Sourcing Specialist

(Full-time, 38 hours per week)

Do you want to work for a highly successful, fast-growing international retailer offering a host of growth opportunities? Join our Buying team as a Sourcing Specialist at Action and play a key role in supporting the overall growth of our company.
 

Your Sourcing team

The Sourcing department is responsible for managing, developing, improving and guiding sourcing from Asia, the Turkish region and across Europe. 
Some of the sourcing activities have an impact on other departments such as Procurement, Commercial Planning, Commercial Operations, Quality, Sustainability, Supply Chain, Finance and Customs, which implies that the sourcing departments play a central, coordinating role. The goal is to make the Sourcing-oriented activities as efficient, scalable and resilient as possible so we can achieve a clean, tidy transfer to Supply Chain.
The European Sourcing team was set up in 2023 to build a network and way of working for direct sourcing from European manufacturers.  

Your daily actions

Sourcing is responsible for securing Action's purchases by finding the best manufacturing partners with the capacity to support Action's network and growth ambitions, as well as the most competitive offers for our customers. 
As a Sourcing Specialist, you will coordinate and be the most important link between the Action Buying team, internal stakeholders and our suppliers. 

• You will explore the different purchasing channels using your own insights and/or based on buyers' needs and requests in order to build and maintain a network of direct manufacturers in Europe. You will play an active role in managing supplier search activities, the pre-selection process for suppliers and product ranges, as well as the post-order process (including sample, artwork and logistics flows). 
• You will set up a database of potential suppliers to create an overview of the European (manufacturing) market.
• You will act independently as an Action representative towards new and existing suppliers. 
• You will travel independently to visit suppliers and trade fairs to establish new contacts with suppliers or manage existing relationships.
• You will be the first point of contact for suppliers and act as the coordinator for order management right through from the time of purchase to the shipment/transport of orders. 
• You will assist buyers as far as possible in their non-core activities for sourcing new suppliers, allowing buyers to focus on category management, product selection, and quality and pricing.

What you offer

• You have a Bachelor's degree in procurement, trade, supply chain or management.
• You have more than three years' work experience in sourcing/procurement, preferably within retail.
• You are proficient in Microsoft Office.
• You have experience of cross-functional collaboration.
• You have an excellent command of English (spoken and written). Polish as your first or second language would be an asset.
• You are proactive, well organised and responsive.
• You have excellent administrative skills and an eye for detail.
• You demonstrate a high level of pragmatism.

What we offer

Quite a lot, actually! From our international headquarters in the Netherlands, you will have an impact on what happens in our stores across Europe. We welcome more than 15 million customers to more than 2,900 stores in 12 European countries every week –  and we're not stopping there, because we have big 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:

• A competitive salary based on a 38-hour week
• An annual bonus based on achieving company and personal targets
• 24 days' holiday with the option to buy five additional days (based on 38 hours per week)
• Flexible/hybrid working hours 
• A 15% staff discount on your purchases at Action 
• A good pension scheme, collective health insurance and travel expenses allowance
• A company car
   

How we contribute to society

If you only know Action from our stores, a new world will open up for you when you join us. As an example, we're working hard to make a positive impact on society and the environment. Did you know that we sponsor more than 2,500 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 of our stores? Yes, that's Action, too. If you're curious about any of our other initiatives, join our team and see it all 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 submit an application now!

What happens now:

1. Response to your application within 14 days (usually sooner)
2. First interview with a manager and colleague
3. Online assessment to get to know you better
4. Second interview with your recruiter and others
5. Welcome to Action...

Throughout the process, your recruiter will be your point of contact and will answer any questions you may have.
Integrity is extremely important to us.