E-commerce & Merchandise Manager

About Proton

Join Proton and build a better internet where privacy is the default 

Proton is one of Europe’s fastest growing scale-ups, serving more than 100 million users around the world. Since the launch of our first service, Proton Mail, in 2014 by scientists who met at CERN, Proton has grown into the first of its kind privacy-first ecosystem of services such as Proton VPN, Proton Drive (encrypted file storage), Proton Pass (encrypted password manager) and much more.

Our mission is to build a more ethical and responsible alternative to Big Tech services, with a focus on end-to-end encryption, privacy, open-source and ease-of-use. Our user-first approach has helped Proton grow organically to serve millions of consumers and businesses around the world, from newsrooms, activists, and international organizations  like The Guardian, The New York Times and the UN to authors, Nobel-prize winners, and movie characters. Proton is trusted and supported by over 100 million people who believe privacy and freedom online are worth protecting.

Proton does not have venture capital investors, is profitable and self-sufficient, and today has over 600 employees representing over 40 nationalities. We're headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with additional offices in Zurich, London, Paris, Barcelona, Taipei, Skopje, Vilnius and Prague.

As one of Europe's fastest-growing companies, we offer the chance to tackle complex challenges, influence millions and shape a more equitable internet. We want to create more than just one of the world's most impactful tech companies: we want to create a new internet that serves the interests of all people. We need you, your voice, your ideas and your ambition to make it happen.

The Role

Proton’s community loves swag, and we need you to help us take it to the next level! In this role, you’ll build and scale Proton’s custom merch shop for fans, supporters, ambassadors, partners, creators, and conferences. You’ll own the end-to-end strategy—from product and collection planning to production, storefront performance, and customer experience.

You’ll lead our merchandising roadmap: defining always-on staple items, seasonal collections, and limited-edition collectibles with clear launch mechanics, upsell paths, and inventory plans. You’ll manage inventory across multiple internal use cases (gifting, events, partnerships) while ensuring production, supply chain, and fulfillment meet the highest standards—balancing quality, timelines, and cost efficiency through strong vendor management and negotiation.

The ideal candidate combines strong taste and creativity with crisp communication, operational excellence, and a data-informed mindset.

The Team 

This role is part of the Social & Community team at Proton - a small, high-impact group of 5 people that builds Proton’s brand the way modern cult brands do it: with a human voice and sharp, timely creative that people actually want to share. We move fast, take principled stances when it matters, and pair rigorous performance thinking with internet instincts, earning the kind of audience feedback most brands never get (“genius level trolling,” “10/10 Proton marketing team,” “great marketing,” “social media masterclass,” “best repost I’ve seen in a while” “deserves a raise”) or getting compared to Wendy’s. 

You’ll help us break out of online-only marketing and build community relationships in the real world. Through thoughtful drops, high-quality staples, and strategic gifting, you’ll strengthen brand perception, spark word-of-mouth, and create shareable IRL experiences that fuel UGC and community storytelling online.

If you want to do career-defining work with a team that’s trusted to experiment, backed by a mission people care about, and measured on real impact, you’ll fit right in.

What you’ll do 

Merchandising strategy and production

• Define and execute Proton’s merch e-commerce strategy (positioning, target audiences, pricing approach, channel mix, growth plan).
• Build an annual merchandising plan balancing limited-edition drops, seasonal collections, and always-on staples.
• Lead end-to-end merch development: concept briefs, design direction, sampling, iteration, and approvals.
• Propose and run experiments (pre-orders, waitlists, personalization, tiered perks, limited-access drops, bundles, collaborations).

Brand consistency and awareness 

• Maintain high standards for quality, sustainability, and brand consistency across materials, packaging, and unboxing.
• Drive brand awareness and community delight through merch moments, creator seeding, and fan engagement.
• Develop programs to generate UGC (campaign prompts, incentives, repost flows, ambassador collaborations).
• Partner with Social & Community to translate cultural moments and product launches into merch that travels organically.

Gifting platform and multi-stakeholder inventory

• Own Proton’s gifting platform operations and stock planning across use cases (employees, partners, influencers, ambassadors, VIPs, press).
• Build workflows for requests, approvals, fulfillment, tracking, and reporting (including cost attribution where needed).
• Ensure fast turnaround and a premium experience for high-visibility gifting moments.

Communications and go-to-market

• Build communication plans for launches and always-on shop promotion (email, social, community, partners, PR hooks as relevant).
• Align creative, messaging, and timing across teams; ensure launch readiness and clear operational runbooks.

Shop performance and operations

• • Own e-commerce KPIs: conversion rate, AOV, revenue, returning customer rate, email performance, and retention.
  • Own day-to-day shop operations: product setup, inventory hygiene, fulfillment coordination, returns/refunds processes, customer support SLAs, and escalation paths.
  • Onboard and train customer support agents to support after-sale operations like refunds, exchanges, feedback, and complaints. 
  • Ensure compliance and operational correctness (tax/VAT where relevant, shipping rules, data handling, vendor contracts).

Job Requirements

• 4+ years in e-commerce, merchandising, or DTC operations (bonus if paired with community-led growth).
• Proven track record owning an e-commerce channel end-to-end: strategy, launches, inventory, and performance optimization.
• Hands-on experience with merch production workflows (sourcing, sampling, MOQs, lead times, QC).
• Experience with Shopify (or similar), fulfillment logistics, and customer support tooling.
• Basic knowledge of design programs like Adobe Illustrator, Figma, Indesign, or similar 
• Proven communication and copywriting experience for e-commerce content
• Professional proficiency in English, another European language is a plus

Bonus points for

• Experience with e-commerce and gifting for a fast-scaling tech or SaaS company
• Passion for privacy tech, mission-driven brands, internet culture, and community-first marketing.

Why Proton 

• Work with the best: Hiring at Proton is extremely selective. We believe that small teams with exceptional talent will always outperform larger teams with more bureaucracy. Build quickly with smart people from some of the world’s top universities and organisations who are here because they want to get things done.
• Grow with us: As one of Europe’s fastest growing tech companies, we provide opportunities for rapid career advancement. We prefer to promote from within whenever possible.
• Do work that matters: Proton’s services are at the forefront of defending freedom and democracy around the world, and our work helps save the lives of journalists and activists working on the front lines.
• Collaboration-First Flexible Work: Collaboration is easier and more effective in person, which is why we have offices in Geneva, Zurich, Prague, Barcelona, Paris, London, Vilnius, Skopje, and Taipei. 
• Be part of a movement: Proton is not just world-class products and services; we are also leaders of a broader community-driven movement advancing a more socially responsible way of doing business online. Whether it’s through maintaining the core open-source libraries used by thousands of other businesses or providing financial/technological support to aligned organisations, your work will have an outsized impact on the world. Read more about our impact here.
• Benefits: in addition to flexible working hours and career growth support, Proton offers other benefits such as global and department team-buildings, office parties and celebrations, transport and gym allowances, free breakfast and lunch at the office (and dinner when needed) along with a supportive, tight-knit in-person office culture.
• Stock options: All team members are also shareholders and you get stock options when you join us, with the opportunity to gain outsized financial rewards for our success together.

 

Check our social media to learn more about Proton: 

X, LinkedIn ,Reddit , Instagram, YouTube

 

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion 

At Proton, we believe diversity drives innovation and strengthens our mission to provide privacy as a default for all. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability or socio-economic background feel valued and empowered. We strive to create equal opportunities, promote open dialogue and support continuous learning to ensure every voice is heard and respected. 

If you need any extra support or reasonable adjustments during the hiring process, please let your talent partner know. 

Candidate privacy notice 

When you apply for a position, refer a candidate or are considered for a role at Proton Technologies AG (Proton, we, us or our), your information is stored in Greenhouse, in accordance with its Service Privacy Policy. This information is used to evaluate your suitability for the posted position. We also retain this information for consideration for future roles that you may apply for or that we believe may align with your background and skills. 

If we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your information, we will either delete or anonymise it. Should you have any inquiries about how we use or manage your information or if you wish to access, correct or delete your data, please contact our privacy team at careers@proton.ch.

Proton does not accept unsolicited CVs from any sources other than directly from candidates. We will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from an unsolicited offer, even if the candidate is subsequently hired by Proton. 

To learn more about our privacy policy, please visit our privacy policy page.