VP of Marketplace Operations

Career Guide
Leads the strategy and day-to-day operations of a two‑sided marketplace, balancing supply and demand, setting service levels, and driving growth and efficiency. Oversees onboarding, support, trust & safety, and operational KPIs in partnership with product, data, marketing, and finance.

Key Responsibilities

  • Own supply–demand balance, pricing levers, and service levels
  • Define and execute marketplace operations strategy and roadmaps
  • Set KPIs; build dashboards for liquidity, fulfillment, and quality
  • Lead onboarding, seller/partner operations, and customer support
  • Partner with Product on experimentation, policies, and process design
  • Forecast volume and capacity; manage budgets and P&L impact
  • Oversee Trust & Safety operations and risk mitigation

Career Progression

Can Lead To
SVP of Operations
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
General Manager (Marketplace/Business Unit)
Transition Opportunities
Head of Product (Marketplace/Platform Operations)
Head of Trust & Safety
Head of Growth (Marketplace)

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills
Two-sided marketplace economics and liquidity managementHands-on SQL/BI analytics for ops decision-makingPricing/incentive design and experimentationP&L ownership and financial forecasting
Development SuggestionsComplete a marketplace strategy course and an intermediate SQL/BI course; run a pilot (or simulated) project to balance supply/demand, build dashboards, and present KPI impact.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range
Entry LevelNo data available
Mid LevelNo data available
Senior Level$210,000–$280,000
Growth Trend
stable - Executive roles are limited; demand follows tech and ecommerce cycles

Companies Hiring

Major Employers
UberDoorDasheBay
Industry Sectors
TechnologyE-commerce & MarketplacesTransportation & Logistics

Recommended Next Steps

1
Take a marketplace strategy program (e.g., Reforge or equivalent) and draft a 90‑day plan to improve liquidity, SLAs, and unit economics.
2
Build a portfolio: analyze a public marketplace dataset using SQL + a BI tool (e.g., Tableau/Looker) and model pricing/incentive experiments.
3
Network with marketplace ops leaders (LinkedIn, Marketplace Risk events); seek a project advising a seed-stage marketplace to own key ops metrics.