Head of Launch

Who you are

• People who do well at Whatnot tend to be comfortable figuring things out as they go, biased toward action, and genuinely curious about what they're building. They care more about outcomes than credit and stay close to the product and the people using it
• As our first Head of Launch in the UK, you should have 10+ years of experience working in a fast-paced, client-facing role in high-output environments, such as: Strategy Consulting, Venture Capital, Private Equity, or partnerships at a fast-paced tech company, plus:
• Passion for our mission: You live and breathe the needs of our communities and work relentlessly to improve their experiences on Whatnot
• Proven team leader: You have a track record of building and leading high-performing teams - setting vision, developing talent, managing performance, and scaling team structures. You know how to get the best out of people and create an environment where they grow
• Zero-to-one builder: You have launched new products, categories, or markets from scratch. You know how to move from ambiguity to a clear plan, and from a clear plan to traction. You are energised by the challenge of building something that doesn’t exist yet
• Deep UK market expertise: You are fluent in English, and you have a genuine, nuanced understanding of UK consumer culture, e-commerce dynamics, and the communities and platforms that shape purchasing behaviour in the UK
• Player-coach: You operate at both altitude and ground level - you can shape strategy in a senior meeting and then roll up your sleeves to get into the weeds and unblock your team
• Scrappy and resourceful: No job is too small. You find a way to make things happen even when resources are constrained
• Deeply analytical: You are comfortable working with data to generate insight, define success metrics, and drive decisions - you use data to prioritise, not just to report
• Experience with two-sided platforms and marketplace dynamics
• Passion for creator communities and live e-commerce
• Experience scaling a category or market across multiple European countries
• Existing network within the UK collector, fashion, or enthusiast communities

What the job involves

• Join our team as Head of Launch for the UK market and take charge of scaling categories on Whatnot UK
• 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 the UK - building the communities, supply, and demand that make them thrive
• Map the UK 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 UK 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 the UK, covering market sizing, supply mapping, community identification, and go-to-market approach
• 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 the UK
• 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 UK 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
• Lead the end-to-end launch of new verticals in the UK: from initial hypothesis and market validation through seller acquisition, community activation, and growth ramp
• Identify the right categories to prioritise based on UK 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
• 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 UK market - bringing local context, cultural nuance, and on-the-ground seller insight into product and business decisions
• Build deep relationships with top sellers and buyers in the UK, seeking to understand their needs and ensuring our product and operations keep pace with their expectations
• Represent Whatnot at 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

Benefits

• Wellness: Health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans. We also cover some of the cost for your dependents as well.
• Compensation: Generous compensation, including a competitive base salary and equity. Whatnot offers monthly reimbursement for internet and phone costs, along with a one-time home office set-up allowance. Whatnot offers a pension plan and matches employee contributions of up to 4% of the employee’s base salary.
• Recharge: Whatnot gives you the freedom to take time off as you see fit. And, we take company-wide Winter and Summer breaks so we can recharge. Whatnot provides a monthly allowance for wellness expenses. We know that to take care of our customers, we have to take care of ourselves. Supplemental health and life insurance coverage comes standard at Whatnot. 16 weeks of paid parental leave, and an additional one-month gradual return-to-work period.* Plus an additional childcare allowance, and a lifetime allowance for family planning, including adoption and fertility expenses. *The leave allowances provided by Whatnot may be dictated / informed by your country’s legal requirements,
• Flexibility: As a remote co-located team, we’re inspired by innovation and anchored in our values. With hubs in the US, UK, Germany, Ireland, and Poland, we’re building the future of online marketplaces –together.