Leiter Marketplace / Head of Marketplace (m/w/d)

The Platform Group AG

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Marketplace Solutions is part of The Platform Group, a publicly listed corporate group with companies from various industries and a broad product spectrum – from fashion and lifestyle to specialized areas such as crafts and gardening. What has grown successfully within the group is now being consistently further developed. For years, we have built a profitable and scalable marketplace business within the Platform Group. We connect retailers and assortments with our own and numerous external marketplaces and manage the interplay of platforms, technology, data, and operational processes. The next stage of development is now at hand. You will take overall responsibility for the further development of our marketplace business – strategically and operationally. This is not about managing individual marketplaces, but about holistically managing and scalably developing the interplay of platforms, retailers, assortments, data, technology, and processes.

Requirements

At least 5 years of in-depth professional experience in strategic and operational marketplace management, with a proven track record of successfully scaling existing platform setups.
Strategic thinking combined with a strong understanding of the operational and technical aspects of a modern marketplace business.
Platform expertise: Experience in the operational and strategic management of online marketplaces. Understanding of the different requirements of marketplaces such as Amazon, OTTO, Kaufland, Zalando, ABOUT YOU, Mirakl-based platforms, etc.
Marketplace Performance: Understanding of key performance drivers: BuyBox optimization, ranking factors, account health management, and performance marketing on platforms.
Marketplace Technology & Integrations: Understanding of the technical interrelationships between PIM, ERP, middleware, marketplaces, order management, and retailer processes. Ideally, experience with solutions like Tradebyte, ChannelPilot, Mirakl, or comparable systems. Ability to understand technical contexts, formulate requirements clearly, and develop robust solutions with IT and external partners.
Commercial KPIs & Profitability: Data-driven management of the marketplace business, proficiency with relevant KPIs such as GMV, revenue, margin, take-rate, CPO, marketplace costs, return rate, and profitability. Ability to evaluate economic potential, create business cases, and derive measures for sustainable profitability improvement.
Processes & Automation: Knowledge of how to identify and automate manual hurdles in daily marketplace operations.
Retailer & Partner Management: Ability to build and develop strategic relationships with retailers, marketplaces, and technology partners. Experience in conducting negotiations, evaluating conditions, and developing joint business cases and partnerships with clear economic added value.
Strategy & Growth: Ability to identify new growth areas and further develop the marketplace roadmap – from new platforms and assortments to international markets and cross-border business models. Ability to evaluate new business opportunities regarding potential, profitability, effort, and strategic fit.
Cross-functional Leadership: Ability to work at interfaces and bring together different stakeholders. Collaboration with IT, Product, Operations, Finance, Legal, Sales, as well as marketplaces, technology providers, and retailers.

Responsibilities

Take over the technical and disciplinary leadership of our existing marketplace team and drive the strategic expansion of our established platform activities.
Refine our proven marketplace strategy and be responsible for the roadmap for further growth (new channels, international markets, assortment expansion).
Identify operational bottlenecks in the live operation of our high-frequency business and solve them through smart processes.
Closely lead, technically coach, and elevate your 10-person team to the next level, creating clear structures for further growth.
Further automate and optimize existing processes in the areas of retailer onboarding, order routing, and PIM data quality.
Strategically manage top partners, conduct negotiations, and develop joint business plans.
Set the pace for commission models, margin optimization (pricing), and partner contracts, and make complex marketplace dynamics transparent and manageable at executive and C-level.
Operative responsibility including strategy, smooth processes, partner integration, and platform stability.