Service Manager Procurement

We are looking for a Service Manager Procurement to lead our Akkodis Purchase team, working onsite at the European Space Agency in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

Akkodis has proudly supported the Aerospace & Defence industry in the Netherlands for decades. Our partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) has been one of the many success stories allowing our people to expand their career horizons. Akkodis experts are contributing to some of the most important technical advances in Aerospace and Defence which impact the way we live our lives today, through specialised engineering expertise and other required skillsets. This could be your future. Become part of our successful team!

In addition to engineering expertise Akkodis also supports our customers with other, diverse, activities. One of those activities is taking the responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the ESA Purchase office as an outsourced function operating within, and reporting, to the ESA General Procurement department.

Specific tasks to be performed:

• Be the first point of contact with the client, The European Space Agency (ESA), as the procurement team is a service of Akkodis, in accordance with the pre-set Service Level Agreement;
• Reporting on a quarterly and where needed on a day to day basis to the client;
• Lead the Purchase Office team to ensure delivery of the service to ESA in accordance with the obligations in the Service Level Agreement and good practices in public procurement;
• Review, analyse, approve, reject or request clarifications regarding internal purchase requests and Amendments to POs received in the ESA electronic procurement tool (esa-p). Consult with ESA initiators to clearly define the relevant requirements;
• Evaluate and decide if an activity should be placed as PO or as Contract. The rationale of such decision shall be communicated to the ESA initiators;
• Distribute the received procurement actions to the team;
• Initiate, negotiate and ensure that long-term Agreements ("Framework Agreements) are developed, implemented, and managed with suppliers, keeping ESA General Procurment department informed as well as other Procurement Officers / assistants buyers working on other ESA sites;
• Directly execute (up to 50% of the time) and/or give support/ advise to the buyers complex/high risk procurement activities
• Provide a fast track for the performance of high risk-emergency purchases;
• Continuously analyse all activities and processes with the aim of improving efficiency by searching and proposing options to improve these processes, work methodolodgies and the purchase policy;
• Handling and following up complaints of initiators and suppliers keeping informed the ESA General Procurment department in case escalation is required;
• Reporting of any non-compliance with ESA Applicable rules and regulations, to the Agency Technical Representative and its Deputy;
• Ensuring the level of risk in the purchasing of goods and services is as low as possible for ESA;
• Continuesly striving for further development of the procurement office and aiming for adding value to the ESA service.

Procurement team main activities and responsibilities:

• Timely implement all purchasing requests, with assurance that the relevant ESA procedures and rules have been followed, approvals received and that the initiator's justified needs are satisfactory fulfilled;
• Negotiate with suppliers so as to achieve the most favourable conditions for the Agency, taking into account the quality, the standards to be maintained by the Agency and the whole life cycle of the goods to be purchased;
• Communicate timely, effectively and in a professional manner;
• Provide initial responses, in a timely manner, to enquiries received;
• Assist the ESA initiators in defining the purchase requirements;
• Coordinate with ESA initiators to ensure that their requirements are fulfilled while remaining compliant with ESA rules and regulations;
• For all procurement requests, ensure that all supporting documents required by ESA rules, regulations and procedures are attached in esa-p for traceability purposes;
• In case of competition, the Service Provider shall select and implement the most appropriate type of evaluation in accordance with Client's guidelines (PO Manual);
• The processing, negotiation until final drafting, of all Purchase Orders in an autonomous and professional way. Ensure the respect of generally accepted ethical rules of confidentiality, loyalty and impartiality, with a view of maintaining an objective and fruitful relationship with ESA representatives, customers and suppliers;
• Send to suppliers the signed Purchase Orders electronically;
• Ensure the acceptance signature by new suppliers of the ESA General Purchase Conditions;
• The Service Provider shall be responsible to keep track and file all documentation and information relative to each Purchase Order;
• Keep, maintain, and update a Purchase Order Status Database;
• Record, on the shared email account and on an inventory system, data and correspondences related to Purchase Orders and Framework Agreements;
• Attach in esa-p the signed/countersigned copies of all Purchase Orders;
• Store in an electronic file the signed evaluation reports, proposals received and all relevant correspondence;
• File all proposals received from unsuccessful bidders for a minimum period of 6 months.

To successfully perform the above mentioned tasks, the following background / experience is required:

• Master degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management or Business Administration. Other similar qualifications will be considered;
• Procurement certifications such as Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), NEVI-1 or inkooppraktijk-A (INKOOPACADEMIE) or similar qualification are desirable;
• We are looking for a senior candidate with about 10 years of relevant working experience including a few years leading a purchasing team preferably within an international environment or complex organisation;
• Good knowledge of (public) purchasing, negotiation, commercial understanding, and cost breakdown;
• Computer literate, with advanced Excel skills/abilities;
• Familiarity with SAP would be beneficial;
• Fluent knowledge of the English language. Knowledge of the Dutch and/or French language will be beneficial.

About ESA-ESTEC

The European Space Agency (ESA) has sites in several European countries.

The European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), has grown into ESA's largest establishment and the technical and organizational hub of Europe's space sector. Missions designed and tested at ESTEC are circling Earth, have landed on planetary bodies and have probed far into the Solar System.

The infrastructure and equipment assembled here, together with the expert knowhow of its 2800 personnel, make ESTEC a unique resource for Europe. The work done here by teams skilled in every aspect of engineering for space has enabled the creation of novel communication, navigation and information services, creating new jobs and growth while improving the lives of European and world citizens.

Please send your CV to as soon as possible