Head of Launch, Germany

Join our team as a Head of Launch for the German market and take charge of scaling categories on Whatnot in Germany. This is a high-ownership, high-impact role at the intersection of strategy, general management, and market development. You will define the strategic vision for your categories, lead and develop a cross-functional team, and spearhead the launch of new verticals in Germany — building the communities, supply, and demand that make them thrive.

Define our strategy

• •Map the German e-commerce landscape: dive into market data, speak with sellers and buyers, and study the competitive environment to build a clear-eyed view of priority categories to launch
• •Define a category strategy grounded in the unique dynamics of German consumer culture - including the categories, communities, and seller archetypes most likely to drive breakout growth on Whatnot
• •Build a rolling action plan for addressing key challenges and opportunities, making explicit trade-offs and communicating priorities clearly to your team and leadership
• •Develop a zero-to-one playbook for identifying and validating new category opportunities in Germany, covering market sizing, supply mapping, community identification, and go-to-market approach

Lead and develop your team

• •Directly manage and develop a generalist team of launchers, who balance account management, sales, and marketing, and who are responsible for seller onboarding and growth, influencer activation, and community events in Germany
• •Set a high bar for team performance: establish clear goals and KPIs, run structured 1:1s and team rituals, deliver candid feedback, and hold your team accountable to outcomes
• •Invest in the growth and careers of your team members — identify development opportunities, stretch assignments, and coaching moments that help them grow into senior contributors
• •Define your team’s hiring needs as the German business scales; actively participate in recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding top talent
• •Build a culture of ownership, curiosity, and close seller relationships within your team, where everyone is expected to understand the product and the communities they serve

Launch new categories in Germany

• •Lead the end-to-end launch of new verticals in Germany: from initial hypothesis and market validation through seller acquisition, community activation, and growth ramp
• •Identify the right categories to prioritise based on German consumer demand, existing supply ecosystems, community enthusiasm, and Whatnot’s platform strengths
• •Build and refine repeatable launch playbooks that can be applied across multiple category launches and eventually scaled to other European markets
• •Work cross-functionally with product, marketing, operations, and engineering to unlock the platform features and support needed to make new categories succeed
• •Define clear success metrics for each new vertical, run structured experiments to learn fast, and make data-driven decisions about where to double down or change course

Drive outsized growth

• •Identify category unlocks and work cross-functionally with product, marketing, operations, and engineering to bring to life initiatives that step-change growth
• •Work alongside executives to propose and run experiments that surface the insight needed to adapt to evolving category dynamics
• •Act as the primary internal voice of the German market — bringing local context, cultural nuance, and on-the-ground seller insight into product and business decisions

Be the voice of your categories

• •Build deep relationships with top sellers and buyers in Germany, seeking to understand their needs and ensuring our product and operations keep pace with their expectations
• •Represent Whatnot at German industry events, trade shows, and seller communities to build brand credibility and surface new category opportunities
• •Carry our culture by guiding your team to deeply understand the core components of the business and product so they can pitch sellers compellingly and grow the community

We offer flexibility to work from home or from one of our global office hubs, and we value in-person time for planning, problem-solving, and connection. Team members in this role must live within commuting distance of either our Berlin, Germany or London, UK hubs.

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