Senior Strategy & Operations Manager (Shipping) in London

Depop is entering its next phase of growth, with a clear ambition to scale buyer demand, increase purchase frequency, and strengthen our competitive position, particularly in the US. Shipping is a critical lever in achieving this, directly shaping buyer conversion, affordability perception, seller success, and long-term marketplace economics. As Depop grows, shipping has evolved from a supporting operational function into a driver of growth and unit economics. The scope now spans pricing and affordability, commercial strategy, product experience, and long-term logistics design, with strong focus from Depop and Etsy leadership.

We are hiring a Senior Strategy & Operations Manager (Shipping) to play a central role in shaping how Depop scales its marketplace economics over the next phase of growth. This role exists to provide senior, end-to-end ownership of shipping strategy execution, ensuring we can deliver a coherent, multi-year shipping roadmap that supports growth while improving affordability and the sustainability of our cost base. This is a senior individual contributor role with full ownership of shipping execution across strategy and operations. You will not manage a team, but you will operate with significant autonomy and influence, acting as the single-threaded owner across Product, Engineering, Analytics, Finance, Commercial, Marketing, Operations, and external partners.

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Ownership of Shipping Execution: Own outcomes across Depop's shipping roadmap, with direct impact on growth, affordability, and marketplace economics.
• Define priorities, sequencing, dependencies, and success metrics across a portfolio of shipping initiatives.
• Drive alignment across teams with competing priorities, making trade-offs explicit to maximise impact and execution velocity.
• Affordability as a Growth Lever: Lead initiatives aimed at improving buyer-facing shipping prices and affordability perception to support conversion and repeat purchase.
• Design, execute, and evaluate experiments across subsidies, seller incentives, and promotional approaches.
• Partner with Analytics and Finance to measure impact and guide ongoing investment decisions.
• Cost and Commercial Strategy Execution: Lead cross-functional efforts to reduce shipping costs while increasing flexibility to support growth over time.
• Shape carrier and logistics partner strategies across multiple shipping models.
• Own execution of shipping-related commercial initiatives in close partnership with Finance, Legal, and Etsy stakeholders.
• Long-Term Shipping Strategy: Lead the definition of Depop's long-term shipping operating model to support scale, growth, and competitive differentiation.
• Advance future-facing initiatives such as multi-carrier design, alternative pickup and drop-off models, label architecture, subscriptions, and loyalty concepts.
• Ensure near-term decisions remain aligned with long-term growth objectives and platform strategy.
• Cross-Functional Leadership and Operating Rhythm: Act as the central owner connecting Product, Engineering, Analytics, Finance, Commercial, Marketing, and Operations around a coherent shipping roadmap.
• Establish effective operating rhythms and decision forums, and deliver clear, data-backed recommendations to senior and executive stakeholders.
• Surface risks, dependencies, and trade-offs early, and influence roadmap sequencing and investment decisions through insight and judgment.

Required skills & experience

• Extensive experience in strategy, operations, consulting, product operations, or related roles within technology-led, marketplace, or platform businesses.
• Demonstrated experience owning complex, cross-functional initiatives tied to growth, economics, or user experience.
• Strong strategic and analytical problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn ambiguous challenges into clear hypotheses, metrics, and action plans.
• Comfort building and using financial and operational models to inform prioritisation and investment decisions.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and align teams without direct authority.
• Experience working closely with Product, Engineering, Analytics, and Finance teams in a product-led environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, particularly in executive-facing contexts.

Desired skills & experience

• Experience in shipping, logistics, fulfilment, or last-mile delivery within an e-commerce or marketplace context.
• Exposure to pricing, affordability, cost optimisation, or commercial strategy initiatives.
• Experience partnering with external vendors, carriers, or platform partners.
• Experience operating in a global or multi-market environment.

Who will thrive in this role

This role is well suited to someone who is motivated by growth-oriented problems and enjoys operating at the intersection of strategy and execution. You are comfortable navigating ambiguity, making trade-offs with incomplete information, and driving clarity across complex, cross-functional environments. You are energised by building systems and operating models that scale and by seeing your work directly enable the next phase of company growth.

Additional information

• Health + Mental Wellbeing: PMI and cash plan healthcare access with Bupa; Subsidised counselling and coaching with Self Space; Cycle to Work scheme with options from Evans or the Green Commute Initiative; Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for 24/7 confidential support; Mental Health First Aiders across the business for support and signposting.
• Work/Life Balance: 25 days annual leave with option to carry over up to 5 days; 1 company-wide day off per quarter; Impact hours: Up to 2 days additional paid leave per year for volunteering; Fully paid 4 week sabbatical after completion of 5 years of consecutive service with Depop.
• Flexible Working: MyMode hybrid-working model with Flex, Office Based, and Remote options; All offices are dog-friendly; Ability to work abroad for 4 weeks per year in UK tax treaty countries.
• Family Life: 18 weeks of paid parental leave for full-time regular employees; IVF leave, shared parental leave, and paid emergency parent/carer leave.
• Learn + Grow: Budgets for conferences, learning subscriptions, and more; Mentorship and programmes to upskill employees.
• Your Future: Life Insurance (3x salary); Pension matching up to 6% of qualifying earnings; Depop Extras: free shipping on Depop sales within the UK; Special milestones are celebrated with gifts and rewards!