Commerce Trainee

Full-time, 38 hours a week 

Ready to dive into the world of commerce and help shape its future? As a Commerce Trainee at Action in Zwaagdijk, you will dive into the world of sourcing and offering products that deliver the perfect balance of price and quality. You will master the ins and outs of order management, gain a deep understanding of our business processes, and explore the wide range of product categories we offer. Plus, you will be part of our journey toward making our products more sustainable every day. There is no better place to develop your commercial skills than with Europe’s fastest-growing retailer!

You will embark on an 18-month program consisting of three key pillars: professional development and cross-functional learning alongside the entire group of trainees, three 6 month rotations across multiple teams, and assignments & goals that will help you become a successful collaborator within your team. By the end of this program, you will be a fully equipped professional, ready to contribute to Action’s future plans.
 

Your daily tasks

As a Junior Trainee Commerce at Action, you can choose between two development tracks: Sourcing Coordinator or Commercial Planner. In both, you will gain hands-on experience with support from various teams, learning directly from experienced colleagues.

Sourcing Coordinator

As a Sourcing Coordinator, you will learn to explore sourcing channels and build a network of European manufacturers. You will assist in pre-qualifying suppliers and managing administrative tasks related to orders. You will collaborate with experienced colleagues in quality, sustainability, and logistics, learning how to ensure timely order execution. Through this role, you’ll gain knowledge about sourcing processes, supplier evaluations, and the importance of product quality, while learning best practices from senior team members.

Commercial Planner

As a Commercial Planner, you will learn to understand the roles and responsibilities of various Action departments, including the Commercial Planning and Buying teams. You will assist the team and will gain knowledge about forecasting processes and the different methods used, understanding the impact of forecast accuracy on the entire organization. You will work closely with your mentor to map out relevant departments, arrange introductions, and collaborate with key colleagues. Through this role, you’ll gain knowledge about long-term planning in your first category, such as Household, DIY, or Stationery, while learning how to contribute to the steady and accurate forecasting that drives business success.  

In both tracks, you will gain valuable insights and experience that lay the groundwork for your future as a financial leader.

On a daily basis you will work on your assignments and prepare for your periodical assessments.
 

Your team

Let us tell you about Commerce in Action! At the Buying department you and more than 50 colleagues are the driving force behind Action's success. As a team, we are continuously shaping Action's product range and introducing more than 150 new products every week. Together, we are responsible for our sustainable, surprising, affordable, and well-balanced product range of around 6,000 products. Entrepreneurship and customer focus are at the heart of everything we do.  

In Action’s Quality and sustainability department, we aim to achieve the standards for more than 12,000 products, sold in more than 2,600 stores in 13 countries – a number that is still growing. And together with buying we are working on improving the quality of our assortment every day. Did you know we have had many award-winning products? The quality and sustainability department has over 25 colleagues who thrive on securing and improving product quality and social compliance and setting the standards for sustainable manufacturing.  
 

Whether it is buying, planning or quality, your role is crucial for Action's growth across Europe. Speaking of growth, you will also make great strides thanks to the many opportunities for personal development and career options. Join our international, energetic, open, and supportive team and help us surprise our millions of customers every day!

Curious about your new colleagues? Your manager, mentor and teammates can't wait to support you during your traineeship.    
 

What you offer

You are interested in retail, entrepreneurial, have lots of commercial insight and a hands-on mindset –everything you need as a Commerce Trainee at Action. You learn quickly, have good analytical skills, and take a practical approach to your work. What is more, you keep an eye on the market for any (emerging) trends. Your confidence and communication skills also allow you to find your way in our challenging and fast-changing work environment.  

Your background

• Bachelor’s degree in Purchase or Commerce or Supply Chain or Management;
• 1-2 years of work experience in sourcing / purchasing, preferably within retail;
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office;
• Good command of English (spoken and written).

Necessary competencies

• Analytical thinking to be able to assess situations and make data-driven decisions.
• Learning agility to be able to gain as much knowledge as possible from all your interactions and projects during the Traineeship.
• Flexibility to keep projects moving without delays and adapt to new policies and requirements.
• Ownership to take responsibility for successes and failures, ensuring continuous improvement.
   

What we offer

From our headquarters in the Netherlands, you will have an impact across the whole of Europe. We are now up to more than 2,600 stores in 13 countries and millions of smiles from our customers – and we are not stopping there, because we have major growth ambitions, both for Action and you. Our growth means you can always take new steps to develop as a professional, whether that means a different position, an interesting innovation project or new skills. And you can do all that in a culture where we truly embrace our shared values: customer focus, teamwork, simplicity, discipline, cost-consciousness and respect.  

You can also count on Action for the following:  

• 24 days of holiday and the option to buy 5 extra days (based on 38 hours per week)
• 15% staff discount on your purchases at Action   
• Collective health insurance and travel allowance (Zwaagdijk is reachable from Amsterdam by car in just 30 minutes on uncongested roads)  
   

How we contribute to society

We are also working hard behind the scenes to make a positive impact on society and the environment. Did you know we sponsor more than 2,000 children worldwide who are growing up in an SOS Children's Village? Or that our team reflects the diversity of our customers, representing 155 nationalities? Or that 94% of our wood products and 100% of our cotton already come from sustainable sources? Or that we only use energy-efficient LED lighting in almost all our stores? If you are curious about what other initiatives we're taking, join our team and see for yourself.  
 

Interested?

We're proud to be an inclusive employer, and we warmly invite anyone who sees themselves in the vacancy to apply. So take action and respond to this vacancy now!  

Throughout the process, your recruiter is your permanent point of contact and is available to answer any questions you may have. 

We give priority to internal colleagues who apply by May 22, 2025. External candidates will be considered from May 23, 2025 onwards.