Localization Operations Specialist

About Whatnot

Whatnot is the largest live shopping platform in North America and Europe, enabling users to buy, sell, and discover beloved items. We are transforming e-commerce by merging community, shopping, and entertainment into a unique experience. As a remote co-located team, Whatnot thrives on innovation and is grounded in its core values. With hubs across the US, UK, Germany, Ireland, Poland, and Australia, we are collectively building the future of online marketplaces. Our live auctions feature a diverse range of products, from fashion and beauty to collectibles like trading cards and comic books, and even live plants. We are a rapidly expanding marketplace, seeking proactive problem-solvers across all departments. Explore our latest updates on our news and engineering blogs, and join us in empowering individuals to convert their passions into businesses and unite people through commerce.

Role Overview

The Localization Operations Specialist at Whatnot plays a crucial role in managing the daily execution of localization initiatives across product, marketing, and support content. Collaborating closely with the Localization Operations Manager, this position is responsible for ensuring projects advance efficiently from initiation to completion, upholding high standards of quality, consistency, and clear communication with both internal stakeholders and external partners.

Reporting to the Localization Operations Manager, the Localization Operations Specialist will concentrate on achieving operational excellence, providing essential launch support, managing intricate workflows, and continuously improving processes within our rapidly expanding international environment.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day localization projects across product, marketing, and support content, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery.
• Own operational workflows in our Translation Management System (TMS), including project setup, tracking, and issue resolution.
• Partner closely with cross-functional stakeholders to align on priorities, timelines, and localization requirements.
• Support international launches by coordinating localization readiness and identifying potential risks early.
• Triage localization feedback and bugs, collaborating with vendors and internal teams to implement effective fixes.
• Contribute to enhancing processes, documentation, and linguistic assets as Whatnot continues to scale globally.

Who You Are

Individuals who excel at Whatnot typically possess a low ego, embrace a growth mindset, and are driven by action and high impact. As our next Localization Operations Specialist, you should have:

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of experience managing localization or content operations projects.
• Proven experience working with TMS platforms such as Smartling, Phrase, or similar tools.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams effectively.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Professional working proficiency in at least one additional language beyond English.
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally within a tech, marketplace, or high-growth environment.
• A detail-oriented approach with a bias toward action and comfort operating in ambiguous situations.
• Ability to conduct thorough root cause analysis and propose practical, effective solutions.

Benefits

• 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 and a home office setup allowance.
• Monthly allowance for cell phone and internet.
• Care benefits and a monthly allowance for wellness.
• Annual allowance towards Childcare and a lifetime benefit for family planning (e.g., adoption, 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 plus one month gradual return to work (*company leave allowances run concurrently with country leave requirements which take precedence).

Key skills/competency

• Localization Management
• Project Coordination
• TMS Platforms (e.g., Smartling, Phrase)
• Workflow Optimization
• Stakeholder Communication
• International Launch Support
• Process Improvement
• Content Operations
• Multilingual Proficiency
• Root Cause Analysis