THE ROLE AND TEAM
This is a unique leadership opportunity at the heart of Zalando’s Retail business, where technology, data, and operations converge. As Head of Product (all genders), you'll lead a high-impact, cross-functional department spanning Engineering, Product, Business Intelligence, and Project Management. Your mission: to drive the strategic transformation of our retail capabilities, delivering scalable solutions and shaping the future of our organizational structure. This role sits at the intersection of strategy execution, technical enablement, and cross-Zalando collaboration — ideal for a leader who thrives in complexity and drives clarity through action.
INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN
At Zalando, our vision is to be the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce - one that is inclusive by design. We only assess candidates based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We welcome applications from people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, personal expressions, racial identities, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and disability statuses. We only want to know why you’re great for this role, so please avoid including your picture, age, and marital status in your CV as well.
We want to provide you with a great candidate experience. Please feel free to inform us of any accommodations you may need, so we can best support and assist you throughout the hiring process.
do.BETTER - our diversity & inclusion strategy: https://jobs.zalando.com/en/our-culture/diversity-and-inclusion
WHAT WE’D LOVE YOU TO DO (AND LOVE DOING)
Lead a cross-functional department
Guide a multi-disciplinary team across Product, Engineering, BI, Project Management, and IT. Build a culture of shared ownership, clarity, and delivery across domains — aligned to our Retail strategy.Translate Retail strategy into action
Turn high-level business goals into operational plans, system evolutions, and data-driven capabilities — from integrating Zalando-wide platforms to stabilizing our new POS rollout across all stores.Drive delivery at scale
Strengthen our delivery framework and execution pace. Ensure flagship initiatives run with transparency, clear ownership, and strong stakeholder alignment — balancing agility with structure.Shape and scale the organization
Actively evolve team structures, roles, and career paths to match future needs. This includes defining and developing senior and principal-level capabilities within your domain.Act as the strategic link between Retail and Zalando Group
Represent our business unit in key forums. Build deep alignment with central teams like SAP, Infrastructure, and Logistics to ensure our systems and operations are fully integrated.Collaborate across the Zalando ecosystem
Partner with teams across the company — from Logistics to Customer Platform — to co-develop scalable solutions that unlock shared capabilities and future-proof our Retail operations.Balance short-term needs with long-term vision
Help your teams manage urgent operational priorities without losing sight of building sustainable, high-impact systems and processes.Solve complex, cross-functional challenges
Act as a sparring partner on ambiguous or high-stakes problems, bringing structure, strategic framing, and influence across a matrixed organization.Foster growth, clarity, and cohesion
Empower individuals with clear scopes and growth paths. Nurture an inclusive, collaborative, and impact-driven team culture where people thrive.
WE’D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF
You bring broad leadership experience across multiple domains — such as Product, Engineering, Project Management, BI, or IT — ideally in retail or tech-driven environments.
You’ve successfully led cross-functional teams and delivered complex, high-impact initiatives involving diverse stakeholder groups and integrated system landscapes.
You combine strategic thinking with operational discipline — translating business goals into actionable plans and aligning teams behind clear priorities.
You understand what it takes to scale infrastructure and operations in dynamic, fast-paced organizations — and you thrive in environments where clarity must be created, not just maintained.
You’ve built robust delivery and project structures that balance team autonomy with alignment and coordination across business units.
You're energized by the challenge of connecting local execution to platform strategy, and you navigate large, matrixed organizations with influence and empathy.
You’re fluent in English (German is a plus, but not required).
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 Lounge by Zalando, discounts from external partners
2 paid volunteering days a year
Hybrid working model with up to 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 for full-time employees
Relocation assistance available (subject to prior agreement)
Family services, including counseling and support
Health and wellbeing options (including Wellhub)
Mental health support and coaching available
Drive your development through our training platform and biannual peer-to-peer review
