Procurement Director - Europe

Purpose of the Position

AFF Recruitment & Executive Search is exclusively supporting a leading international food producer in the search for a Procurement Director - Europe. The organisation is experiencing strong growth and is professionalising its business structures to support further expansion across Europe. This is a challenging greenfield assignment. You will be given the mandate, autonomy and responsibility to build a new procurement function across multiple international sites.

In the initial phase, you will operate close to the business, gaining a deep understanding of current processes, supplier relationships, internal needs and operational realities. From there, you will develop and implement a strategic procurement framework that supports the continuity, scalability and future growth of the organisation. The ideal candidate combines strategic insight with pragmatic execution. You are able to bring structure to a dynamic environment and build a professional, future‑proof procurement organisation from the ground up.

• Develop and implement a strategic procurement policy across all non-food categories for multiple locations in Europe.
• Build a professional, international procurement organisation, including the required processes, governance and reporting structures.
• Manage a significant spend of approximately €400‑500 million across multiple categories.
• Establish supplier management practices, including supplier selection, contracting, performance management and evaluation.
• Deliver cost savings and synergies while safeguarding quality, availability and business continuity.
• Analyse market developments and translate these into strategic opportunities, risk mitigation and procurement priorities.

• Minimum higher professional or academic working and thinking level.
• At least 8 years of senior procurement experience, preferably at Director level.
• At least 5 years of experience within a manufacturing or production environment.
• Proven ability to bring structure, governance and clarity to a dynamic and evolving organisation.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and engage at all organisational levels.
• Highly analytical, results‑driven and commercially astute.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to operate effectively in an international environment.
• Hands‑on mentality combined with the ability to define and execute a long‑term procurement strategy.