Strategy Manager Trainee

Full-time, 38 hours a week

Action is active in 15 countries, and we continue to grow. This growth brings new strategic challenges: how we expand, how we stay successful, and how we keep delivering low prices to millions of customers every day. That is why we are looking for new strategy talent to help shape our long‑term direction.

As a Strategy Manager Trainee, you join an 18‑month programme that helps you grow from a curious starter into a confident strategy professional. You build strong analytical, strategic, and communication skills while working at the centre of the business. From our headquarters in the Netherlands, you work closely with our Strategy and Analytics team, which supports the CEO, CFO, and Executive Committee.

You take on real strategic work from day one, help turn data into clear insights and recommendations, and finish the traineeship with a clear next step into the Strategy Manager I role.

Your daily tasks

The Strategy and Analytics team leads the development and delivery of Action's strategic priorities. As a trainee, you will contribute to real deliverables from day one - from data-driven analyses and competitive assessments to board-ready presentations and cross-functional strategic projects. Your 18 months are structured in three phases, each designed to build on the last.

Phase 1 – Foundation (Months 1-6)

• You will get to know Action's business model, strategic priorities, and how the Strategy and Analytics team operates. You will support ongoing projects and analyses and learn to translate data into clear, actionable insights. Key activities could include:
• Learn how Action's strategy is developed, communicated, and tracked across the organisation.
• Support analytics work: market assessments, competitor tracking, and operational and financial performance analyses.
• Contribute to strategic planning deliverables, including input for the annual budget cycle and business planning materials.
• Build proficiency in structuring problems, designing analyses, and presenting findings clearly to senior audiences.
• Get familiar with the tools and frameworks the team uses for data-driven decision-making.

Phase 2 - Skilling Up (Months 7-12)

• With the foundations in place, you will take on more ownership. You will be assigned to a strategic project and work cross-functionally with business owners, Analytics, and Business Control. Key activities could include:
• Play an active role in cross-functional strategic projects (e.g. supply chain network strategy, store format evolution, or new market entry studies).
• Build and maintain competitive and market intelligence to inform executive decision-making.
• Support the preparation of executive-level materials for the CEO, CFO, and Executive Committee - including Capital Markets and CEO update presentations.
• Develop your ability to independently structure and execute analyses, moving from supported to autonomous delivery.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the business and develop your stakeholder management skills.

Phase 3 - Creating Impact (Months 13-18)

• In the final phase, you will step up to lead a strategic workstream end-to-end, working with the autonomy, rigour, and executive presence expected of a Strategy Manager I. Key activities could include:
• Own and drive a strategic project from problem definition through to board-ready recommendation.
• Lead analyses independently, ensuring outputs are insightful, accurate, and commercially grounded.
• Manage relationships with senior stakeholders and facilitate alignment across functions.
• Contribute to the annual strategic planning cycle and long-term business planning (3–5-year horizon).
• Prepare for transition into the Strategy Manager I role, with a clear development plan agreed with your manager.

Your team

You will be part of the Strategy and Analytics team, which reports directly to the CEO. The team leads the development, articulation, and delivery of Action's strategic priorities - working closely with the CEO, CFO, and Executive Committee on the topics that matter most to the business. From Capital Markets events and major financial transactions to supply chain strategy and store format of the future, the team is at the centre of Action's most impactful decisions.

The Strategy team is known for developing top talent and serves as a steppingstone to future leadership roles across Action. You will work alongside experienced strategy professionals who are genuinely invested in your growth. Your manager, mentor, and teammates cannot wait to support you during your traineeship.

What you offer

You are analytically sharp and naturally curious - you love digging into data to find the story behind the numbers. You think in structures, communicate with clarity, and have the drive to turn insight into action. You are proactive and pragmatic: someone who rolls up their sleeves and gets things done, even when the brief is ambiguous or the deadline is tight. You are highly motivated, energetic, and genuinely excited about working at the intersection of data, strategy, and business impact.

Your background:

• A relevant Master's degree with strong academic results, preferably in Business, Economics, Strategy, or a related field.
• Starter level - up to 3 years of work experience, ideally including an internship in strategy, consulting, analytics, or a related field.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; comfortable working with data and drawing actionable conclusions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Affinity with the retail or consumer industry is a plus.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written); Dutch is an advantage.

Necessary competencies:

• Strategic and analytical thinking - you structure complex problems and generate data-driven insights with clarity and rigour.
• Communication and storytelling - you translate analyses into compelling narratives for senior audiences.
• Proactive and result-oriented - you take ownership, work autonomously, and deliver under tight deadlines.
• Collaborative - you work effectively across teams and functions, building trust with stakeholders at all levels.
• Eagerness to learn - you seek feedback, embrace challenge, and are committed to growing into a Strategy Manager I upon completion of the programme.

What we offer

From our headquarters in the Netherlands, you will have an impact across the whole of Europe. Action's growth means you can always take steps to develop as a professional, whether that means a certain 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. 
  

• A competitive salary (based on a 38-hour working week)
• 24 days holiday with the option to buy five additional 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

If you only know Action from its stores, a whole new world will open up for you when you come to work with us. Behind the scenes, we are working hard to make a positive impact on society and the environment. Did you know, for example, that we sponsor more than 2,000 children worldwide who grow up in an SOS Children's Village? That our team reflects the diversity of our customers, including 124 nationalities? That we already purchase 70% of our wood products and 86% of our cotton sustainably? And that more than half of our stores only use energy-efficient LED lighting? Yes, that's Action too. Curious about what other initiatives we facilitate? Join our team and find out for yourself. 

Interested?

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

What comes next:

1. Response to your application within 14 days 
2. First conversations with a recruitment colleague
3. Online assessment to get to know you better
4. Second interview with the manager and HRBP
5. Matching day (2nd June – Save the date)
6. Welcome to Action

Throughout the process, your recruiter is your permanent point of contact and is available to answer any questions you may have. We believe integrity is of great importance. A pre-employment screening is therefore part of the process for this vacancy.