Senior Logistics Manager

Nearfield Instruments; Rotterdam; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 holidays per calendar year (40h)

8% holiday allowance

Commuting allowance

Discount on health insurance

TEAM culture: Together Everyone Achie…

Challenging role with growth potential

Job summary

Nearfield Instruments is seeking an experienced Senior Logistics Manager to shape and lead our global logistics operations. You will define strategy, own end-to-end shipments, and mentor a growing team across international transport to ensure on-time delivery amidst a fast-paced scale-up environment.

You will coordinate with Sales, Finance, Production and R&D to align logistics with business needs while ensuring regulatory compliance and cost-effective service levels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field.
• 8–10+ years of experience in international logistics or supply chain roles, including team leadership and strategic responsibility.
• Proven experience managing complex global shipments in a high-tech, capital-equipment, or regulated environment including hands-on ownership of logistics execution.
• Strong knowledge of international transport, customs, Incoterms, export control, and trade compliance.
• Experience working with ERP systems and strong Excel skills for analysis and reporting.
• Excellent organizational, coordination, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Able to operate effectively in a fast-paced, scaling organization with changing priorities.
• Fluent in English; Dutch is a plus.
• Proactive, results-driven leader with a hands-on and solution-oriented mindset.
• Ability to balance between developing a global logistics strategy and ability to step in on operational execution when needed.
• Adaptability to a rapidly scaling high-tech company where responsibility comes with delivering results.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the global logistics strategy, aligned with business growth, customer deployments, and operational priorities.
• Own end-to-end logistics operations, including customer shipments, regional transfers, spare parts, and supplier returns.
• Lead and develop the logistics team, providing direction, coaching, and clear accountability across roles and responsibilities.
• Oversee complex international transport, covering road, sea, and air freight, including high-value and high-risk shipments.
• Act as the central logistics escalation point, proactively resolving disruptions, delays, and cross-departmental issues.
• Safeguard delivery performance, ensuring on-time-in-full delivery while meeting technical, contractual, and regulatory requirements.
• Support cross-functional projects delivering logistics excellence.
• Manage relationships with freight forwarders and logistics service providers, optimizing routes, costs, and service levels.
• Ensure compliance with international trade regulations, customs requirements, export control, and dangerous goods rules, in close cooperation with Logistics & Trade Compliance Coordinators and the Export Control Officer.
• Drive process improvements and standardization, including KPI definition, ERP implementation and usage, and continuous optimization of lead times and logistics efficiency.
• Coordinate closely with internal stakeholders (Sales including Spare Parts Service Team, Finance, Production, R&D, Decommissioning and Installment) to align logistics execution with business needs.

Skills

Global logistics strategy

Team leadership

International shipments

ERP systems

Excel

Stakeholder management

English (fluent)

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or related field

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Nearfield Instruments (NFI) is a fast-growing scale-up high-tech company. We design, develop, integrate, market and service advanced metrology machines. Our machines enable our customers - the world’s leading chipmakers – to increase the production yields, and thus, functionality of their microchips, which in turn leads to smaller, more powerful consumer electronics.

Founded in 2016, we bring together the most creative minds (approx. 550 employees) in science and technology and develop a one-of-a-kind, revolutionary high throughput Scanning Probe Microscopy system.

We are looking for an experienced and strategic Senior Logistics Manager to lead and further develop Nearfield Instruments’ global logistics operations. In this role, you are responsible for defining and executing the logistics strategy, overseeing complex international shipments, and ensuring that logistics processes scale effectively with the company’s growth.

You will combine strategic ownership with hands-on leadership, acting as the primary escalation point for high-impact shipments, compliance matters, and cross-functional logistics challenges in a global high-tech environment.

What will you be doing?

• Define and execute the global logistics strategy, aligned with business growth, customer deployments, and operational priorities.

• Own end-to-end logistics operations, including customer shipments, regional transfers, spare parts, and supplier returns.

• Lead and develop the logistics team, providing direction, coaching, and clear accountability across roles and responsibilities.

• Oversee complex international transport, covering road, sea, and air freight, including high-value and high-risk shipments.

• Act as the central logistics escalation point, proactively resolving disruptions, delays, and cross-departmental issues.

• Safeguard delivery performance, ensuring on-time-in-full delivery while meeting technical, contractual, and regulatory requirements.

• Support cross-functional projects delivering logistics excellence.

• Manage relationships with freight forwarders and logistics service providers, optimizing routes, costs, and service levels.

• Ensure compliance with international trade regulations, customs requirements, export control, and dangerous goods rules, in close cooperation with Logistics & Trade Compliance Coordinators and the Export Control Officer.

• Drive process improvements and standardization, including KPI definition, ERP implementation and usage, and continuous optimization of lead times and logistics efficiency.

• Coordinate closely with internal stakeholders (Sales including Spare Parts Service Team, Finance, Production, R&D, Decommissioning and Installment) to align logistics execution with business needs.

A scale up can provide phenomenal opportunities but can also be a hectic environment. You must fit in such a climate and not mind constantly implementing changes and process improvements, and generally speaking go the extra mile on a regular basis while feeling comfortable with some uncertainty.

Furthermore, you need to recognize yourself in the profile as described below:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field.

• 8–10+ years of experience in international logistics or supply chain roles, including team leadership and strategic responsibility.

• Proven experience managing complex global shipments in a high-tech, capital-equipment, or regulated environment including hands-on ownership of logistics execution.

• Strong knowledge of international transport, customs, Incoterms, export control, and trade compliance.

• Experience working with ERP systems and strong Excel skills for analysis and reporting.

• Excellent organizational, coordination, and stakeholder-management skills.

• Able to operate effectively in a fast-paced, scaling organization with changing priorities.

• Fluent in English; Dutch is a plus.

• Proactive, results-driven leader with a hands-on and solution-oriented mindset.

• Ability to balance between developing a global logistics strategy and ability to step in on operational execution when needed.

• Adaptability to a rapidly scaling high-tech company where responsibility comes with delivering results.

What can you expect from us?

Getting on board now is a great opportunity to grow with the company from a technical, personal, and financial perspective. Nearfield's momentum is energetic and promising!

Our starting point is of course to pay someone a fair and competitive salary and besides this we offer you:

• Valuation of your work-life balance;

• Time for some relaxation: 30 holidays per calendar year (based on 40 hours);

• 8% holiday allowance;

• Commuting allowance;

• Discount on your health insurance;

• We are here to support one another, and colleagues are there to help you. TEAM is very important, Together Everyone Achieves More!

• Besides a challenging role where you can utilize the full extent of your professional knowledge.

[e-mail]

Ricardo Jozefa - Talent Acquisition Specialist