R&D Operations Manager

R&D Operations Manager — Own new product strategy and execution across Amazon brands

Full-time, Permanent. Reports to the Head of R&D. Markets:
Germany, EU, UK, USA.

The R&D Operations Manager sits at the intersection of strategy and execution for new product development across our Amazon brands. The role owns product and niche analysis, drives new product launches, manages cross-functional handovers, and is increasingly responsible for building scalable processes and leading AI-driven automation within the R&D team.

• Analyze consumer data, market conditions, consumer demand (keyword research), and competitor strategies to spot product and niche opportunities for innovation
• Scrutinize customer feedback and reviews to propose improvements to existing products
• Conduct in-depth product research and evaluate potential offerings for market fit and profitability
• Track and analyze market trends to stay ahead of the competition

• Set and analyze various sales price scenarios (deal, cancellation, no-deal) to forecast potential sales and profit based on expected market share
• Leverage data-driven insights from reports and third-party tools to refine processes and achieve more detailed and realistic results – focused on metrics such as conversion rate, Sponsored Sales, Organic Sales, and Advertising Cost
• Determine initial order quantities, sales prices, and appropriate customs tariff numbers

• Generate innovative product concepts that align with our brands
• Proactively review supplier catalogues to scout low-hanging fruit opportunities

• Monitor and report on the first batch of customer feedback and reviews after new products are launched
• Own the initial launch plan (first 6 months) per product, including sales & profit forecast, PPC spend budget, conversion rate targets, sales price strategy, and sales quantity planning
• Monitor actual performance weekly against the plan to understand the impact of launch strategies and inform future planning effectiveness

• Maintain accurate records of R&D-related files, research outputs, and process documentation
• Own and manage the R&D calendar—keeping pipeline, launch dates, and cross-team milestones visible
• Hold everyone accountable to their committed timelines and action items; own re-prioritization and reporting of on-track/off‑track status

• Brainstorm with the Marketing team to gather insights before placing orders, and hand over a comprehensive product guide with all essential information to support creative and marketing efforts
• Lead recurring cross-functional meetings between Sourcing, Marketing, Planning, and Customer Experience to keep new product work streams aligned
• Build and own a bi-weekly R&D x Launch team debrief meeting

• Act as the R&D point of contact for Amazon performance metrics, specifically return rates and conversion rates
• Surface insights from these metrics back into product decisions and the R&D pipeline

• Build and document scalable process steps for the R&D team
• Lead AI projects within R&D to automate the current workflow—identifying repetitive tasks, prototyping AI-supported solutions, and rolling them out across the team

• Own the R&D calendar end-to-end with no missed handovers
• Launch at least one product with a fully executed 6-month launch plan (forecast, PPC, conversion, price, quantity)
• Establish a recurring cadence of cross-team meetings (Sourcing, Marketing, CX) that the team relies on
• Identify and ship at least one AI-driven automation that removes a repetitive task from the R&D workflow
• Serve as the go-to person for return-rate and conversion-rate insights across the markets we serve

We’re hiring for potential as much as for a resume line. Direct R&D Ops experience is not required if you can demonstrate the ability to learn the role and push through the gap.

• Smart – strong analytical and structured‑thinking ability; learns fast
• Highly driven – self‑starter, takes ownership without being asked, perseveres through ambiguity
• Understands the Amazon ecosystem – general understanding of the Amazon ecosystem (Seller/Vendor side, listings, PPC, reviews, returns)
• Comfortable with research & analytics tools – Amazon-related research and analytics tools (e.g., Helium 10, Jungle Scout, Data Dive, Keepa, or equivalents)
• Strong written and spoken English; comfortable presenting to cross-functional teams
• Comfortable working across Germany, EU, UK, and US market data

• Direct R&D / Product / Brand Ops experience on Amazon
• Experience setting up or running AI / automation workflows (no-code tools, prompt-based automation, GPT-based workflows, etc.)
• Experience with launch planning and PPC forecasting
• Familiarity with customs/tariff classifications