Head of Online Trade
Reports to: Director (with regular Board-level reporting)
Location: North Hertfordshire – Hybrid working (minimum 3 days per week in the office)
Salary: £45,000–£70,000 depending on experience
Function: Marketing / Digital / E-commerce
The Opportunity
This is a senior leadership role responsible for accelerating online revenue and shaping the future of digital trading. You’ll take full ownership of how online channels perform — from marketing effectiveness to on-site conversion and new channel growth.
You’ll sit at the centre of digital decision-making, leading internal talent and specialist agency partners while providing commercially focused insight to senior leadership and the Board.
What You’ll Be Responsible For
Digital Revenue Growth
Develop and lead the overall online trading roadmap to increase revenue and margin
Use data, customer behaviour, and market trends to identify growth opportunities
Expand the digital footprint through new platforms, partnerships, and marketplaces
Trading & Performance Optimisation
Oversee the online trading calendar, ensuring campaigns and promotions drive both sales and profitability
Continuously improve conversion rates, basket value, and customer engagement
Turn performance insights into actionable trading decisions
Digital Marketing Leadership
Set the direction for online customer acquisition and retention activity
Oversee performance channels including paid media, organic search, affiliates, PR, and owned platforms
Ensure marketing activity aligns closely with trading priorities and commercial targets
Website & Customer Journey Improvement
Take ownership of the end-to-end online customer experience
Lead testing programmes to refine user journeys, landing pages, and checkout performance
Work closely with optimisation partners to deliver structured testing plans with measurable impact
Budget Ownership
Manage digital trading and marketing budgets with a strong focus on return on investment
Lead forecasting and reforecasting cycles based on performance trends
Make informed decisions on where investment will drive the greatest return
Agency & Partner Management
Lead relationships with external agencies across paid media, SEO, CRO, PR, and affiliate marketing
Set clear objectives and performance measures for all partners
Ensure agencies work together cohesively rather than in silos
Data, Insight & Reporting
Champion a data-led approach to decision-making across digital channels
Deliver clear, commercially relevant performance updates to senior leadership and Board stakeholders
Highlight risks, opportunities, and areas for testing or innovation
Team Leadership
Lead, mentor, and develop the digital and trading team
Create a high-performance culture built around accountability and results
Build strong working relationships with commercial, product, technical, and operational teams
What You’ll Bring
Experience & Knowledge
Senior-level experience in e-commerce, digital trading, or performance marketing
A proven history of growing online revenue in a measurable, sustainable way
Strong knowledge of website optimisation, testing methodologies, and digital merchandising
Experience managing agency ecosystems and sizeable digital budgets
Confidence presenting insights and strategy at senior or board level
Demonstrated success leading and developing teams
Nice to Have
Experience launching new digital sales channels or online marketplaces
Background in retail, direct-to-consumer, or fast-paced e-commerce environments
Brand development or brand marketing exposure
Advanced familiarity with analytics and experimentation tools
Personal Style
Commercially sharp and target-focused
Comfortable balancing big-picture strategy with hands-on delivery
Naturally analytical and confident working with performance data
Strong communicator who can influence at senior levels
Collaborative, proactive, and solutions-oriented
Role Details
Newly created senior position
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:30pm (1 hour lunch)
Holiday: 25 days plus Bank Holidays
Free on-site parking
Rural location not served by public transport — access to a car is essential
Thank you for your interest in this vacancy, which is being advertised by Smart10 Recruitment Group, who are acting as an employment agency / business. Your application will be considered in competition with others and we will contact you within 3 working days if you have been shortlisted. Smart10 is a multi-award-winning specialist recruitment consultancy focused on the supply of temporary, contract and permanent placements across a select group of business sectors. In order to keep up to date and search for all our active jobs, please visit our website, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn. Please refer to Smart10's Privacy Policy as to how we hold your data