Localization Operations Manager

Whatnot is the largest livestream shopping platform in North America and Europe to buy, sell, and discover the things you love. We’re re-defining e-commerce by blending community, shopping, and entertainment into a community just for you. As a remote co-located team, we’re inspired by innovation and anchored in our values. With hubs in the US, UK, Ireland, Poland, and Germany, we’re building the future of online marketplaces—together.

From fashion, beauty, and electronics to rare collectibles like trading cards, comic books, and even live plants, our live auctions have something for everyone.

And we’re just getting started! As one of the fastest growing marketplaces, we’re looking for bold, forward-thinking problem solvers across all functional areas. Check out the latest Whatnot updates on our news and engineering blogs and join us as we enable anyone to turn their passion into a business, and bring people together through commerce.

The Localization Operations Manager at Whatnot oversees the entire localization process, ensuring app content is accurately adapted for multiple languages and that product terminology remains consistent. This role serves as the main point of contact for localization operations, addressing platform issues, coordinating with cross-functional teams, and managing third-party vendors and translators. In this role you will:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for all localization operations, including responding promptly to Smartling issues and troubleshooting platform-related problems

• Collaborate regularly with engineering, product, and design teams to address localization concerns and resolve app formatting issues—such as text expansion, right-to-left language support, and character encoding—ensuring that app layouts and UI elements are compatible with multiple languages and regions.

• Develop and maintain relationships with third-party localization vendors and freelance translators; recruit new resources as needed to ensure high-quality translation and formatting

• Oversee the quality of translations and app formatting, implementing processes to monitor and improve localization quality

• Collaborate with QA teams to plan and execute localization testing, ensuring that all language versions of the app meet quality and functionality standards

• Track and report on localization project progress, identifying and addressing bottlenecks or quality issues

• Continuously evaluate and improve localization workflows, tools, and vendor performance to optimize efficiency and quality

• Maintain consistency of Whatnot product terminology across all application content by enforcing terminology guidelines and glossaries. Ensure that all teams and localization resources adhere to approved product language to deliver a cohesive user experience in every supported language

Team members in this role are required to be within commuting distance of our New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, Seattle, WA or San Francisco, CA hubs

Curious about who thrives at Whatnot? We’ve found that embodying a low ego, growth mindset, and high-impact drive goes a long way here. As our next Localization Operations Manager you should have 5-8 years of experience, with at least 3+ years in localization project management or operations, preferably within a tech or app development environment, plus:

• Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics, Translation, Localization, International Studies, or a related field

• Experience with localization platforms such as Smartling, Phrase, Localize, or similar tools

• Proven ability to manage third-party vendors and freelance localization resources

• Familiarity with app formatting standards and multilingual UI/UX best practices

• Experience working closely with engineering, product, and design teams

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously

• Flexible Time off Policy and Company-wide Holidays (including a spring and winter break)

• Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision

• Work From Home Support

  • Home office setup allowance

  • Monthly allowance for cell phone and internet

• Care benefits

  • Monthly allowance for wellness

  • Annual allowance towards Childcare

  • Lifetime benefit for family planning, such as adoption or fertility expenses

• Retirement; 401k offering for Traditional and Roth accounts in the US (employer match up to 4% of base salary) and Pension plans internationally

• Monthly allowance to dogfood the app

• Parental Leave

  • 16 weeks of paid parental leave + one month gradual return to work *company leave allowances run concurrently with country leave requirements which take precedence.

Whatnot is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by local law. We believe that our work is better and our company culture is improved when we encourage, support, and respect the different skills and experiences represented within our workforce.