Company Name
Confidential
Search Job Title
Senior Director of Digital Experience
Client Profile
The client is a leading national distributor of specialty construction supplies serving professional contractors across infrastructure, non-residential, and residential markets. With a broad branch footprint, extensive product portfolio and large customer base, the organization operates mostly through field sales, and physical locations. At the time of the search, leadership identified e-commerce as a critical strategic lever to enhance customer experience and unlock new revenue streams.
Although the company maintained strong market position within wholesale distribution, its website contributed less than 1% of total revenue, signaling significant untapped potential. Leadership sought to accelerate digital maturity and transform the online platform into a meaningful channel for customer engagement and business growth.
Role Objectives & Challenges
The role was initially designed to lead the transformation of the organization's digital platform into a high-impact commercial channel while improving usability, content effectiveness, and conversion rate. The position would own the strategy and execution of the company's primary website, ensuring a seamless, engaging experience (UX) aligned with brand standards and contractor expectations. Responsibilities included improving navigation and personalization, data based engagement strategies, coordination digital merchandising, and collaborating across marketing, category management, and technology teams.
A major challenge was the extremely specific profile requested. The ideal candidate needed deep ecommerce leadership experience within wholesale distribution serving contractor customers, a talent pool that is exceptionally limited. Most ecommerce leaders originate in retail or direct-to-consumer environments, while distribution organizations historically rely on branch networks and field sales rather than advanced digital commerce capabilities.
The original role definition also included a wide range of responsibilities, combining strategic leadership, UX oversight, content and merchandising direction, analytics, and organizational development into a single position. Additionally, the mandate to significantly increase digital revenue contribution placed immediate performance expectations on a function that had previously played a relatively small role in the overall business.
Our Approach to Solve the Search
The scarce population of leaders capable of operating at the intersection of ecommerce and wholesale distribution warranted a broad national search. Sourcing efforts focused on organizations that sell directly to contractors or business entities, particularly those with hybrid B2B and contractor-oriented sales models rather than traditional consumer retail. Candidates needed to possess direct experience serving professional customers, regardless of their B2B or B2C background. This was a non-negotiable.
Priority was given to leaders from distribution environments with established digital channels, where ecommerce complemented rather than replaced field sales. Because contractor buying behavior was the primary targeted persona. Also, the need to understand pricing complexities, inventory considerations, and operational realities of wholesale supply chains was paramount.
During the search, a candidate surfaced who was not an ideal fit for the Senior Director position but possessed strong capabilities aligned with a separate analytics leadership role within the organization. After thorough screening and consultation, this individual was introduced for that position and ultimately hired, illustrating the value of comprehensive market engagement and a consultative approach. SCM Talent Group's understanding of the talent pool and the field of wholesale distribution allowed the recruiting team to advise and help the client immediately optimize their leadership team over and above the initial request.
As the process matured, it became evident that the original Director-level scope would not attract the caliber of leader required to achieve the organization's objectives. This is yet another example of the recruiting team sharing subject matter expertise in an advisory capacity with the client to level set what was needed to complete the search. Through ongoing collaboration with stakeholders, the role was elevated to Senior Director level, enabling access to more experienced executives capable of driving enterprise-level transformation.
The Hire & Results
The search required extensive vetting of dozens of candidates due to the specificity of the profile and the strategic importance of the role. Then selected leader brought a strong blend of digital merchandising expertise, content strategy, search optimization capabilities, and experience across both B2B and contractor-focused environments. The individual had previously worked with a large organization serving contractors directly, providing valuable insight into the target audience and purchasing behaviors.
The hire was made in close partnership with the company's omnichannel leadership, which was seeking a high-potential executive capable of growing into a broader leadership role over time. The selected candidate was entrusted with one of the most complex positions on the team and tasked with elevating digital capabilities into a meaningful driver of growth.
This placement required sustained coordination with multiple stakeholders and a level of diligence beyond a typical executive search. The sourcing strategy yielded not only 1 but 2 high impact leaders for the client. By securing a Senior Director with the right combination of strategic vision, operational and tactical experience, and customer understanding, the organization gained the capability to significantly expand its digital presence and move online channels from a marginal contributor to a central component of its future growth strategy.
