ABOUT LOUNGE: THE HOME OF UNBEATABLE DEALS
At Lounge by Zalando, our mission is direct and powerful: to be the undisputed home of unbeatable deals in European fashion and lifestyle. We provide our members with daily, insider access to limited-time offers on the world's most coveted brands. This isn't just discounting; it's a curated, high-pace treasure hunt for Europe's smartest shoppers, delivering the thrill of finding something amazing at a price you won't see anywhere else.
THE OPPORTUNITY: MASTER THE HIGH-STAKES DECISION
Our entire business is built on the promise of an unmissable deal. But a deal is only truly unmissable if a customer loves what they buy. In the fast-paced environment of fleeting offers, the moment of decision is everything. How do we give customers absolute confidence to seize the right opportunity, instantly? How do we ensure the thrill of the hunt ends in the joy of keeping, not the disappointment of a return? This is the foundational challenge you will own.
This is not a typical product management role. As a Senior Principal PM at Lounge, you will operate as an individual contributor with the scope and influence equivalent to a Head of Product. You will be a key player in our product leadership, entrusted with our most ambiguous and strategically critical initiatives. You will not only ship products; you will shape our product culture and uplevel the craft of our entire product team through your example.
You will join the 'Decide' squad, the cross-functional team at the heart of our customer experience.
Your mandate will be twofold:
Own the Core Decision Journey: Lead the vision and execution for how customers find, evaluate, and gain conviction in products pre-purchase.
Drive Strategic Zero-to-One Initiatives: Spearhead company-defining projects, such as architecting our long-term strategy to reduce return rates and leading the introduction of our AI Shopping Assistant.
You will be a sparring partner for the C-suite, a mentor to your peers, and the driving force behind a product experience that builds deep, lasting trust with our customers.
INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN
At Zalando, our vision is to be inclusive by design. And this vision starts with our hiring - we do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation, personal expression, ethnicity, religious belief, or disability status. You are welcome to leave out your picture, age, or marital status from your application. We only assess candidates on their qualifications and merit.
We want to provide you with a great candidate experience. Feel free to inform us of any accommodations you may need, so we can best support you throughout the hiring process.
do.BETTER - our diversity & inclusion strategy: https://corporate.zalando.com/en/our-impact/dobetter-our-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy
Our employee resource groups: https://corporate.zalando.com/en/our-impact/our-employee-resource-groups
WHAT WE'D LOVE YOU TO DO (AND LOVE DOING)
Own the Vision & Strategy: Develop the multi-year product vision and strategy for the customer decision journey. Deconstruct that vision into a clear, prioritized roadmap that your team and stakeholders can rally behind.
Lead without Authority: Lead a high-performing, cross-functional squad of engineers, designers, researchers, and data scientists. You will foster a culture of discovery, rapid iteration, and executional excellence.
Solve the Hardest Problems: Dive deep into our most complex challenges. You'll lead a company-wide workstream to fundamentally reduce our product return rate and spearhead our foray into generative AI to create a truly personal shopping assistant.
Master the Business: Go beyond user metrics. Develop a profound understanding of the business levers your product influences, from customer acquisition cost and lifetime value to the P&L impact of returns.
Uplevel the Organization: Act as a beacon of product craft. Through your work, your written documents, and your mentorship, you will set a new standard for product management at Lounge. You will make everyone around you better.
Communicate with Clarity: Author strategy documents, business cases, and product specifications that are models of clear, persuasive thinking. You'll be comfortable and effective presenting your vision to our executive team and board.
WE'D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF....
We are looking for a candidate who has a proven track record of shipping exceptional products and driving business outcomes in a fast-growing environment.
Experience: 10+ years of product management experience, with a significant portion spent on top-tier, consumer-facing products. Experience in e-commerce, marketplaces, or AI/ML-driven products is a strong plus.
Strategic Acumen: You don't just build from a roadmap; you create it. You have a demonstrated ability to develop a compelling product vision and strategy from ambiguous starting points and align the company around it.
Business Impact: You think like a business owner. You can draw a straight line from a product decision to its impact on revenue, margin, or market share.
Customer Obsession: You have a deep, almost instinctual empathy for the user. You have a rich toolkit of research and discovery techniques and a history of translating deep customer insights into successful products.
Exceptional Influence: You are a master of stakeholder management and persuasion. You build consensus and drive alignment across functions (Engineering, Marketing, Operations, Finance) and levels, from individual engineers to the CEO.
A "Spike" in Craft: While you are a strong generalist, you have an acknowledged area of deep expertise or "spike," whether in data analysis, user research, technical architecture, or user experience design.
AI-Powered Craft: You don't just see AI as a feature to be built; you see it as a tool to be wielded. You actively and proficiently use AI tools in your day-to-day workflow to augment your thinking, accelerate your execution, and elevate your product craft.
Pragmatism & Resilience: You have the scars to prove you've weathered shifting priorities, technical debt, and failed experiments. You know how to make the right trade-offs and navigate the messy reality of building great things.
OUR OFFER
Zalando provides a range of benefits, here’s an overview of what you can expect. Ask your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about what we offer.
Employee shares program
40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Zalando Lounge, discounts from external partners
2 paid volunteering days a year
Hybrid working model with 60% remote per week, actual practice is up to each team to best support their collaboration
Work from abroad for up to 30 working days a year
27 days of vacation a year to start
Relocation assistance available (subject to prior agreement)
Family services, including counseling and support
Health and wellbeing options (including Gympass)
Mental health support and coaching available
Learn all about Zalando and our values here: https://jobs.zalando.com/en/?gh_src=22377bdd1us
Why Lounge?
Impact: The problems you will work on are not incremental. They are foundational to our business and visible at the highest levels of the company.
Autonomy: We are hiring you for your judgment. You will be given the trust and autonomy to do the best work of your career.
Culture: We are building a culture of radical candor, deep curiosity, and relentless focus on the customer. You will be a key architect of that culture.
Growth: This role is a stepping stone to the most senior product leadership positions in the industry. We are invested in your long-term success.
