Head of Marketplaces

Job Description

Forward Role has partnered with a leading homeware brand, which trades through its own website and the major marketplaces. Now it needs a Head of Marketplace to lead the next stage of that growth.

You’ll own the whole marketplace operation: strategy, revenue and profit. Amazon is the biggest piece, alongside a portfolio of established and emerging marketplace partners. You’ll report to the Group Marketing & Growth Director and lead the team and agencies that make the channel run.

This is a senior role with real breadth. Trading, operations, retail media, content, data and people all sit with you. You’ll set the roadmap, turn it into commercial plans and build an operation with the capability and controls to grow profitably.

What You’ll Be Doing

Set the Strategy

• Own the marketplace strategy, with a clear channel, customer, product and investment plan tied to the wider business
• Define the role of each marketplace: proposition, range, pricing, fulfilment model and growth targets
• Assess and prioritise new marketplace opportunities on commercial potential, operational feasibility and fit
• Give the senior leadership team clear insight and recommendations on product, stock, investment and capability

Own the P&L

• Run the marketplace P&L, balancing revenue growth, gross margin, ad efficiency, fulfilment costs, commissions, returns and charges
• Evaluate commercial agreements, commission structures, fulfilment costs and partner terms
• Lead negotiations with marketplace partners where needed

Lead Amazon

• Own the Amazon strategy end to end: commercial planning, range, pricing, content, availability, operations and account health
• Drive profitable growth through range, pricing, promotion, content and retail media decisions

Run the Trading Calendar

• Lead the marketplace trading calendar across product launches, promotions and seasonal campaigns
• Make sure stock plans line up across functions so launches and promotions land on time
• Put strong governance in place across trading, content, stock, advertising, account health and customer experience

Build the Team

• Lead, coach and develop the team, with clear ownership, objectives and performance standards
• Manage agency relationships and build cross-functional ways of working that speed up profitability

What We’re Looking For

Must-Have:

• Significant senior-level experience leading marketplace, ecommerce or digital trading performance in a commercial retail business
• Proven ownership of marketplace strategy, budgets and P&L
• Deep hands-on knowledge of Amazon, including Seller Central, retail media, content, account health and operations
• A strong grasp of marketplace economics: commissions, fulfilment, advertising, returns, deductions and contribution margin
• A track record of delivering profitable growth through range, pricing, promotion, content and media
• Strong analytical skills and the confidence to turn data into clear priorities
• Experience leading people and influencing senior stakeholders across functions

You’ll Stand Out If You:

• Have launched or scaled new marketplaces beyond Amazon
• Have negotiated commission structures and partner terms directly
• Have managed external agencies alongside an in-house team
• Bring sharp commercial judgement paired with real attention to operational detail

What You’ll Get

• 💰 £60k-£70k
• 🏢 Hybrid working: 4 days in the office in Manchester, 1 day from home
• 🌴 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• 🎂 Your birthday off
• 💡 Staff discount
• 📈 Career development in a growing ecommerce business
• 🚀 The chance to shape a department that’s growing quickly