Team Lead (m/w/d)
Are you a hands-on leader ready to combine operational excellence with global purpose?
To continue fueling Swappie’s profitable growth and advance our mission of making refurbished electronics mainstream, we are seeking a temporary Team Lead (m/w/d) for our Leipzig Operations. In this pivotal role, you will guide our team through our high-volume peak season and provide critical leadership stability as we roll out our new fulfillment strategy.
If you're ready to take ownership, lead with impact, and contribute to environmental sustainability - this is your chance to leave your fingerprint on Swappie's core operations. 🌏 💚
This is a temporary opportunity first, until end of June 2027, but as our operations evolve, there is a strong possibility for this role to extend into a permanent position for the right candidate.
Role purpose: Hands-on Leadership & Operational Flow
In this role, you will be responsible for supervising a team of employees in hands-on, light goods handling in a modern warehouse environment at Swappie’s Operations site in Wahren, Leipzig, Germany. This is crucial work that directly impacts our European customers and the planet, and you'll be surrounded by a supportive, positive team.
What You'll Work On
Your role is to ensure continuous workflow, optimize efficiency, and develop your team.
Team Leadership & Coaching: Conduct monthly performance evaluations, provide feedback, and lead the onboarding and ongoing development of new joiners.
Workflow Management: Set and monitor shift/team targets, prioritize tasks, and efficiently allocate employees to avoid operational bottlenecks.
Operational Excellence: Ensure continuous workflow by addressing bottlenecks, actively optimizing processes, and participating in continuous improvement projects while maintaining daily floor presence.
Compliance & Reporting: Ensure proper adherence to working/break times and safety standards (e.g., 6S). Report operational outcomes and key results to management.
Cross-Functional Support: Collaborate effectively with the planning team and support preparation for peak season and compliance audits.
Conflict Resolution: Address team members' feedback, resolve issues, and manage conflicts effectively to maintain a positive environment.
Your success will be driven by practical leadership experience, organizational skills, and a growth mindset. So we would love to hear from you if you have:
Leadership Experience: Proven experience in leading or mentoring a team (experience in a warehouse environment is a plus).
Problem-Solving Skills: Strong ability to solve problems proactively, organize effectively, and maintain strong attention to details, accuracy, and safety.
Demonstrated ability to take ownership and make decisions independently.
Language Skills: Very good verbal and written communication skills in English (our working language). Functional German skills are required (sufficient for independent site operations, resolving technical issues, and clear communication with local partners).
Mindset & communication skills: The ability to see the bigger picture while maintaining sharp focus on daily execution, motivating team members to reach targets and take ownership, paired with open and transparent communication.
Continuous Improvement: Experience in project management or Continuous Improvement Process (CIP) is a strong advantage.
What We Offer
Meaningful role: You will be a visible leader on the floor, managing and developing a dedicated team in their daily execution. Your leadership is grounded in direct mentorship and real-time problem-solving.
Supportive & low-hierarchy team where you can be your true self. Our strength as a company comes from the diverse group of people we're proud to employ. Whoever you are – you're welcome at Swappie!
A chance to make an impact on creating a more sustainable future by making refurbished mainstream - working at Swappie makes you part of the solution; not the pollution!
Growth: Defined areas of responsibility and extensive training on the job to fuel your development, learning and growth with us.
Practicalities
📍Location: Leipzig, Germany (Wahren area).
📅 Start date: As soon as possible, negotiable.
🕑 Working hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 16:30
📝 Contract: Full-time (40h/week) and fixed-term until 30.6.2027 (with a strong outlook for extension or permanent placement based on operational needs and performance).
💰Compensation: €20/hour (gross).
🔎 Visa Requirements: Eligibility requires a valid, long-term German work visa for full-time employment, which will be verified during the hiring process.
⏰ Application Deadline: Please submit your application by June 10th.
Does this sound like an exciting opportunity for you? If yes, we'd love to hear from you!
Questions? 🤔 recruitment@swappie.com will happily reply. Kindly note that we don’t accept job applications via email.
This is how the recruitment process will look like:
Intro with Talent Acquisition Partner (20 minute call): Let’s start exploring together if this role and Swappie as an employer could be a match for you.
Interview & site tour with the Hiring Manager (on site, 60min): Dive deeper to the role and let us assess your skills and competencies for future success. You get a chance to take a tour around our Leipzig site and meet a potential future colleague too.
Culture discussion: Impact orientation, inclusion and growth mindset - explore the key pillars of our culture with our HR Business Partner and Director of Production.
The process is designed to be a transparent, two-way assessment, ensuring we find the right match for our team. If you're ready to join the mission, start by reviewing our guide on How we hire. We look forward to your application!
- Department
- Operations
- Locations
- Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig, Germany
Why pursue your career with Swappie?
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Join an ambitious, global team
Swappie is a multi-tiered organization powered by a diverse group of professionals with a broad range of skills. We're happy to employ people from 73 different nationalities in offices located in Helsinki, Tallinn, Leipzig and Berlin. Our working language is English.
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Bring purpose to your everyday
By buying and selling refurbished iPhones, iPads and AirPods, Swappie is shaping the future of consumer electronics and actively reducing e-waste – the largest growing form of waste globally. When we talk about doing good – this is what we mean. And you can help. Get inspired about our positive climate impact by reading our Environmental Impact Report.
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Benefit from a culture of trust
Enjoy the freedom to manage your work in ways that suit both you and Swappie. Benefit from the sharing of information, learnings, plans and achievements. We're all in this together.
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Grow and develop your skillset
Swappie offers a wide range of career development opportunities, as well as the chance to benefit from technical training designed to improve your professional skills. There's room for you to grow at Swappie.
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Belong and be yourself
Our strength as a company comes from the diverse group of people we're proud to employ. Whoever you are – you're welcome at Swappie. We work actively to create an environment where everyone feels safe and welcome.
About Swappie
Swappie is the #1 online destination for buying and selling refurbished iPhones in Europe.
A purpose-driven tech scale-up, Swappie is home to 700 ambitious, international talents serving 2M+ customers in 11 countries across Europe. Annual revenue currently tops €249M in a market with huge opportunities for growth. Refurbished is the business of the future and Swappie is a frontrunner powered by bright, empathetic minds committed to doing good.
Launched by two friends in 2016, Swappie is on a mission to change consumer behaviour and make buying refurbished electronics mainstream. Starting in Europe, and then worldwide – Swappie gives consumers the opportunity to make more environmentally friendly purchasing decisions simply and affordably. Our business is dynamic, exciting and constantly developing, with a broad range of skills required every day across the organization.
Swappie has received consistent recognition for its commitment to solving important sustainability challenges. It has also been recognised by The Financial Times in 2022 as the fastest growing startup in Europe, received The Finnish Innovation Fund's award for contribution to the circular economy – and appeared on Wired's list of hottest startups in Helsinki.
Visit our company page to read more about Swappie's story and the circular economy.
About Swappie
Join our mission of making refurbished electronics mainstream! 🚀
The ambition of a circular economy for technology is at the root of everything we do, and is what drives us on our mission. Our people believe tech doesn’t have an expiry date, and that great tech shouldn’t cost us the earth.