Amazon’s third-party seller business now accounts for over 60% of sales on the platform, with consistent YOY growth of around 20% for every quarter in 2023.
Unsurprisingly, the competition for talent has matched this relentless growth over the past few years. While the market has cooled slightly since the heights of 2022, it can still be challenging to find the right people.
I’ve pulled together a quick run-down of some of the main areas that we see top Amazon talent coming from, with the pros & cons of hiring from them.
Directly from Amazon:
Look out for job titles such as Partner Managers, Marketplace Consultants, and Team Leads.
Pros:
- The robust hiring process ensures the recruitment of top-tier talent.
- They possess strong ‘insider’ knowledge of how Amazon 3P operates.
- Process-driven, strong problem solvers, analytical.
Cons:
- Can be expensive, with base salaries in line with the wider market but often supplemented by very strong share packages.
- The Partner Management program provides top-line exposure to 3P but may not require individuals to be hands-on operators.
- They may struggle to adapt to cultures that are less process-driven than Amazon.
CPG brands:
Look for job titles such as Marketplace Managers, Amazon Advertising Managers, Heads of Marketplace, and National Account Managers.
Pros:
- Strong operational experience, often required to be very hands-on inside seller central.
- Scrappy and able to work at pace, particularly from smaller brands that have scaled successfully on 3P.
- Can offer good value for money, especially in SMEs where there is undervalued talent.
Cons:
- Those from larger businesses might not have been ‘hands-on’, with lots of resources to handle operational work.
- Strong 3P operators who have been very hands-on may lack stakeholder management experience or struggle to adapt to larger corporates.
- Individuals from larger brands often come with strong packages including car allowance, bonus, pension, and shares.
Agencies:
Look for job titles such as Client/Account Managers, Client/Account Directors, Amazon Advertising Specialists, and Marketplace Consultants.
Pros:
- Agencies foster the most up-to-date knowledge of winning on Amazon.
- Exposure to multiple clients allows individuals to see the successes and failures of different strategies.
- Can offer good value for money compared to brands, Amazon, AdTech, or aggregators.
Cons:
- May lack true ownership of Amazon accounts, involved with some elements but not complete ownership.
- Some may struggle with stakeholder management and ‘politics’ when working for larger brands.
- May lack strategic insight.
Network media agencies:
Look for job titles similar to those in agencies.
Pros:
- Strong media and PPC knowledge, with an understanding of the retail media landscape.
- Used to working with big brands and big budgets.
- Strong process and stakeholder management skills.
Cons:
- Not as Amazon-centric as specialist agencies, potentially lacking constant learning.
- Generally not required to be as hands-on with running accounts.
- Lack of ownership, responsible for one piece of a larger puzzle but not for making decisions.
- May lack commercial acumen when evaluating the impact of advertising on the bottom line.
Other options – AdTech, Aggregators, Amazon FBA business owners:
There are increasingly more AdTech platforms with a specialist Amazon focus, offering strong talent, particularly in PPC & DSP. While aggregators have not been hiring as aggressively as during the 2020-2022 period, they often have exceptional talent. Individuals who have built and run their own FBA businesses can offer great value for money, having been involved in every decision from NPD to sales to marketing to finance to supply chain management.
