1. What is a Operations Manager at Whatnot?

The Operations Manager role at Whatnot is a high-impact position that sits at the intersection of strategy, logistics, and user experience. As the largest livestream shopping platform in North America and Europe, Whatnot is redefining e-commerce by blending community and entertainment. In this role, you are not simply maintaining existing processes; you are building the scalable infrastructure required to support a rapidly growing two-sided marketplace.

You will likely join teams such as Commerce Strategy & Operations or Business Operations. Your work will directly influence the "post-purchase" experience—everything that happens after a user wins an auction. This includes optimizing shipping logistics, managing payments, mitigating fraud, and ensuring trust and safety. You will bridge the gap between physical operations (logistics, vendors) and digital product strategy, working closely with Product and Engineering to automate solutions for complex operational problems.

This role is critical because Whatnot operates in a fast-paced, unstructured environment. The company looks for "builders" who can identify inefficiencies, analyze complex datasets to find root causes, and execute solutions that drive margin optimization and user retention. You will be expected to move remarkably fast, often with limited guidance, to unlock growth and ensure the platform scales reliability for millions of buyers and sellers.

2. Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparation for Whatnot is distinct because the company values a blend of high-level strategic thinking and "in the weeds" execution. You must demonstrate that you can design a strategy and then write the SQL queries to measure its success.

Key Evaluation Criteria:

Data Fluency & Technical Execution – You must be comfortable with data. Beyond just reading charts, you may be asked to write SQL queries live or perform deep analysis on raw datasets. Interviewers evaluate your ability to derive actionable insights from complex, sometimes messy, data.

Strategic Problem Solving – You will face ambiguous, unstructured problems (e.g., "Shipping costs are rising in this region; fix it"). Evaluators look for a structured approach: how you break down the problem, identify levers, and propose scalable solutions rather than quick fixes.

Scrappy, Low-Ego Leadership – Whatnot places a high premium on "low ego" and "leaning into action." You need to demonstrate that you are willing to do the unglamorous work to get the job done. Leadership here means influencing cross-functional teams without relying solely on authority.

Marketplace Dynamics – Understanding the nuances of a two-sided marketplace (buyers vs. sellers) is essential. You will be evaluated on your ability to balance the needs of both sides, understanding how a change in seller fees or shipping policies impacts the entire ecosystem.

3. Interview Process Overview

The interview process for the Operations Manager role is rigorous and designed to test both your analytical horsepower and your cultural alignment. Based on recent candidate data, the process is streamlined but demanding, typically taking between two to four weeks. Whatnot moves quickly; if you perform well, expect feedback and scheduling to happen fast.

You should expect a process that prioritizes work-sample testing over abstract questioning. After initial screens, the core of the evaluation often involves a substantial take-home case study and/or a live technical screen. The company believes in seeing how you actually work. You will interact with peers, hiring managers, and potentially VP-level executives. The atmosphere is generally described as professional and challenging, with a heavy emphasis on "understanding the business."

One distinctive feature of Whatnot's process is the potential intensity of the case study. Candidates have reported deep dives into data sets that require significant time investment. Additionally, recent reports indicate the inclusion of live SQL coding sessions for Operations roles, signaling a shift toward more technical validation earlier in the process.

This timeline illustrates the typical flow from application to final offer. Use this to plan your energy; the "Skills Assessment" stage (Case Study/SQL) is the most labor-intensive portion. Ensure you have blocked out adequate time (potentially a full weekend or several evenings) to complete the take-home assignment if one is assigned.

4. Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

The interview loop is structured to validate your skills in three specific areas. You should prepare for deep interrogation in the following categories.

1. The Business Case Study (Take-Home & Presentation)

This is often the "make or break" stage. You may be given a dataset and a broad business problem (e.g., "Analyze this shipping data and recommend how to improve margins").

Be ready to go over:

• Data Cleaning & Analysis – Identifying outliers, trends, and correlations in a raw dataset.
• Strategic Recommendations – Moving beyond "what happened" to "what we should do." Your recommendations must be practical and scalable.
• Presentation Skills – Defending your assumptions. You will present your findings to a panel (often the Hiring Manager and a VP) who will challenge your logic.
• Advanced concepts – cohort analysis, unit economics (LTV/CAC), and margin analysis.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Here is a dataset of last month's transactions. Identify why shipping costs spiked and propose three initiatives to reduce them."
• "We want to expand into a new category. Based on this user behavior data, which category should we prioritize and why?"

2. Technical Proficiency (SQL & Analytics)

Unlike generalist operations roles at other companies, Whatnot frequently tests for hard skills.

Be ready to go over:

• Live SQL Coding – Writing queries from scratch to answer business questions (e.g., JOIN, GROUP BY, HAVING, window functions).
• Metric Definition – How you define "active user," "churn," or "fulfillment time" and how you would track it.
• Tool Familiarity – Experience with Looker, Sigma, or Hex is often discussed.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Write a query to find the top 10 sellers by revenue for the last 30 days, excluding those with high return rates."
• "How would you structure a dashboard to track fraud rates in real-time?"

3. Behavioral & "Whatnot DNA"

Cultural fit is assessed heavily. They are looking for "builders" who thrive in chaos, not "managers" who need perfect structure.

Be ready to go over:

• Bias for Action – Examples of when you moved fast to solve a problem rather than waiting for permission or perfect data.
• Low Ego – Times you admitted a mistake or took on menial tasks to help the team succeed.
• Ambiguity – How you prioritize when everything is a priority.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you had to make a high-stakes decision with incomplete data."
• "Describe a situation where you identified a broken process and fixed it without being asked."

5. Key Responsibilities

As an Operations Manager, your daily work will oscillate between high-level strategy and ground-level execution. You will be responsible for driving business decisions across critical operational verticals such as logistics, payments, and user experience.

You will frequently manage cross-functional projects in partnership with Product and Engineering. For example, if you identify that a specific shipping carrier is causing delays, you won't just call the carrier; you will work with engineers to update the shipping algorithm to deprioritize that carrier dynamically. You are expected to act as a bridge, translating operational needs into technical requirements.

A significant portion of your week will be spent analyzing commerce data. You will use SQL and BI tools to monitor health metrics, identify margin leaks, and spot fraud patterns. You will also be responsible for vendor management, negotiating contracts to ensure cost-effectiveness, and implementing process improvements that enhance productivity.

6. Role Requirements & Qualifications

To be competitive for this role, you need a mix of strategy experience and technical capability.

• Experience Level – Typically 5–7+ years in Strategy & Operations, Business Operations, Consulting, or Investment Banking. Experience in a high-growth startup is highly valued.
• Technical Skills (Must-Have) – Proficiency in data analysis is non-negotiable. SQL skills are increasingly required, along with proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets modeling.
• Marketplace Experience – Experience working in a two-sided marketplace or platform business is a significant advantage. Understanding supply/demand dynamics is key.
• Education – A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, or a related field is standard; an MBA is a "nice-to-have" but not a requirement if your work experience is strong.
• Soft Skills – You must have exceptional communication skills to influence stakeholders and the ability to operate independently in a remote-first environment.

7. Common Interview Questions

The following questions are drawn from candidate data and reflect the types of challenges you will face. Do not memorize answers; instead, use these to practice your structured thinking and storytelling.

Business Operations & Case

• "How would you investigate a sudden 10% drop in seller retention?"
• "We are seeing an increase in shipping claims. Walk me through how you would diagnose the root cause."
• "If we wanted to increase our take rate (commission) by 1%, what risks would we face and how would you mitigate them?"
• "Interpret this chart showing user acquisition costs vs. lifetime value. What is your recommendation for marketing spend?"

Technical & Data (SQL)

• "Given a table of orders and users, write a query to calculate the average order value per user by region."
• "How would you identify duplicate accounts in our database using SQL?"
• "Explain how you would set up an A/B test to measure the impact of a new shipping policy."

Behavioral & Leadership

• "Tell me about a time you had to execute a project with very little guidance."
• "Describe a time you disagreed with a senior stakeholder. How did you handle it?"
• "What is the most 'scrappy' thing you've done to solve a professional problem?"
• "Tell me about a time you failed to meet a goal. What did you learn?"

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How technical is the interview process? The process is more technical than typical Ops roles at legacy companies. You should expect to prove your analytical skills, potentially through a live SQL screen or a data-heavy case study. You don't need to be a data engineer, but you must be self-sufficient in pulling and analyzing data.

Q: Is this role remote? Whatnot operates as a remote-first but co-located team. While you can work from home, most job postings require you to live within commuting distance of a hub (Los Angeles, San Francisco, or New York City) to facilitate in-person planning and collaboration.

Q: How much time does the case study take? Candidates have reported that the take-home case study is comprehensive. While the instructions may suggest a few hours, successful candidates often spend significantly more time to produce a high-quality, polished presentation. Plan accordingly.

Q: What is the company culture like for Ops? The culture is described as "low ego" and fast-paced. It is an environment where performance matters more than tenure. You are expected to be an owner of your work, meaning you identify problems and fix them without waiting for a ticket to be assigned.

9. Other General Tips

Dogfood the Product: Before your first screen, download the Whatnot app. Create an account, watch a livestream, and ideally, make a small purchase. Understanding the "magic" of the live auction experience—and spotting the friction points—will give you a massive advantage in the case study and behavioral rounds.

Brush Up on SQL: If your SQL is rusty, practice JOINs, aggregations, and window functions before the interview. Recent feedback suggests this is becoming a standard filter for the role.

Structure Your Ambiguity: When asked vague questions, resist the urge to answer immediately. Pause and say, "I'd like to break this down into three areas: User Experience, Financial Impact, and Operational Feasibility." This structure shows you can manage chaos.

Focus on "Why": In your case study, don't just present data. Explain the business implication of the data. Connect every insight back to Whatnot's core goals: Growth, Retention, and Margin.

10. Summary & Next Steps

The Operations Manager role at Whatnot is a career-defining opportunity for someone who loves the intersection of data, strategy, and execution. You will be joining a team that is building the future of commerce, tasked with solving complex problems that directly impact the bottom line. The bar is high, particularly regarding analytical rigor and cultural fit.

To succeed, focus your preparation on data fluency (SQL and analytics), structured problem solving (case studies), and demonstrating a proactive, low-ego attitude. Review the marketplace dynamics of livestream shopping and come prepared with a perspective on how Whatnot can scale efficiently.

The compensation for this role is competitive, reflecting the high expectations. The base salary generally ranges between $160,000 and $245,000, depending on location and seniority, with significant equity components. This structure rewards high performance and aligns your success with the company's growth.

You have the roadmap. Now, dive into the product, sharpen your SQL, and prepare to show them you are a builder. Good luck!