Director Operations & Supply Chain Europe

YER; Rotterdam; On-site; EUR 160,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Company car

Job summary

YER is recruiting an experienced Director Operations & Supply Chain Europe to lead Ops &SC across multiple European markets. You will shape execution in a complex matrix and mobilize leaders to deliver tangible improvements in service, cost and working capital.

You will drive forecasting, inventory, logistics, and customer service improvements, building a high-performing European leadership team and standardized processes to support growth. English fluency mandatory.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business or a related discipline.
• At least 15 years of senior leadership experience within Operations and/or Supply Chain.
• Significant multi-country or regional leadership responsibility.
• Proven success within complex matrix organizations.
• Experience leading operational transformations and multi-country integration programs.
• Strong expertise across supply chain, logistics, customer service, planning and operations.
• Experience with S&OP, forecasting, inventory optimization and operational performance management.
• Strong financial acumen with experience in productivity, cost-to-serve and working capital improvement.
• Fluency in English.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Operations, Supply Chain, planning & inventory management, warehousing & logistics, and customer service.
• Strengthen governance and performance management across Europe.
• Optimize forecasting, planning and S&OP processes.
• Improve inventory management, working capital and asset utilization.
• Drive logistics network optimization and capacity improvement initiatives.
• Develop a high-performing European Operations & Supply Chain leadership team.
• Implement standardized processes, KPIs and operating procedures.
• Ensure operational scalability to support future growth.
• Travel across Europe ~50% especially in early transformation phase.

Skills

Leadership

Regional leadership

S&OP

Forecasting

Inventory optimization

Cost-to-serve

Working capital improvement

Financial acumen

English fluency

Change management

Analytical

Data-driven

Hands-on

Decision making

Education

Bachelor degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business or a related discipline

Job description

Are you an experienced Operations & Supply Chain leader who thrives in complex international environments? Do you have a proven track record in driving operational performance, integrating business units, and building structure across a matrix organization? And do you get energized by delivering transformation rather than simply designing it?

As Director Operations & Supply Chain Europe, you will be responsible for the operational and supply chain performance across a multi-country European organization comprising distribution centers, warehouses, customer service operations, and value-added manufacturing activities.

You will be a key member of the European leadership team and play a critical role in shaping and executing the next phase of the company's operational transformation.

This position has been created as part of a broader transformation journey. The strategic direction has already been defined. The challenge now lies in execution. Therefore, we are not looking for a consultant or architect, but for a leader who can mobilize people, build alignment, and deliver tangible results.

Operating within a complex matrix environment, you will work closely with country leaders, commercial teams, operational managers, and executive stakeholders across Europe. Success in this role requires operational credibility, strong leadership skills, organizational sensitivity, and the ability to influence across multiple functions and geographies.

You will have overall responsibility for:

• Operations
• Supply Chain Management
• Planning & Inventory Management
• Warehousing & Logistics
• Customer Service
• Quality & HSE
• Operational Excellence

In addition, you will be responsible for:

• Improving service levels, productivity, safety, quality and cost performance;
• Strengthening operational governance and performance management across Europe;
• Optimizing forecasting, planning and S&OP processes;
• Improving inventory management, working capital and asset utilization;
• Driving logistics, network optimization and capacity improvement initiatives;
• Developing a high-performing European Operations & Supply Chain leadership team;
• Implementing standardized processes, KPIs and operating procedures;
• Ensuring operational scalability to support future business growth.

The position requires approximately 50% travel across Europe, particularly during the first phase of the transformation agenda.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an experienced Operations & Supply Chain executive with a strong track record within complex international organizations.

You are not someone who only develops strategies or transformation roadmaps. You are an operational leader who has delivered results, led challenging change initiatives, and successfully navigated organizational complexity.

You understand the constant balance between customer service, inventory, operational efficiency, costs, capacity and business performance. You know how to transform data and insights into action and sustainable improvements.

In addition, you bring:

• Bachelor degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business or a related discipline;
• At least 15 years of senior leadership experience within Operations and/or Supply Chain;
• Significant multi-country or regional leadership responsibility;
• Proven success within complex matrix organizations;
• Experience leading operational transformations and multi-country integration programs;
• Strong expertise across supply chain, logistics, customer service, planning and operations;
• Experience with S&OP, forecasting, inventory optimization and operational performance management;
• Strong financial acumen with experience in productivity, cost-to-serve and working capital improvement;
• Fluency in English.

Personal Characteristics:

• Strong leadership presence and credibility;
• High energy and drive;
• Results-oriented and pragmatic;
• Independent and self-starting;
• Strong change management and execution capabilities;
• Analytical and data-driven;
• Hands-on when required;
• Comfortable making difficult decisions and managing resistance.

Above all, we are looking for a leader who sees transformation not as a project, but as a responsibility. Someone equally comfortable in a warehouse, manufacturing operation or distribution center as in the boardroom. A leader who challenges assumptions, drives accountability, and builds a higher-performing organization capable of supporting future growth.

Agreements

This role offers a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact on the operational future of a leading international organization.

You can expect:

• A salary of €160.000 - €190.000,- gross per year;
• Bonus;
• Company car;
• A senior European leadership position with significant visibility;
• A central role within a large-scale transformation program;
• Direct exposure to regional and international executive leadership;
• Significant autonomy and ownership;
• A dynamic international environment characterized by growth and change;
• The opportunity to leave a lasting legacy in terms of performance, structure and organizational capability.

Company Description

Our client is an international B2B organization operating across multiple European markets. Through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, the company has built a leading position within specialized industrial and technical markets.

The organization is currently entering an important new phase of development. Historically, many activities have been managed locally with their own systems, processes and ways of working. The ambition for the coming years is to create a more integrated European operating model, enabling greater efficiency, scalability and customer focus.

This creates significant opportunities within operational excellence, supply chain integration, network optimization, digitalization and performance management. At the same time, it requires a leader who understands how transformation is successfully implemented within a complex multinational environment.

The culture is entrepreneurial, international and performance-driven, with a strong focus on ownership, collaboration and continuous improvement.