Product Safety Team Lead (all genders)

Zalando; Berlin; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days holiday (full-time)

40% off Zalando fashion and beauty

Family support and counselling

Company pension scheme

Employee shares programme

Wellbeing support

Training and peer reviews

2 paid volunteering days

Job summary

Zalando seeks a Product Safety Team Lead within the Platform Conformity team to oversee a 1st Line of Defense and guide a compliance group across Wholesale, Partner Program and Lounge. You will drive operational safety governance, mentor a team, and balance strategy with hands-on process improvement in a European regulatory environment.

Reporting to the Head of Platform Conformity, you will align with regulatory standards, manage cross-functional stakeholders, and champion product safety across

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of European regulatory frameworks (GPSR, DSA, product directives).
• Experience leading compliance/operations teams in retail, e-commerce or consumer goods.
• Proven ability to translate regulatory requirements into scalable processes.

Responsibilities

• Translate EU and local regulations into scalable operational processes across Zalando businesses.
• Steer day-to-day team performance against KPIs, ensuring accuracy and SLA adherence.
• Lead internal and external escalations; partner with Commercial, Partner Ops and Corporate Governance.
• Drive process harmonization across platforms; identify gaps and improve efficiency using data.
• Define departmental priorities and prepare the compliance engine for evolving standards.
• Lead, coach and empower a team of compliance specialists; foster learning and accountability.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Project management

Data analysis

English proficiency

Job description

THE ROLE & THE TEAM

As a Product Safety Team Lead within the Platform Conformity team, you will lead, inspire and grow a Compliance 1st Line of Defense team of experts. You will oversee Product Safety compliance operations across Zalando’s different business models (Wholesale, Partner Program, Lounge). In this role, you will lead critical compliance workflows within our Product Safety domain ensuring high operational standards, strong regulatory alignment and efficient execution. You will balance team leadership, process optimization and cross-functional stakeholder management to ensure that products offered to Zalando customers across all markets meet strict European safety standards. Reporting directly to the Head of Platform Conformity, you will support in defining department strategy while autonomously developing and implementing the projects and processes needed to achieve your team's KPIs and optimize resource usage. You will successfully manage a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, championing Zalando’s Product Safety message across the business. While demonstrating deep professional knowledge and experience in product compliance, you will mentor, upskill and empower your team to ensure long-term business continuity, operational excellence and individual career progression.

WHAT WE'D LOVE YOU TO DO (AND LOVE DOING)

• Compliance & Process Scaling: Translate complex EU and local regulatory requirements (such as GPSR, DSA and product-specific directives) into scalable, efficient and pragmatic operational processes across our business models.
• Operational Safety Governance: Steer day-to-day team performance against operational KPIs, maintaining high accuracy, quality standards and SLA adherence across our product safety checks and workflows.
• Stakeholder Management & Escalations: Act as an expert lead for internal and external escalations. Partner closely with Commercial Teams, Partner Business Operations and Corporate Governance to champion product safety.
• Continuous Improvement & Harmonization: Drive process harmonization across platforms. Identify operational gaps, streamline ways of working and leverage data and technology to improve coverage and operational efficiency.
• Future Readiness: Support the Head of Platform Conformity in defining departmental priorities and preparing Zalando’s compliance engine for evolving regulatory standards.
• People Leadership & Talent Development: Lead, coach, and empower a team of compliance specialists. Foster a culture of continuous learning, psychological safety, operational excellence and accountability.

WE'D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF...

• You bring advanced professional knowledge of European legislative requirements and regulatory frameworks applicable to Zalando’s product range.
• You have a minimum of 7 years of relevant work experience in retail, e-commerce or consumer goods.
• You possess excellent leadership skills with a proven track record of leading, mentoring and developing a team of compliance or operational experts.
• You bring strong analytical, strategic planning and problem-solving skills, with a track record in project management and a drive toward proactive risk prevention and continuous process improvement.
• You have exceptional stakeholder management, communication and presentation skills in both written and spoken English, with the ability to influence internal teams and external partners effectively.
• You are comfortable using data-driven insights and modern workflow, data and collaboration softwares to steer performance and automate processes.
• You demonstrate continuous curiosity and agility to expand your regulatory knowledge across new product categories, evolving business models and markets.

OUR OFFER

• 27 days of holiday a year to start for full-time employees (+1 day for every calendar year up to 30 days)
• 40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Lounge by Zalando, discounts from external partners
• Family support, including counselling and dedicated services for parents and carers
• Company pension scheme
• Employee shares programme
• Health and wellbeing options, including Wellhub Mental health support and coaching
• Development through our training platform and biannual peer-to-peer review
• 2 paid volunteering days a year
• Relocation assistance (subject to prior agreement)

INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN

At Zalando, our vision is to be the leading European technology platform for fashion and lifestyle – one that thrives on diversity and is truly inclusive by design. We believe that diverse teams fuel innovation and creativity, and we actively seek out talent from all backgrounds. We actively seek to reduce bias in our hiring and employment processes, focusing on your qualifications, skills, and contributions. To support this, we kindly ask that you refrain from including personal details such as your photo, age, or marital status in your CV, ensuring a fair and equitable evaluation based solely on your abilities and potential. We are committed to providing an exceptional and accessible candidate experience for everyone. If you require any accommodations to support you throughout the hiring process, please let us know – we are here to assist you. Discover more about our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace: https://jobs.zalando.com/en/our-culture/diversity-and-inclusion

It’s the perfect time to join Zalando on our journey, from being a pioneer in the world of e-commerce, to the Starting Point for Fashion in Europe. We connect customers, brands, and partners across 25 markets. Help us drive digital and sustainable solutions for fashion, logistics, advertising and research, bringing head-to-toe fashion to 50 million active customers through a team of diverse skill-sets, cultural backgrounds, and interests. Our values do.More - our sustainability strategy Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/insidezalando