No two eCommerce org charts look the same, and they shouldn't. The right structure depends on your primary channel, revenue stage, in-house capabilities, and how much of your execution runs through agencies. These four charts represent the team models we encounter most consistently across the searches we run.
Each chart is updated for 2026. You'll see roles that didn't exist in most eCommerce orgs three years ago: AI and Agentic Commerce, SEO/GEO/AEO, Head of Retail Media, and Digital Shelf Manager now appear across brands of all sizes. Use these as a starting point, not a prescription. The best org chart is the one that fits your current team, your next hire, and the channel that drives most of your growth.
The standard structure for a DTC brand with a full in-house team. Both the CMO and VP eCommerce report directly to the CEO. The CMO owns brand and acquisition; the VP eCommerce owns site, retention, marketplaces, and the commerce P&L. Agency partners typically cover paid media channels and occasionally development. Updated for 2026 with AI commerce, retail media, and SEO/GEO/AEO roles.
Notes: At this scale, the CMO and VP eCommerce function as peers, not a hierarchy. Paid media (Paid Search, Paid Social, TV/Audio) is frequently agency-managed; SEO/GEO/AEO and Affiliate tend to move in-house first. AI & Commerce Tech is a 2026 addition: this role owns AI-powered product discovery, personalization, and agentic commerce pilots. Development is often a mix of in-house and agency at this stage. The Marketplaces branch can report to either the CMO or VP eCommerce depending on whether it is primarily a marketing or operations function at your brand.
The typical structure for a growing DTC brand where a single senior leader holds both CMO and VP eCommerce responsibilities, or where those roles report to the same person. Paid media is almost always agency-managed. Roles are broader, with individual contributors owning multiple functions. This structure usually evolves as the brand crosses $15-20M in revenue and requires more specialization.
Notes: At this stage, agency partners carry significant execution weight, particularly in paid media and development. The first in-house hire is often an Email/SMS Manager or eCommerce Manager, not a generalist marketer. The eCommerce Analyst role is frequently the highest-leverage hire at this size, improving decision quality across the whole team. As the brand scales past $15M, paid media typically moves in-house and the Growth Marketing function splits into dedicated Acquisition and Retention leads. Amazon/Marketplaces is often managed by the eCommerce Manager here, but becomes its own hire quickly as marketplace revenue grows.
Common at consumer product brands where Amazon and marketplace channels represent the majority of revenue (typically 50%+). The VP eCommerce spends the bulk of their attention on Amazon and retail media. DTC is a secondary channel, often managed by a site manager with agency support. This structure also fits brands that sell primarily through Walmart, Target, or specialty retail marketplaces.
Notes: In marketplace-first organizations, the Head of Amazon is often the most critical hire after the VP eCommerce. This role requires deep Seller Central or Vendor Central fluency, not just general eCommerce experience, so the candidate profile is meaningfully different. The Digital Shelf Manager role is increasingly common in CPG brands using Salsify, Syndigo, or Akeneo to manage content across retailer portals. Retail Media is a standalone function here because the investment is large enough to justify dedicated management. At smaller marketplace-focused brands, Retail Media and Amazon Advertising may sit under a single Head of Amazon umbrella until revenue justifies splitting them.
The structure used at larger CPG brands with significant physical retail distribution. Digital commerce is one channel within a broader commercial organization. Retail media and digital shelf are peer functions to DTC, not subordinate to it. Shopper and trade marketing integrate closely with digital. The Chief Digital Officer or VP eCommerce at this level is a senior executive managing a substantial budget and a large cross-functional team.
Notes: At larger CPG brands, the organizational challenge is alignment, not headcount. Retail media investment decisions must be coordinated with trade marketing budgets, and digital shelf content must stay in sync with the physical pack. The Digital Shelf Manager is among the highest-leverage roles in this structure: poor content quality directly depresses retail media ROAS and suppresses organic search rank on retailer platforms. Shopper and Trade Marketing integration with the digital team varies widely by organization. Brands that have unified these functions digitally tend to outperform on omnichannel measurement and in-store lift attribution. The CDO at this level typically manages a $10M+ retail media budget and a team of 25 to 50+ across these functions.
eCommerce Placement has been running director through VP-level searches across every one of these org models since 2010. We know where the talent is and what it costs.