Retail/wholesale channel manager (fast-growing Australian DTC brand) - AWESOME growth potential

TLDR: We are a fast-growing Australian DTC e-commerce brand in the low-tox / personal care space. We have strong inbound interest from independent retailers, but we have not properly built the wholesale side of the business yet. Right now, if we said yes to every retailer asking to stock us, it would turn into messy email threads, manual invoices, one-off questions, and founder chaos. We need someone practical, organised, and Shopify-literate to help us build the first version of the retail/wholesale channel, then manage it ongoing. This is not a big agency strategy project. We do not need a 40-page deck. We need someone who can configure the system, contact retailers, help them place orders, and keep the process moving. - The roadmap - We are trying to move through three stages: A: Now Retailers are asking to stock us, but we do not have a clean wholesale portal, stockist onboarding flow, organised retailer pipeline, or repeatable process. B: First working version Build a simple self-serve wholesale system where retailers can understand the offer, apply or get approved, see pricing, place orders, and access basic sales resources. At the same time, actively work the retailer list and help interested stores place their first orders. C: North Star Build toward a real retailer/professional channel: self-serve ordering, education, sell-through support, resource library, reorder flows, retailer training, and eventually a group of independent stockists who actively sell the brand because they understand it. Think less "manual wholesale admin" and more "DTC experience for retailers." We are also part of a high-level ecommerce community with access to operators who have successfully built retail/wholesale channels before. Expert coaching and guidance will be available, so you will not be expected to invent the strategy from scratch. Your job is to help turn the roadmap into a working operating system. - What you will actually be doing - Setup You will help build the first version of our wholesale system: recommend the simplest Shopify/B2B setup, configure pricing access, minimum order rules, SKU multiples/case packs, product pages, application flow, and basic retailer resources. You will also organise our inbound retailer leads, draft outreach/onboarding templates, and document the process so it can be managed cleanly after the initial setup. Ongoing retail management Once the setup is live, you will help manage the retailer pipeline: contact inbound stockists, introduce the wholesale pilot, answer questions, follow up, and help them place first orders. You will keep the pipeline updated, track who needs attention, flag high-value accounts, monitor reorders, and improve the wholesale experience based on real retailer feedback. ----- - What success looks like - At the end of the first phase, we should have: - a working wholesale buying flow or portal clear wholesale pricing and minimum order rules - a stockist application or account approval flow - a basic retailer resource area - an organised inbound retailer list - outreach/onboarding templates ready - a short SOP explaining how the system works - retailers contacted and first orders being placed - a clear path from the first setup toward the long-term retailer/pro channel ----- MUST HAVE: You need Shopify experience, ideally with customer tags, gated access, pricing/discount logic, apps, and basic page setup. You should have some exposure to wholesale, B2B, stockist portals, Faire, or retailer ordering flows. Most importantly, you must be organised, clear in writing, good at follow-up, practical in your judgement, and comfortable owning a messy process from setup through ongoing management. NICE TO HAVE Experience with consumer packaged goods, personal care, beauty, health, or low-tox brands. Experience setting up Faire for a brand. Experience creating wholesale sell sheets or retailer resource packs. Experience with MOQ / case-pack / order minimum apps. Experience managing retailer, wholesale, affiliate, creator, or partner pipelines. Familiarity with Australian ecommerce or retail. ----- HOW TO APPLY Answer the screening questions properly. Short, specific answers are better than long generic ones. Please do not contact us outside Upwork. If you do, your application will be ignored. This starts with setup, but the North Star is ongoing ownership of the retail channel if the first phase goes well. :)