eCommerce Archives | Vertical Advantage

A look at how compensation expectations are shifting in the Amazon hiring market

Over the past few years, I’ve had countless conversations with hiring managers, founders and Amazon professionals about one recurring theme: salary expectations versus commercial accountability. It’s a topic that sparks genuine debate, and I think it deserves a balanced, honest exploration.

The Salary Surge: What Happened Between 2020 and 2023

Between 2020 and 2023, Amazon became mission-critical for brands across the board. Whether you were running a D2C business, leading an aggregator portfolio, or managing an Amazon-first brand, the platform moved from “nice to have” to “essential revenue driver” almost overnight.

The result? Demand for Amazon talent surged, competition for experienced hires intensified, and salaries rose sharply, particularly at mid to senior level.

Fast forward to today, and the landscape looks different. With increased margin pressure and more disciplined financial oversight, leadership teams are reassessing return on investment when it comes to senior hires.

The compensation conversation has shifted. It’s no longer simply about platform experience. It’s about measurable commercial impact.

Not All Amazon Experience Equals Full Commercial Ownership

Here’s something I’ve observed repeatedly: many Amazon professionals have genuinely strong channel exposure. They’ve managed PPC campaigns, optimised catalogues, led international expansion projects, and delivered impressive revenue growth.

However, fewer roles have historically included:

Full P&L accountability
Margin ownership and profitability targets
Inventory and supply chain influence
Cross-functional commercial decision-making

This isn’t a criticism of individuals. In most cases, it’s simply a structural limitation of the role itself. Many Amazon positions were designed around channel execution rather than end-to-end commercial leadership.

The challenge arises when salaries move into senior brackets. At that level, expectations around commercial literacy and ownership increase accordingly, and rightly so.

Is This a Skill Gap or an Exposure Gap?

I’ve heard several leaders question whether there’s a skill gap at current salary levels. My honest take? The issue is often more nuanced than that.

The reality may be that professionals are being paid at a senior level before being given true end-to-end ownership. They’ve not had the opportunity to demonstrate margin impact or make the kind of commercial decisions that justify senior compensation, simply because their previous roles didn’t allow for it.

At the same time, brands are becoming more financially disciplined and outcome-driven. They’re asking harder questions about what they’re getting for their investment in senior Amazon hires.

This creates a mismatch that benefits no one.

What This Means for Amazon Professionals and Hiring Leaders

For Amazon professionals, the path forward is clear: those who can demonstrate margin impact, profitability improvements and genuine commercial decision-making will continue to command strong compensation. The market still values this expertise highly.

For hiring leaders, it’s worth reflecting on whether the roles you’re creating genuinely offer the commercial ownership you’re expecting. If you’re hiring at a senior salary but limiting the scope of responsibility, you may be setting both parties up for frustration.

The Real Question

Rather than asking, “Are Amazon professionals being paid too much?” I think the more constructive question is:

Are salaries aligned with measurable commercial ownership, on both sides of the table?

It’s a question that invites honest reflection from candidates and clients alike.

I have spent the last four months speaking with e-commerce leaders and senior candidates daily. One trend stands out: there is a significant shortage of quality talent across almost every pocket of the Amazon ecosystem. As client side brands look to grow, the traditional preference for hiring purely from other in-house teams is shifting as the market becomes more bouyant.

Every day, I am seeing more Heads of Amazon, D2C and e-commerce directors look toward agencies to find their next mid – senior hires. Agencies have become incubators for the exact type of talent that fast-growing brands need right now as pace & agility become premium requirements in the current market.

The Breadth of Agency Experience

The primary reason I see brands “fishing” from agencies is the sheer amount of exposure these candidates have. An in-house hire often wins on depth & tangible results: they know one brand, one catalogue, and one set of internal processes inside out. This works well when a business is stable and every task is clearly defined and candidates can point to end to end ownership of results.

However, agency talent brings a different set of skills:

Multiple Categories: An agency account manager might look after beauty, electronics, and FMCG brands simultaneously. They understand how different algorithms and consumer behaviours affect various sectors.
Speed of Growth: Brands today want to scale quickly. Agency professionals are used to high-pressure environments where they must deliver results for several clients at once.
End-to-End Ownership: In many AMZ agencies, Account Managers and Client Directors own the entire brand relationship. They handle everything from strategy to execution.

Hire direct from Amazon?

I often hear from clients that candidates coming directly from Amazon can sometimes feel more like project managers than hands-on operators – they can run a great process which fits businesses with great structure. While they understand the internal workings of the platform, they may lack the “scrappy” execution skills required by a D2C brand – the vast majority of these have minimal structure and need talent who work with ambiguity (or chaos depending on the time of year!)

In contrast, performance marketers and account leads in agencies are usually in the weeds of the data every day. For a D2C brand that views itself as agile and fast-moving, the agency mindset often feels like a more natural fit than the more “polished” approach of a Blue Chip or Amazon corporate hire.

The Reality of the Move In-house

While the move from an agency to a brand is popular, it does come with specific challenges that I discuss with candidates regularly.

Salary Adjustments: It is common for candidates to sacrifice a portion of their base salary or bonus structure when moving from a high-level agency role to an in-house position. The trade-off is usually more focus and a closer connection to the product.
Cultural Shifts: Moving from a fast-paced agency to a brand requires a change in pace. You move from managing ten brands to being responsible for the long-term health of just one.
Depth of Focus: For those who enjoy the variety of agency life, moving in-house can feel restrictive. I advise candidates to ensure the brand they join has a large enough catalogue or ambitious enough expansion plans to keep them engaged. They will face different challenges and need to recognise that they will be sacrificing some of the exhilarating highs agency life can offer.

Finding the Right Fit

The talent landscape is changing. Agencies are no longer just service providers; they are training grounds for the next generation of e-commerce leaders. Whether you are a brand looking to hire someone who can hit the ground running, or a senior agency professional looking to take ownership of a single brand, the opportunities are there.

Want to discuss it further? Reach out to me on luke@vertical-advantage.com.

Category: eCommerce

Are Amazon Salaries Outpacing Commercial Ownership?

Amazon brands – time to fish from a new pool of talent?