Director of eCommerce Growth

Are you an eCommerce leader trapped in an uninspiring role? Do you love beautifully engineered products but lose sleep over a poor customer experience? Do you get a buzz from turning a wishlist into a roadmap and then executing your plans into reality? If this sounds like you, continue reading because Apex Wheels is seeking a digitally-savvy and customer-obsessed Director of eCommerce to own and evolve our site experience.

Who are we?

Apex is a leading provider of high-performance automotive wheels and accessories, serving a community of drivers who push limits and demand products that can keep up. From education and our highly-touted fitment guides to rigorous product testing and quality standards, we deliver exceptional value to our customers. Founded in California in 2007, our company has grown into a team of 45+ passionate professionals and engineers working remotely across the country. We are united by a shared dedication to precision, performance, and authenticity. 

Objective

Turn Apex's website into a growth engine by owning everything that makes it engaging and effective: from the full buying journey to the merchandising calendar. Set that roadmap in lockstep with the CMO's marketing plan and Operations’ Sales plan so campaigns, launches, and the site's commercial calendar pull in the same direction, and then direct our development team to build it, without managing them directly. Success is a website that draws in more traffic, converts more of that traffic into owned audiences, and then drives exponential profitable revenue growth.

Key Outcomes

• Developed a clear understanding of our complex product catalog and customer segments
• Defined a full-year roadmap, a testing and optimization plan, and the KPIs governing the work
• Deployed new pages tailored to marketing campaigns that successfully achieved desired benchmarks (view completion rate, CTR, email collection, account signups, etc.)
• Made significant improvements to our checkout experience

How to Apply

Job Summary

We need someone to take our website and turn it into a profitable engine that not only accommodates, but is built for a purchase process that involves deep research and a long consideration period. As Apex's Director of eCommerce, you'll own the site-side customer journey and the commercial performance of our digital storefront: revenue, conversion, margin, and the customer's buying journey from first click to checkout. This is a marketing-led, outcome-led position, and it's a business leadership role first and a technology-led role second.

You'll set the strategy and roadmap for what the site needs to do next, from feature enhancements to testing and merchandising decisions and everything in between, and then build the roadmap that gets us there. You will own the digital P&L and are responsible for revenue, conversion, and customer experience outcomes that the online business produces. You’ll create the eCommerce strategies, testing roadmaps, and merchandising decisions. The eCommerce roadmap is built alongside the marketing plan, so that campaigns, launches, brand direction, and the site's commercial calendar move together and reinforce each other

This is not a technical role. You'll partner closely with the dedicated development team, newly formed under our CIO, who own the technical build and keep the site fast, secure, and reliable. You'll define the business problem and requirements while they will own the technical solution and build. You won't manage the development team but you are the primary voice on how eCommerce work gets prioritized on their roadmap. You won't write code, manage a deployment, or run in tickets and sprints. You don't need to be able to do their job, but you do need enough fluency in the eCommerce technology landscape and a deep familiarity with a CMS to ask sharp questions, spot a bad plan, and hold that partnership accountable to revenue and margin outcomes.

Reporting to our Chief Marketing Officer, you'll be part of a larger marketing team. You'll ensure that the CEO's vision is met and the CMO's goals are achieved. You'll work with our CMO's marketing plan and Operations' sales plans so that campaigns, launches, brand direction, and the site's commercial calendar move together. You'll set the strategy for what the site needs to do and why (feature enhancements, optimizations, etc.), and you'll partner closely with the dedicated development team, who own the technical build. Your eCommerce Systems Admin will handle day-to-day site operations and content/catalog, and much more.

Before you consider adding additional headcount to your own team, we’ll ask you to explore technology solutions that can scale with us first. We are looking for someone actively engaged with emerging AI technology, both in what we put in front of customers and in how the team works behind the scenes.

In the first couple of quarters, success looks like a clear-eyed read on where the current buying journey is losing customers and margin, a working prioritization relationship with the CIO's team, and an initial testing and reporting cadence that didn't exist before you got here. Over the following year, success is measurable: online revenue growth and margin performance tracking to company targets, a CAC/LTV picture that's improving rather than just being reported, a merchandising and promotions calendar that reinforces marketing rather than competing with it, and a team that's scaling its output through better tools and processes.

If your background is primarily technical, someone who thinks in tickets and sprints rather than P&L and conversion funnels, this isn't the right seat. If you've driven real revenue growth for a DTC brand, understand how ecomm tech stacks work (without necessarily knowing how to build one), and know how to turn a catalog and a promotions calendar into a growth engine by way of an exceptional customer buying journey, we want to talk to you.

While we welcome motorsports enthusiasts to apply, proven experience in any DTC product category, particularly products with higher price points and long time-to-conversion, is what really counts. Leveling up our eCommerce business will go much further than expertise in wheel fitments or experience at the race track.

Areas of ownership

• Own eCommerce performance: This means that you'll carry the revenue target for the direct-to-consumer channel and be accountable for it monthly, quarterly, and annually. Define the KPI sets that govern the channel (sessions, CVR, AOV, accessory attach rate, cart abandonment, account creation, email capture, bounce rate, repeat purchase rate, etc.) and set the baseline, the target, and the thresholds at which we pivot our approach as core levers of P&L. Build and defend an annual eCommerce plan that ties to the company revenue forecast and to the broader marketing plan. Forecast the channel's contribution by month, and explain variance against it proactively. Partner with the CMO to build eCommerce programs as part of the overall marketing effort. Site initiatives, campaigns, product launches, and brand direction are planned together, resourced together, and reviewed together. Own the eCommerce budget and the return case for every line in it. Make the insource vs. outsource call and defend it with numbers. Advise the CMO and the executive team on where the online business should go next, and bring a clear recommendation.
• Run a continuous testing and optimization program: Maintain a prioritized experiment backlog. Every test will need to carry a hypothesis, a primary metric, a runtime, and a decision rule agreed upon before it launches. Run the roadmap on a published delivery cadence. Whether the team works in sprints, iterations, or continuous flow, every piece of work carries a defined outcome and a committed date. Test the commercial levers alongside the layout: explore price points and price architecture, free-shipping thresholds, shipping protection, financing placement, bundles, warranty and installation add-ons, post-purchase accessory flows, and more. Test the experience: fitment and vehicle-selector flow, product detail page structure, navigation, on-site search, cart and checkout, landing pages, and content. Perform nuanced analysis of test results and propose next steps. A test that comes back flat is information, and a feature we believe in deserves a second design. Set the release calendar against the commercial and marketing calendar, coordinated with the CMO and campaign owners, and land conversion gains ahead of peak season.
• Own merchandising and offer strategy: Know the catalog at the SKU level: fitments, finishes, sizes, price points, margin, sales velocity, and inventory position. Recommend pricing, promotional, and bundling changes with the margin math attached, in partnership with finance, product, and sales. Own how the catalog is presented online (hierarchy, collections, fitment logic, imagery and content standards, cross-sell and accessory placement) so the site sells the full range. Own promotional build-up and teardown, developed with brand and performance marketing so the offer, the creative, and the media plan say the same thing. Every promotion carries a stated objective, a measurement plan, and a written read-out after it ends.
• Direct the site roadmap and technical execution: Shape a high-performing online journey across browse, product detail, cart, and checkout experiences that reflect the Apex brand and the enthusiast culture we are steeped in. Set the roadmap: what gets built, in what order, and what business result each item is expected to buy. Build it with the CMO, and sequence it against what the rest of marketing has committed to. Direct design and development agencies, the eCommerce Systems Administrator, and other resources against scope, timeline, budget, and quality. Hold partners to spec and to the number. Set standards for uptime, page speed, product data accuracy, and bug resolution. Hold the team and the vendors to them, and escalate anything that threatens revenue before customers feel it. Define the measurement requirements like site tagging, pixels, UTM structure, GA4 event and conversion tracking, attribution, and verify they are implemented correctly. You specify what must be captured and confirm the data is trustworthy; internal specialists and partners implement it. Keep eCommerce systems, procedures, and access documented and current, so the business runs smoothly through vacations, handoffs, and transitions.
• Put emerging technology to work: Track what is actually happening in AI and commerce, and bring a point of view on which capabilities are worth piloting here and what a pilot would need to prove. Evaluate and pilot AI-driven capabilities on the site where they improve product discovery, conversion, or customer service. Scope them like any other initiative: hypothesis, metric, decision rule, and a read-out. Build internal tools with AI that improve how the team works and how the business is reported: workflow automation, data pulls, analysis, and recurring reporting to leadership. You will have the latitude to build these yourself. Share what you learn with the CMO and the wider marketing team. Capability developed inside eCommerce should raise the floor for the whole function.
• Lead the team: Manage a team of eCommerce professionals - from hiring to exiting when called for. This includes establishing and prioritizing department and individual OKRs, delivering timely, frequent, and radically candid feedback, performance evaluation, performance reviews, compensation reviews, etc. Make the case for headcount with thoughtful planning and data, but not before exploring technology solutions that would enable us to remain lean. Know when to outsource, insource, or invest in technology solutions to keep margins in check. Select and oversee consultants, contractors, and agencies to supplement our internal team. Keep those outsiders in check and on budget. 

This is intended to provide clarity on the areas of responsibility for the position. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive task list or an exhaustive list of work the position will perform.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years in eCommerce or direct-to-consumer, including at least 3 years accountable for a revenue or contribution target.
• 3+ years directly managing a team, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and termination.

• 3+ years directing outside developers, designers, and agencies against scope, budget, and deadline.

• Experience operating inside an integrated marketing organization, building eCommerce programs together with brand, performance, lifecycle, and creative.
• Demonstrated ownership of a structured experimentation program: a maintained test backlog, defined hypotheses and success metrics, and documented outcomes with the business impact quantified. Be prepared to walk through three tests you ran, what they proved, and what they were worth.
• Experience owning merchandising and offer strategy that includes pricing, promotions, bundling, shipping offers, and attach-rate programs, with the margin implications owned personally.
• Fluency with analytics and reporting: GA4, dashboard building, and the judgment to read what a number actually proves.
• Deep knowledge of the eCommerce technology landscape like commerce and CMS platforms, tag management, pixels, A/B testing tools, email platforms, heat-mapping and session replay. Magento experience is a plus; what matters is the ability to become fluent in our platform quickly and to direct technical work credibly.
• Active engagement with emerging AI technology, in two directions: an informed view of where AI belongs in a commerce experience, and hands-on experience building working tools with it for reporting, analysis, and workflow. Be prepared to show us something you built and explain what it saved or what it proved.
• This role directs technical execution on our commerce platform. Platform development, integrations, and production code are handled by our eCommerce Systems Administrator and our development partners. We do expect you to be resourceful with modern AI tooling and to build your own internal tools.
• A criminal background check is required for final candidates offered this position

Skills and Abilities

• Business judgment first. Comfortable with a margin calculation, a forecast, and a defended recommendation.
• Tenacity. This role is measured on whether the number moved, and treats the website as the primary lever for moving it.
• Collaborative by default. Builds with the CMO and the wider marketing team, brings people in early, and works in the open.
• Clear writer and communicator, able to make a case to executives and to translate business goals into technical scope.
• Curious about new technology and quick to try it, with the judgment to tell a real capability from a good demo.
• Bias toward decision. Willing to make a call on incomplete data, state the assumption, and correct quickly when the data arrives.
• Organized self-starter who can prioritize competing work and run projects independently.
• Languages: Read, write, speak and understand English.
• Motorsports Experience: Prior experience in the aftermarket performance industry is welcome, and what we most want is genuine enthusiasm for the product and deep engagement with the community. We serve a passionate enthusiast community that rewards people who know the space. You will bring either a solid understanding of high-performance automotive, or the eagerness and ability to learn it quickly.

Benefits

• Full-time salaried exempt employment on W2 with Apex. Annual compensation ranges from $120 - 180K depending on location and experience, plus eligibility to earn more through our short-term incentive plan. We still want to hear from you if your desired compensation falls outside of this range.
• Robust health benefits that include medical insurance covering 100% of monthly premiums for employees and their dependents under the age of 14 on our base plans, and generous contributions towards premiums for dependents over 14. We have a wide variety of other medical plans, so you can contribute to a more robust plan that better suits your needs. Get access to an HSA, mental health support, and gym membership discounts! Dental and vision benefits cover 100% of the monthly premiums for employees on our base plans, plus affordable buy-up options if you need orthodontic coverage. 
• Retirement savings through our 401(k) with company contributions.
• Paid time off to recharge and do what fuels you through paid sick leave, vacation time, and 11 paid company holidays, including Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
• Motorsports lifestyle benefits to get you involved in the community as deeply as you’d like. Think reimbursements for event spectator tickets, karting and karting school, sim racing gear, track day insurance, SCCA compliant gear, and premium events like DirtFish and SkipBarber. Plus, huge employee discounts on our products and free merch!
• Through your association with Apex Wheels, you are eligible to apply for the SEMA college grant and loan forgiveness program.
• A modern professional work environment supported through remote work, almost anywhere in the contiguous U.S., and casual in-office dress (t-shirts and jeans are normal for us). Our in-person company events often include sim-racing, karting, spectator events, and visits to some of our favorite places in Northern California.

About the Environment

This job can be performed remotely from your home in any US State except Montana, Hawaii, and Alaska. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, reach, stoop, kneel, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, telephone, and keyboard. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work. Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period. Light lifting may be required. Ability to travel by ground or air to attend team-building events. Quarterly domestic travel for team-building events, annual or semi-annual travel for leadership summits. Regular, predictable attendance is required.

Our Selection Process

Apex is a founder-led organization deeply rooted in our values. Each individual at Apex meaningfully contributes to our success - there’s no hiding in our small team and so every great new hire has the potential to positively impact our work and culture.  Our selection process is rigorous with the goal of finding the best overall fit for each position. We use Predictive Index, an EEOC-compliant assessment tool, to measure behavioral drives and cognitive ability as one of many indicators of potential job fit. We meet virtually with candidates multiple times because, while first impressions matter, mutual alignment and capabilities matter more. We often engage our finalists in a short-term paid work assignment before making the final determination to extend an offer. This allows our finalists to get a realistic picture of life at Apex and our team to assess real performance on the job.