VP of Financial Products & 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 team of tenacious builders, designers, and people igniters, and help transform the industry of personal benefits for good.

THE ROLE

We are looking for a VP of Marketplace to join Espresa's executive team and own the full strategic vision, commercial performance, and operational evolution of the Espresa Marketplace. This is a high-impact, cross-functional leadership role for someone who thinks like a general manager, operates with a merchant's instincts, and thrives at the intersection of partnerships, product, and business development. The Marketplace is one of Espresa's most significant growth opportunities. This leader will be responsible for transforming it from a functional catalog into a curated, dynamic, and commercially successful ecosystem that creates meaningful value for employees, vendor partners, and our clients. This role sits on the executive team and collaborates closely with Product, Engineering, Customer Success, Marketing, Sales, Finance, and senior leadership. What you'll own Marketplace Strategy & Vision * Define and execute a long-term marketplace strategy aligned with Espresa’s overall product and business goals * Develop a clear point of view on assortment, curation, and merchandising that reflects Espresa’s wellness philosophy * Establish the marketplace as a differentiator for Espresa — something prospective clients see as evidence of platform quality and innovation Vendor Partnerships & Ecosystem Development * Source, negotiate, and manage strategic vendor relationships across wellness, retail, services, experiences, and more * Build a partner ecosystem where vendors see Espresa as a high-quality distribution channel that delivers meaningful engagement and revenue * Develop exclusive promotions, preferred partnerships, and long-term commercial agreements that create competitive advantage Financial Performance * Own marketplace revenue, margin, and contribution to overall company financial performance * Establish a clear path to sustainable fintech revenue, targeting approximately 10% gross margin over time * Define, track, and report on key performance metrics; continuously optimize economics across the partner and employee ecosystem Operational Excellence & Scalability * Partner with internal teams to drive automation across vendor onboarding, catalog management, fulfillment, reporting, and reconciliation * Ensure that operational complexity does not scale linearly with marketplace growth * Build processes, systems, and team structures that allow the marketplace to expand efficiently Cross-Functional Leadership * Serve as the internal champion for marketplace priorities, influencing product investment decisions and roadmap * Align stakeholders across Product, Engineering, CS, Marketing, Sales, and Finance around marketplace goals * Build and lead a high-performing marketplace team, including a senior operational hire and existing operational staff What We're Looking For * 8+ years of experience in marketplace, platform, or two-sided business models — ideally including vendor/partner management and P&L ownership * Demonstrated success building and scaling a marketplace or curated product ecosystem * Strong commercial instincts with the ability to structure and negotiate partnership agreements * Deep understanding of marketplace economics, unit economics, and fintech or payment-adjacent revenue models * Excellent cross-functional collaborator who can influence without authority and drive alignment at the executive level * Strong merchandising taste and the ability to make clear curatorial decisions about what belongs in the marketplace and what does not * Comfortable going into operational detail while maintaining strategic perspective * Experience in HR tech, benefits, wellness, or consumer platforms is a plus Espresa is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Espresa’s benefits Espresa offers a comprehensive benefits package that is competitive with Silicon Valley/Bay Area employers, including health, retirement, a Lifestyle Spending Account, generous PTO, and more. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. For US Based Candidates: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Show us you and how our mission and vision shine in you. We welcome wonderful, kind, and bright humans!