VP of Marketplace

Espresa is the only personal benefits platform that delivers a global and all-in-one experience for HR, people teams, and employees. With a core focus on Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs) and a complimentary, modular suite of solutions focused on total wellbeing, recognition, and community, Espresa powers great places to work, while making heroes out of HR teams. 

Join our growing organization of tenacious builders, designers, people igniters, and help transform the industry of employee experience for good. 

We’re relaunching our LSA Marketplace - the part of our platform where employees can spend their LSA dollars directly on pre-approved purchases, without claim forms or waiting to be reimbursed for money they've already spent. It's a fundamentally better experience for employees and the admins who support them, and it's the core piece of Espresa's fintech strategy.

We're looking for a VP of Marketplace to own that business end to end. This is a high impact, high visibility role reporting directly to one of our co-founders. You will own the P&L, set the strategic direction for the marketplace and our emerging debit card capability, and lead the team that brings it all to life. This is a rare opportunity to run a marketplace and fintech business inside a fast-growing, pre-IPO company, with the opportunity to build from the ground up.

You will operate as the general manager of the marketplace - a business within the larger business. You bring a sharp commercial mind, the instinct of a product manager, and the operational discipline to turn a complex, multi-sided operation into a profitable, high-performing one. You're equally comfortable negotiating a brand partnership, debating whether a specific brand or product belongs in our catalog, and influencing/aligning senior leaders across the company around a shared plan.

• Own the marketplace P&L, including the strategy and levers that drive margin and sustainable growth.
• Make strategic calls for the business (what we decide to offer and what we don't, across products, services, memberships, gift cards, and other potential categories), and build the case behind each decision.
• Manage operational costs with a focus on efficient, scalable economics.
• Define how the marketplace and debit card options work together to deliver the best EX and the strongest business outcomes.

• Set the vision for what the marketplace offers and why employees will choose to spend their LSA budgets there.
• Bring a product manager's rigor and a curator's taste to our catalog, shaping item selection, presentation, promotions and the overall experience.
• Use data and member insight to continuously refine the mix and improve conversion and engagement.

• Own the strategy and execution for marketplace partnerships, bringing top brands and providers onto the platform.
• Lead commercial negotiations and structure deals that are attractive to members and accretive to the business.
• Solve for fulfillment and operational fit alongside commercial terms, so partnerships work end to end.

• Own our nascent debit card program, a strategic area with real upside and no executive owner today.
• Define the most efficient way for members to fund and complete purchases across the marketplace and card, so spending their LSA dollars is simple, immediate, and pre-approved.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Customer Success and Finance to make the end-to-end spend experience seamless, intuitive and reliable for employees.

• Lead a small but mighty existing marketplace team, raising performance through better systems, process, and coaching.
• Level up the operational backbone (partner sales, vendor onboarding, product listings, fulfillment, and support) that lets the team operate at a higher level.
• Partner closely with Sales, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, and Finance to ensure the marketplace advances Espresa's broader fintech strategy.
• Build consensus and influence across senior leadership in a role where success depends on bringing others along.

• Experience building marketplace partnerships globally to provide best-in-class marketplaces in major countries worldwide.
• Senior leadership experience at a marketplace or e-commerce company, with a track record of owning strategic outcomes.
• Direct experience running or managing a marketplace; prior product management experience strongly preferred.
• Strong commercial acumen - P&L ownership, margin strategy, and deal negotiation.
• A product mindset paired with genuine taste for what makes a great customer experience.
• Proven ability to lead teams and improve performance through systems and coaching, not just headcount.
• Exceptional cross-functional influence, with a history of building consensus among senior stakeholders.
• Strategic judgment and the confidence to make consequential decisions and own the results.

• Experience with debit card programs or consumer fintech.
• Venture-backed start-up or scale-up company experience.
• Background in HR technology, benefits, or related industries.

The LSA marketplace is central to how Espresa delivers value to employees, and the fintech business is a crucial commercial opportunity for the company over the next 2-3 years. This is a chance to own a highly visible initiative from the ground up - with founder sponsorship, real scope and the opportunity to build something that defines the next chapter of the company.