5 Critical Roles for the most Successful Ecommerce Team

Now more than ever, it’s absolutely critical that brands have the right task force for ecommerce success. Leading a successful brand requires a team with vast industry expertise, strategic foresight, and mature cross-functional capabilities.

But where do brands start as they wade into the ecommerce waters? Brands must have the right foundation in place to build a team that thrives in ecommerce. Before going deeper into the hiring process, you should first explore the roles that make up a successful ecommerce team.

These job descriptions below will guide you through the roles of a successful ecommerce team and provide fundamental understanding of each role’s distinct responsibilities and essential skills. 

Job Description #1: Director of Ecommerce

The director of ecommerce will be at the head of your team, guiding strategy, and setting and executing ambitious ecommerce goals. It’s imperative to hire someone who’s experienced, forward-thinking, and analytical to lead your brand to actualising these goals. (Explore a more detailed view of the role and responsibilities of a director of ecommerce.)

Director of ecommerce critical skills and job duties:

• Mobilises all aspects of strategic ecommerce plans;
• Combines existing experience and knowledge in sales, marketing, technology, and management to create a superior brand and shopping experience for customers;
• Manages the overall user experience, site navigation, content development, checkout funnel, and promotional campaigns;
• Utilises vast knowledge of ecommerce technologies and tactics, especially in product experience management (PXM), product information management (PIM), digital asset management (DAM), mobile device management (MDM) software, as well as advanced analytics; and
• Professional experience in the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) digital retail market is a plus

Job Description #2: Ecommerce Operations Manager

An ecommerce operations manager will keep your team honest on deliverables. Working as a project manager, your ecommerce operations manager will keep processes running efficiently and track each moving piece in your ecommerce taskforce. This role is critical for the syndication process, as they should ensure that product information is accurately and swiftly shared with retail partners.

Finding an individual with excellent organisational, time management, and communication skills is essential — especially as the importance of timely product page updates will only continue to expand. 

Ecommerce operations manager critical skills and job duties:

• Proven ability to work in a fast-paced and constantly evolving environment;
• Adapts and prioritises with agility, using practical multitasking skills;
• Manages key stakeholders throughout the entire lifecycle of of a project;
• Utilises excellent communication and presentation skills;
• Creates detailed reports outlining the healthy of each ongoing projects; and
• Certified project management professional (PMP) or other relevant certifications a plus

Job Description #3: Digital Marketing Manager, Graphic Designer, Copywriter

While one individual can manage the other critical roles, creating product content, such as images, videos, engaging copy, and other quality content mediums, can benefit from the support of multiple team members. 

The creative marketing side of ecommerce is crucial for creating engaging product experiences, as enhanced content can increase conversion by up to 10 per cent across the majority of categories. 

Content team critical skills and job duties:

• Creates engaging content for all mediums, including web, print, social, digital, and more;
• Ideates, executes, publishes, and delivers reports on integrated digital marketing campaigns;
• Utilises exemplary communication skills to deliver engaging content, highlighting strong attention to detail and exceptional grammar;
• Experience with content creation software, such as a content management system (CMS), the Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects; and
• Knowledge of current ecommerce trends, which guide his or her intuition and experimental multimedia strategies

Job Description #4: Ecommerce Business Analyst

It’s crucial to know the overall success of an ecommerce team rooted in concrete metrics. The ecommerce business analyst will monitor the brand’s objective key results (OKRs), key performance indicators (KPIs), and your standing against your competitors. 

Ecommerce business analyst critical skills and job duties:

• Analyses, synthesises, and presents data in a way that is actionable and insightful for project stakeholders and executives;
• Communicates ecommerce business performance through various metrics, OKRS, and KPIs, such as share of voice, product page performance, brand compliance across retail channels, sales rank, and more; and
• Works cross-functionally to create automation- and process-optimisation tools, leveraging the power of automation to deliver rigorous customer data

Job Description #5: Software Developer, IT Manager

Managing the technical side of your ecommerce team is going to benefit from the support of multiple team members. Ensuring enterprise-class technology, architecture, and security requires flexibility, agility, and experience. 

Tech team critical skills and job duties: 

• Develops site architecture, optimises processes, and supports the brand ecommerce ecosystem;
• Researches, purchases, and implements software;
• Ensures a smooth day-to-day operation of the ecommerce platform, including software integrations and merchant and retailer relationships;
• Defines, recommends, and executes a vision for ecommerce sites aligned with IT strategy;
• Understands the strengths and weaknesses in system architecture, anticipating vulnerabilities, and developing contingency plans; 
• Experience with ecommerce software platforms; and 
• Experience with PIM, DAM, and PXM a plus

As organisations progress through their digital transformation, ecommerce and its inner processes must be at the very core of your strategy. You cannot expect a single Ecommerce Manager to make your strategy work. Departments like content, tech, and analytics all play critical roles in the success of your digital strategy. Legacy roles like IT and Software Development are equally important to your process as any forward thinking ecommerce-focused manager. Installing the right team with a holistic approach to the requirements of a successful ecommerce programme is the first critical step to online success.