, category managers, and brokers at both mass and prestige tier
• Proven track record taking a brand into major US retailers and managing those accounts through to scale
• Strong commercial acumen — you understand trade economics, margin structures, and how to build a retail P&L
• Experience negotiating complex retailer agreements and managing promotional programmes
• Comfortable operating as a senior individual contributor in the early stages while building the infrastructure for a team
• Based in the US with the ability to travel as required

What We Offer

• Full ownership of a high-priority growth channel with direct access to founders
• The opportunity to shape Besque’s retail presence from day one with genuine strategic input
• Remote role based anywhere in the US with travel supported
• Competitive senior compensation package commensurate with experience