Head of Marketplace Onboarding

You know all about our high street roots and bricks and mortar stores. Now, we’re looking to the future. Since 2021, we’ve embraced some changes. Debenhams hasn’t made a comeback—we’ve been here since 1778, evolving and adapting to the times. This is Debenhams today - Britain’s Leading Online Department Store. We are more than a department store—we are an institution. From creating the blueprint for designer collaborations with Designers at Debenhams, to launching countless brands and inventing the beauty counter, we’ve consistently shaped the retail landscape. We don’t underestimate the power of our brand or the place we hold in people’s hearts. This is only the beginning of the next chapter for Debenhams. Britain needs Debenhams.....Debenhams needs you!

Your Team

Debenhams Marketplace is at the forefront of e-commerce, offering an innovative and dynamic shopping experience. We connect customers with an ever-expanding range of brands, bringing the best of fashion, beauty, lifestyle and more to our digital storefront. As we continue to grow, we are looking for a talented and strategic Head of Onboarding and Support to lead and enhance our seller integration journey. At its peak we had 35 brands - when we started online, we have built and scaled it taking that baseline of 35 to 15,000. We have transformed marketplace as a business unit that complemented the wider business to now being the business itself. 90% of products onsite we don’t own and all come from the marketplace.

Your Role

As the Head of Onboarding and Support, you will be responsible for the seamless integration of new brand partners onto the Debenhams Marketplace and ensuring they receive full support. You will develop and execute a best-in-class onboarding experience, ensuring that partners are supported, educated, and set up for success from day one. This role will require a blend of strategic thinking, process improvement, and hands-on execution to drive efficiency and excellence. You will develop and implement a streamlined, efficient, and scalable onboarding process for new partners. Leverage AI to streamline and automate processes whilst leading and managing an onboarding team, ensuring they provide exceptional support and guidance. You will collaborate with internal teams, including Trade, Commercial, Operations and Technology to enhance the partner journey and establish key performance metrics and continuously optimise onboarding processes. You will ensure partners receive comprehensive training on marketplace tools, policies and best practices and monitor partner performance during the onboarding phase and post launch to ensure they deliver a great customer experience and proactively address any challenges. You have the opportunity to shape the future growth and success of Debenhams Marketplace.

What value you can bring?

We would like to see proven experience in a senior onboarding and support, marketplace operations role showing strong leadership skills with the ability to build and manage high-performing teams. Whilst bringing excellent communication and relationship management abilities, you will also demonstrate a strategic mindset with a passion for driving operational excellence leveraging AI and automation with the ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. You must have a data-driven approach to decision-making and process improvement. We want to see candidates who have experience in marketplaces, retail, or e-commerce platforms.

What to expect

If we believe you could be a great fit for the role, we’ll invite you for an informal conversation via phone or Microsoft Teams with a member of our Talent Acquisition Manager. If successful, you’ll then meet with the Group Marketplace Director and Marketplace Community Director at Debenhams House to discuss your experience in more detail and explore the value you can bring to the team. Most of our hiring processes consist of two stages. You may also be asked to meet with Senior Leadership and/or present a task/project.

Why Join Us?

Our mission is to create a workplace where everyone is respected, their individual differences are valued, and they can be themselves at work without exception. 2025 is a year for making bold moves, delivering real results, and driving forward with unstoppable momentum. If that excites you, then you belong at Debenhams. Let’s lead the change together.

Benefits Include:

• Highly competitive bonus scheme, company pension, share schemes, private medical cover, and life assurance.
• Access to an on-site gym (Techno Equipment) and free weekly yoga and fitness classes.
• 40% discount across four brands and 20% off at Debenhams.
• A comprehensive wellbeing package to support your health and lifestyle.
• Our office is dog-friendly, so your furry friend can join you at work.
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities with great internal career progression.
• On-site canteen serving breakfast, lunch, snacks, and hot drinks daily.
• Free season ticket loan.