Category Buyer

Karsten; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent pension scheme

Travel allowance or OV card

13th month

8% holiday pay

Daily fresh lunch

Bike lease

OpenUp for well-being + massage

Discounts on products

Office in Amsterdam

Job summary

Karsten International seeks a Category Buyer to negotiate with suppliers, oversee purchase orders, and manage a broad product range from gadgets to home decor. You will test commercial feasibility, collaborate with Sales, Quality, Packaging, and teams in China to drive profitable assortment decisions.

Join a fast-growing team in Amsterdam, leveraging your category management and product development experience, with travel opportunities and a strong emphasis on market insight and supplier

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant experience as Category Buyer, Product Manager, or Purchaser within retail.
• Experience with category management and product development.
• Familiarity with Chinese business culture.
• Strong knowledge of the purchasing process.
• Sharp, analytical, accurate, and energetic.
• B driving license and willingness to travel abroad several times a year.

Responsibilities

• Execute price requests and negotiations, and calculate prices for quotations.
• Perform trend watching, market research, and attend international fairs.
• Initiate and realize product innovations to match market needs.
• Balance tactical and strategic factors to develop and implement product strategies.
• Act as contact for assortments, prices, and other product information.
• Select and evaluate suppliers.
• Set preconditions and agreements with involved parties on services and products related to production, quality, delivery, and deadlines.

Skills

Category Buyer experience

Product management

Purchasing process

Analytical thinking

Travel ability

Client and supplier relations

Job description

Do you have a passion for consumer products, and do you want to see the results of your work in hundreds of stores? Do you make razor-sharp purchasing deals and know how to find opportunities in the market? Then read on.

In this exciting role, you will negotiate, place, and oversee purchase orders with suppliers.

As an indispensable link in the procurement of non-food products across various categories, you will work with multimedia, gadgets, hobby, home decorations, household, personal care, pet items, and more. Together with other Category Buyers, you will test the commercial feasibility of products and collaborate with Sales, Quality Management, Packaging Design, the team in China, and suppliers.

You will accomplish this by:

• Executing price requests and negotiations, and making price calculations for sales quotations.
• Trend watching, market research, and searching at international fairs.
• Initiating and realizing product innovations to respond to changing market needs.
• Balancing various factors on a tactical and strategic level to achieve the development and implementation of strategic and operational product strategies in the short and long term.
• Acting as the point of contact for colleagues’ questions about assortments, prices, and other product information.
• Selecting and evaluating suppliers.
• Setting preconditions and making agreements with involved parties and colleagues about services and products to be delivered in connection with production, certification, quality, delivery, deadlines, and more.

Job requirements

What you bring with you

• 5+ years of relevant experience as a Category Buyer, Product Manager, or Purchaser within the retail industry.
• Experience with and knowledge of category management and product development.
• Familiarity with Chinese business culture.
• Strong knowledge of the purchasing process.
• Sharpness, analytical ability, accuracy, and boundless energy.
• A driving license B and no objection to traveling abroad several times a year.

What you can expect from us

At Karsten International, you will join a supportive, ambitious team where people work hard, stay sharp, and enjoy what they do. The company is growing fast, so there is plenty of room to share ideas, take ownership, and make an impact. The culture is open, helpful, direct, and respectful.

What we offer

• Plenty of space for personal growth, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Excellent pension scheme.
• Travel allowance or OV card, 13th month, and 8% holiday pay.
• Daily fresh lunch, fruit, and great coffee.
• Bootcamp, yoga, and football team.
• Option to lease a bike.
• OpenUp for mental well-being plus massage at the office.
• Discounts on great products and fun company outings.
• An easily accessible office in Amsterdam.

Who we are?

Karsten International develops a wide range of products for daily use, from the latest gadgets to sustainable beauty products. In addition to working hard and delivering quality, enjoyment and collegiality are top priorities. The team consists of driven product developers, sales experts, logistics talents, online marketing specialists, and graphic designers. You will be given every opportunity to contribute to this.

Our core values

• Efficient & cost-conscious: We manage time and resources smartly, think critically, and value what’s already in place.
• Ambitious with long-term focus: We take ownership, build lasting relationships, and stay humble in our success.
• Striving for the best: We measure, learn, improve, and challenge each other to exceed expectations.
• Direct & respectful: We communicate openly and treat everyone with respect, regardless of background.
• We like to have fun: We enjoy what we do and create a positive, energetic work environment.