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Senior Trainee Buyer
38 hours/week | Zwaagdijk
At Action, Europe’s fastest-growing discount retailer, buying is at the heart of our business—and to stay ahead, we need to invest in the buyers of tomorrow as our success is built on our unique formula and culture.
We believe the best way to develop these buyers is by giving them time to learn and grow within our organization. This allows them to absorb our culture and business approach, while receiving the guidance and mentorship they need to succeed.
The Action Senior Traineeship Buyer Program
Our Senior Traineeship Buyer Program is designed to identify and develop future buying talent. Through this program, we build a strong pipeline of commercially minded buyers who are equipped to drive our buying strategy across product categories and markets.
As a Senior Trainee Buyer, you’ll get hands-on experience and an accelerated development path in international buying with plenty of freedom to try new things. You’ll learn how to work with your colleagues to fill our stores with exciting and sustainable products. You’ll mainly work from our headquarters in Zwaagdijk but also travel abroad regularly.
Your Daily Tasks
As a Trainee Buyer, you’ll be part of the Buying team, making decisions on the products that go into our stores. You’ll help purchase products for one of our 14 categories, like food & drinks, toys, or personal care. You’ll work closely with buyers, buying assistants, and other teams like supply chain, product technology, and marketing to make sure our products are good quality, affordable, and in stock.
You’ll visit suppliers, check out market trends, and look for new opportunities. You’ll search for new products and work on improving the quality, cutting costs, and making existing items more sustainable. With the large volumes we buy, you’ll be able to make a big impact, such as reducing packaging.
You’ll also be involved in strategic planning, like creating category plans to spot future opportunities. You’ll do financial and commercial analyses and figure out key focus areas to help grow your category.
Wow – what a lot … of opportunities and things to do and learn from. Exciting!!!
Curious about your future colleagues? Read their stories.
Meet Your Team
Let us tell you about Buying at Action! You’ll be part of a dynamic team of 50+ people driving Action’s success. Together, we shape the product range, introducing over 150 new products every week. We’re responsible for putting together an affordable, sustainable, and well-balanced range of around 6,000 products. Entrepreneurship and focusing on the customer are at the heart of everything we do. Whether planning or buying, your role will be crucial to Action’s growth across Europe. And as we grow, so will you, with plenty of opportunities for personal development and career growth. Join our international, energetic, and supportive team and help us surprise our millions of customers every day!
About You
You have a commercial mindset and love negotiating with people from different cultures, whether it’s Italian account managers or Chinese suppliers. You’re aware of the financial responsibility and confident enough to close big deals. You keep up with trends and enjoy chasing opportunities both at home and abroad.
In addition, you have:
- A bachelor’s degree
- Some commercial experience
- 1-3 years of work experience
- Good spoken and written English skills
- Digital skills, including experience with programs like Excel
Our Traineeship
Our traineeship is a tailored program where you’ll get hands-on experience with guidance from experienced colleagues. You’ll have personal coaching from a commercial leader and develop through focused training and a personal development plan. You’ll also build a professional network and work with other trainees.
What We Offer
Surprisingly much! From our lively home base in the Netherlands, you’ll have an impact across Europe. We now have over 3,000 stores in 14 countries and millions of happy customers, with big growth ambitions for both Action and you. As Action grows, so will your opportunities – new roles, exciting projects, and chances to develop new skills. All within a culture that lives by our shared values: customer focus, teamwork, simplicity, discipline, cost-consciousness, and respect.
Here’s what else you can expect:
- A competitive salary based on a 38-hour workweek
- 24 vacation days, with the option to buy 5 extra days (based on a 38-hour week)
- 15% staff discount on Action purchases
- A good pension plan, collective health insurance, and a company car or mobility allowance (Zwaagdijk-Oost is just 30 minutes from Amsterdam with no traffic)
Our Contribution to Society
If you only know Action from the stores, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes! We work hard to make a positive impact on society and the environment. For example, we sponsor over 2,500 children in SOS Children’s Villages worldwide. Our team reflects our diverse customer base, with over 125 nationalities. All our private-label chocolate is Fairtrade certified, and 100% of our cotton comes from the Better Cotton Initiative. Our trucks run on biofuel, with some electric ones delivering goods in the Netherlands and Germany. We’ve also switched to LED lighting in all stores and replaced gas heating with electric systems. That’s Action! Want to learn more about our initiatives? Join us and see for yourself.
Interested?
We’re proud to be an inclusive employer and welcome everyone who fits the job description to apply. So take action and apply now!
The Recruitment Process
- We’ll respond to your application within 14 days (usually sooner)
- First interview with the manager and a colleague
- Online assessment to get to know you better
- Second interview, including your recruiter
- Welcome to Action!
Throughout the process, your recruiter will be your main point of contact for any questions you have.
We value integrity, so a pre-employment screening will be part of the process for this role. Ask your recruiter for more details.