The roleWe are looking for a VP of Marketplace to join Espresa's executive team and own the full strategic vision, commercial performance, and operational evolution of the Espresa Marketplace. This is a high-impact, cross-functional leadership role for someone who thinks like a general manager, operates with a merchant's instincts, and thrives at the intersection of partnerships, product, and business development.
The Marketplace is one of Espresa's most significant growth opportunities. This leader will be responsible for transforming it from a functional catalog into a curated, dynamic, and commercially successful ecosystem that creates meaningful value for employees, vendor partners, and our clients.
This role sits on the executive team and collaborates closely with Product, Engineering, Customer Success, Marketing, Sales, Finance, and senior leadership.
What you'll ownMarketplace Strategy & Vision- Define and execute a long-term marketplace strategy aligned with Espresa's overall product and business goals
- Develop a clear point of view on assortment, curation, and merchandising that reflects Espresa's wellness philosophy
- Establish the marketplace as a differentiator for Espresa - something prospective clients see as evidence of platform quality and innovation
Vendor Partnerships & Ecosystem Development- Source, negotiate, and manage strategic vendor relationships across wellness, retail, services, experiences, and more
- Build a partner ecosystem where vendors see Espresa as a high-quality distribution channel that delivers meaningful engagement and revenue
- Develop exclusive promotions, preferred partnerships, and long-term commercial agreements that create competitive advantage
Financial Performance- Own marketplace revenue, margin, and contribution to overall company financial performance
- Establish a clear path to sustainable fintech revenue, targeting approximately 10% gross margin over time
- Define, track, and report on key performance metrics; continuously optimize economics across the partner and employee ecosystem
Operational Excellence & Scalability- Partner with internal teams to drive automation across vendor onboarding, catalog management, fulfillment, reporting, and reconciliation
- Ensure that operational complexity does not scale linearly with marketplace growth
- Build processes, systems, and team structures that allow the marketplace to expand efficiently
Cross-Functional Leadership- Serve as the internal champion for marketplace priorities, influencing product investment decisions and roadmap
- Align stakeholders across Product, Engineering, CS, Marketing, Sales, and Finance around marketplace goals
- Build and lead a high-performing marketplace team, including a senior operational hire and existing operational staff
What We're Looking For- 8+ years of experience in marketplace, platform, or two-sided business models - ideally including vendor/partner management and P&L ownership
- Demonstrated success building and scaling a marketplace or curated product ecosystem
- Strong commercial instincts with the ability to structure and negotiate partnership agreements
- Deep understanding of marketplace economics, unit economics, and fintech or payment-adjacent revenue models
- Excellent cross-functional collaborator who can influence without authority and drive alignment at the executive level
- Strong merchandising taste and the ability to make clear curatorial decisions about what belongs in the marketplace and what does not
- Comfortable going into operational detail while maintaining strategic perspective
- Experience in HR tech, benefits, wellness, or consumer platforms is a plus
Espresa's benefitsEspresa offers a comprehensive benefits package that is competitive with Silicon Valley/Bay Area employers, including health, retirement, a Lifestyle Spending Account, generous PTO, and more.
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