Job Title: Head of E-Commerce
Location: Stamford Bridge, London
Department: Commercial
Job Overview
Chelsea Football Club is seeking an experienced and results-driven Head of E-Commerce to lead the club’s global digital retail strategy. This role will oversee all aspects of the club’s e-commerce operations, ensuring best-in-class customer experience, commercial growth, and operational excellence. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in digital commerce, online merchandising, performance marketing, and omnichannel retail, with a proven track record of leading teams, driving online sales, and executing cross-functional initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
- E-Commerce Strategy: Develop and execute a global e-commerce strategy that maximizes revenue, enhances brand positioning, and delivers best-in-class fan experience.
- Team Leadership & Development: Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing e-commerce team across digital marketing, merchandising, operations, and analytics. Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead and coordinate e-commerce initiatives across multiple departments, including retail, marketing, technology, operations, and finance, ensuring alignment on digital commerce objectives.
- Sales & Growth: Drive revenue growth through data-driven merchandising, conversion rate optimization, digital marketing, and customer retention strategies.
- Website & User Experience: Lead site development, UX/UI optimization, and content strategy, ensuring a seamless and engaging customer journey across desktop and mobile.
- Digital Marketing & Performance: Work closely with the marketing team to optimize SEO, SEM, paid media, email, CRM, and affiliate programs to drive traffic, conversion, and retention.
- Omnichannel Integration: Develop a seamless omnichannel shopping experience that aligns the club’s online and physical retail presence, ensuring frictionless engagement for fans worldwide.
- Product & Merchandising: Collaborate with merchandising and retail teams to develop product strategies, optimize inventory availability, and execute seasonal campaigns to drive sell-through.
- Technology & Innovation: Leverage AI, automation, personalization, and analytics tools to enhance customer experience, improve operational efficiencies, and scale the business.
- Data & Analytics: Utilize data-driven insights to optimize customer segmentation, personalization, and pricing strategies, ensuring continuous improvement and increased revenue.
- Customer Experience & Retention: Implement loyalty programs, membership benefits, and innovative engagement strategies to increase customer lifetime value (CLV).
- International Expansion: Develop strategies to expand Chelsea FC’s global e-commerce footprint, localizing experiences for key international markets.
- Third-Party Partnerships: Manage relationships with e-commerce platforms, payment providers, logistics partners, and digital agencies to enhance operational effectiveness.
- Budget & P&L Management: Oversee financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting for the e-commerce function, ensuring commercial targets are met and exceeded.
- Compliance & Security: Ensure adherence to legal, regulatory, and security standards across all e-commerce operations, including GDPR and payment security protocols.
Qualifications & Experience
- Significant experience in e-commerce, digital retail, or direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, ideally within sports, fashion, or lifestyle brands.
- Proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams and managing cross-functional programs in a fast-paced, results-driven environment.
- Strong understanding of digital marketing channels, customer acquisition, retention strategies, and conversion rate optimization (CRO).
- Experience managing e-commerce platforms (e.g., Shopify, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Magento, or similar CMS).
- Expertise in data analytics, A/B testing, and customer insights tools (Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar).
- Knowledge of omnichannel retail, logistics, and fulfilment best practices.
- Strong commercial acumen with experience managing budgets, forecasting, and P&L accountability.
- Excellent leadership, stakeholder management, and project management skills, with the ability to influence senior leadership and align teams across departments.
- Passion for football, fashion, and lifestyle industries is a plus.
Desirable
- Experience in international e-commerce expansion and global market localization.
- Familiarity with emerging technologies such as AI-driven personalization, AR/VR shopping experiences, and blockchain payments.
The Employee must at all times carry out his/her responsibilities with due regard to Chelsea Football Club policies and procedures in particular Health & Safety, Financial Authorisation, Confidentiality and with regard to the Data Protection Act. The Employee must act to protect all young people and vulnerable adults that are in their care or attending the Company's premises. The Employee must report any misconduct or suspected misconduct to the Safeguarding Lead.
Chelsea Football Club and the Foundation is fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children, young people and adults at risk (vulnerable groups) that are in our care or attending our premises. As a consequence, Chelsea FC may require any successful applicants to complete a DBS Check prior to working at our premises. Successful applicants may also be required to undergo other child protection screening appropriate to the post applied for.
The Employee must ensure a positive commitment towards equality and diversity by treating others fairly and not committing any form of direct or indirect discrimination, victimisation or harassment of any description and to promote positive working relations amongst Employees and customers.
The above Job Description is not intended to be exhaustive, the duties and responsibilities may therefore vary over time according to the changing needs of the Club.
