R&D Operations Manager — CD Commerce GmbH

About the role

Where strategy meets execution.

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.

The right hire is smart, highly driven, and able to bridge experience gaps through perseverance. Direct R&D Ops experience is a plus, but it isn't required if you can demonstrate the ability to learn the role and push through the gap.

What you'll do

Key responsibilities.

1. Product & Niche Analysis

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

Markets: Germany · EU · UK · USA

2. Market Screening

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 like conversion rate, Sponsored Sales, Organic Sales, and Advertising Cost
Determine initial order quantities, sales prices, and ideally appropriate customs tariff numbers

3. New Product Idea Generation

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

Owns the first 6 months per product

4. New Product Launch

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

5. Documentation & Record Keeping

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

6. Cross-Functional Communication

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 workstreams aligned
Build and own a bi-weekly R&D x Launch team debrief meeting

7. Amazon Performance Ownership

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

8. Process Building & AI Automation

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

First 6 months

What success looks like.

This is how we'll know the role is landing well early on.

✓

Owns the R&D calendar end-to-end with no missed handovers.

✓

Has launched at least one product with a fully executed 6-month launch plan (forecast, PPC, conversion, price, quantity).

✓

Established a recurring cadence of cross-team meetings (Sourcing, Marketing, CX) that the team relies on.

✓

Identified and shipped at least one AI-driven automation that removes a repetitive task from the R&D workflow.

✓

Is the go-to person for return-rate and conversion-rate insights across the markets we serve.

Candidate profile

Hiring priorities & requirements.

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.

01Smart

Strong analytical and structured-thinking ability; learns fast.

02Highly driven

Self-starter, takes ownership without being asked, perseveres through ambiguity.

03Bridges experience gaps

Direct R&D Ops experience is not required if you demonstrate the ability to learn the role and push through the gap.

04Understands the Amazon ecosystem

General understanding of the Amazon ecosystem (Seller/Vendor side, listings, PPC, reviews, returns).

05Comfortable with research & analytics tools

Comfort with Amazon-related research and analytics tools (e.g., Helium 10, Jungle Scout, Data Dive, Keepa, or equivalents).

06Strong communicator

Strong written and spoken English; comfortable presenting to cross-functional teams.

07Comfortable across markets

Comfort working across Germany, EU, UK, and US market data.

Nice to have

Not required, but a real plus.

Direct R&D / Product / Brand Ops experience

Direct R&D, Product, or Brand Ops experience on Amazon.

AI / automation workflow experience

Experience setting up or running AI / automation workflows (no-code tools, prompt-based automation, GPT-based workflows, etc.).

Launch planning & PPC forecasting

Experience with launch planning and PPC forecasting.

Customs / tariff familiarity

Familiarity with customs/tariff classifications.

R&D Operations Manager — own new product strategy and execution across our Amazon brands.