About Gantri
Gantri is the product innovation foundry for the design industry. We built the simplest way for designers, brands, and creators to launch category-defining products at a fraction of traditional costs. Every product is made on demand at our Digital Factory in California from Gantri PlantPolymers, high-performance bio-polymers that replace oil-based plastics and eliminate the need for inventory.
Since 2017 we've launched more than 200 products with leading designers and won more design awards than any other manufacturer in America, including Fast Company's Most Innovative in Design and TIME's Best Inventions. In 2025 we launched Gantri Made, our manufacturing services brand, which now powers products for brands including Haworth, Floyd, and The Standard Hotel.
The role
We are hiring a Head of Design Accounts to lead our relationships with the design industry's major brands and retailers. This is a senior individual contributor role for someone who already knows these companies and the people who run them, and who can open doors we cannot open on our own.
The role covers two customer groups with two different paths to Gantri Made.
Design retailers such as Design Within Reach, Room & Board, Lumens, Finnish Design Shop, Made in Design, and The Conran Shop start as wholesale accounts for Gantri-branded products. Once Gantri is selling on their floors and sites, the next step is Gantri Made: exclusive and private-label products developed and manufactured for them.
Design brands such as MillerKnoll, Haworth, Steelcase, Vitra, HAY, Muuto, Flos, and Louis Poulsen are Gantri Made customers. They come to us to develop and manufacture new products on demand, without tooling, minimums, or inventory. The sale is a product development and manufacturing partnership, made to product, brand, and sourcing leaders.
Our wholesale and Made business is built on a small number of large accounts. We open a few each year and each one grows significantly over time, so this role is measured on the depth and revenue of accounts, not the number of logos. You will own a short, named target list end to end, from first conversation through pilot, launch, and expansion.
What You'll Own
- A named account plan for the top 20 to 30 design brands and retailers in North America and Europe, with a defined path for each from first meeting to Gantri Made partnership
- New account acquisition through your own network and presence at NeoCon, ICFF, Salone del Mobile, 3 Days of Design, and High Point
- Brand partnerships: scope, structure, and close Gantri Made deals with design brands, working with our product development and factory teams on feasibility, pricing, and timelines
- Retail partnerships: open and grow wholesale accounts for Gantri-branded products, including assortment, pricing, merchandising, and launch support, then convert the strongest accounts into exclusive and private-label Made programs
- Account growth: expand existing partners, including Haworth, Floyd, and The Standard, from first program to multi-product, multi-year relationships
- Pipeline and forecasting for your accounts in our CRM, with accurate stage, timing, and revenue visibility for the Director of Sales
- Market intelligence: bring back what brands and retailers are planning, where they are stuck on tooling, minimums, and inventory, and which categories are opening up, and feed it into product planning
- Gantri's standing in the industry: represent the company at trade shows, design weeks, and industry events as a known and trusted face to the people who run these companies
What you bring
- 10+ years in sales, business development, or partnerships at a design brand, design retailer, contract furniture or lighting manufacturer, or a manufacturers' representative serving them
- A current network of decision-makers at companies like MillerKnoll, Haworth, Steelcase, Vitra, HAY, Flos, Design Within Reach, Room & Board, and the leading European design retailers, with references who will confirm it
- You have closed large, multi-year accounts with design brands or retailers, and can show the deals, the people, and the revenue
- You understand how design brands develop and source products: development cycles, tooling, MOQs, landed cost, and how sourcing teams make decisions
- You understand how design retailers buy and merchandise: assortment planning, margin structure, exclusives, private label, and the seasonal calendar
- You can sell a manufacturing partnership, not just a product line. You can talk through unit economics, lead times, and quality with a sourcing lead as well as you can talk through a collection with a buyer
- You run a disciplined pipeline, forecast accurately, and hold yourself to a revenue number
- You are a direct communicator who takes ownership of outcomes and moves fast with little supervision
- You travel regularly: trade shows, customer sites, and quarterly time at our Bay Area factory and showroom
Preferred Experience
- Experience in lighting
- Experience on the buying or product side of a design brand or retailer, not only the selling side
- A network among European design brands and retailers in Milan, Copenhagen, London
- Experience with on-demand, made-to-order, or additive manufacturing and what it changes for a brand's product and inventory model
- Experience with the contract and A&D channel through MillerKnoll, Haworth, or Steelcase dealer networks
Why Gantri?
- Be part of a company reimagining how design meets manufacturing.
- Play a pivotal role in shaping the building blocks of Gantri products.
- Drive innovation on our next-generation digital manufacturing platform.
- Advance sustainable design practices in real-world production.
- Work in a fast-growing, design-driven environment.
- Bring visionary concepts to life at scale.
Benefits
- Competitive salary and equity options
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
- Paid time off and flexible vacation policy
- 401(k) retirement plan with company match
- Professional development opportunities and learning stipend
- Collaborative, creative, and sustainability-focused work environment
- Access to Gantri-designed products and innovation initiative
Gantri, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of experience in sales, business development, or partnerships within design brands, design retail, contract furniture or lighting manufacturing, or manufacturers’ representation
- Current network of decision-makers at major design brands and retailers, with references who can confirm the relationships
- Track record of closing large, multi-year accounts with design brands or retailers, including demonstrable deals, contacts, and revenue
- Understanding of design brand product development and sourcing, including development cycles, tooling, minimum order quantities, landed cost, and sourcing decisions
- Understanding of design retail buying and merchandising, including assortment planning, margin structure, exclusives, private label, and seasonal calendars
- Ability to sell manufacturing partnerships and discuss unit economics, lead times, and quality with sourcing leaders
- Disciplined pipeline management, accurate forecasting, and accountability for revenue targets
- Direct communication, ownership of outcomes, and ability to work independently with limited supervision
- Willingness to travel regularly to trade shows, customer sites, and the Bay Area factory and showroom
- Experience in lighting
- Experience on the buying or product side of a design brand or retailer
- Network among European design brands and retailers in Milan, Copenhagen, or London
- Experience with on-demand, made-to-order, or additive manufacturing
- Experience with the contract and architecture and design channel through MillerKnoll, Haworth, or Steelcase dealer networks
What We Do
Gantri is a new kind of design manufacturer. We help designers create high-quality, affordable and sustainable modern designs and sell directly to consumers. Our secret? Manufacturing products on-demand using cutting-edge 3D printing and innovative plant-based materials. Since launching lighting in 2017, we've collaborated with some of world's best designers, studios and brands, including Ammunition, Dims and Muka Design Lab. We’re the winner of Time’s Best Inventions 2020, Fast Company’s Most Innovative in Design 2020, Gear Patrol’s Top 100 Products of 2020, Architectural Digest’s Cleverest Awards 2020 and many other awards.
