Logistics Manager

Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast-growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people? Then this is the place for you.

As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits. To succeed at pladis you need to be purpose-led, resilient and positive because we expect pace and agility, we insist on collaboration and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear Vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact.

The Challenge

We are looking for a Logistics Manager, with a big passion for Logistics and biscuits. We offer you the opportunity to join our team and contribute to our mission to bring ‘Happiness with every bite’.

As Logistics Manager, you will play a pivotal role in supporting pladis’ ambition to expand its presence in the European region while ensuring a high level of service for our customers. You will be responsible for the effective management and execution of logistics and distribution activities, with a strong focus on continuous improvement in quality and cost control. Reporting to the Customer Service and Logistics European Head, you will operate in a cross-functional role, collaborating closely with departments such as Commercial, Customer Service, Demand Planning, Procurement, Factories, IT, and other logistics teams across Europe. In addition to internal coordination, you will oversee the 3PL distribution center and are expected to stay informed on logistics trends and supplier developments. Your insights will help guide the organization in identifying potential impacts and opportunities within the logistics landscape.

Your main responsibilities

• Overseeing the performance of 3PL and transport partners, including international flows between factories, co-packers, co-makers, and the Distribution Center.
• Supervising inbound and outbound logistics at the 3PL distribution center, ensuring quality standards, managing disputes, and overseeing storage and co-packing operations.
• Monitoring KPIs and developing action plans to drive continuous improvement.
• Managing the logistics budget, tracking expenses, identifying cost-saving opportunities, and implementing best practices for process optimization.
• Collaborating with Procurement to define tender specifications and select logistics partners.
• Representing pladis in operational and strategic committees with 3PL partners, with a focus on operational excellence and long-term development.

You will also lead and coordinate tactical and operational projects aimed at continuous improvement and cost reduction, including:

• Driving supply chain projects across planning, warehousing, distribution, transport, and co-packing to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• Managing projects from initiation to completion, ensuring timely delivery within budget, and reporting progress to Steering Committees.
• Supporting co-packing initiatives in collaboration with Marketing and co-packers.
• Managing KPI reporting and developing action plans to reach best-in-class standards.
• Analyzing distribution profiles and supply chain inventories to identify and reduce logistics costs.
• Evaluating logistics performance in collaboration with the Commercial department.
• Ensuring new product developments are logistically optimized.
• Leading lean implementation initiatives.
• Continuously evaluating and optimizing the logistics network and executing strategic initiatives.
• Standardizing and streamlining processes between pladis and its logistics partners.
• Driving the development of documentation and reporting standards.

What do you bring?

• A university degree, preferably in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 3 to 5 years of experience in logistics or supply chain management; experience within the FMCG sector is a strong plus.
• Solid understanding of demand and supply planning fundamentals.
• Proficiency in ERP systems and advanced Excel skills.
• A strong drive for results, continuous improvement, and change management.
• A customer-focused approach with the ability to balance service and efficiency.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, in Dutch and English.

What we offer

Working for pladis means challenging jobs, career opportunities and an inspiring environment that allow you to enhance your personal development. pladis recognizes that the ongoing success of the company depends on the continued development and engagement of our employees and pursues a fair and competitive remuneration policy, recognizing individual and team competencies and performance.

• Fixed term employment (12 months) with possibility of a permanent contract
• Development opportunities through our pladis Academy & other training programs
• A competitive salary
• 34 holidays (based on fulltime)
• Pension in pensionfund ‘Zoetwaren’
• Discounts on health insurance, gym memberships, bikes etc.
• Biscuits, chocolate and other snacks from our personnel store
• The best colleagues in an informal working environment

Who are we?

Koninklijke Verkade, founded in 1886, with amazing brands like Verkade and Sultana, has been part of pladis since 2016. pladis is one of the world's leading snacking companies. We are the proud steward of over 300 years of family baking and confectionery experience, with a worldwide community of 16,000 colleagues. Each of us brings our experience in happiness. Each of us is unique, but we find each other as a family of bakers and chocolatiers, hardworking, with pride and purpose. After all these years, we believe that biscuits and chocolate bring people together. We are pladis. We bake Happiness. Happiness with every bite.

pladis succeeds because of people like you. People who wake up in the morning excited to get to work. Who believe in themselves and their potential. Who want to grow as part of a global community of like-minded colleagues. pladis colleagues care deeply about being the best—about winning, staying the course and never giving up. Whichever part of the world we’re in, whatever our role—whether we’re baking, working in HR, finance, marketing or many other areas—we win as one pladis team.

And while we’re all unique, we share something in common. It’s the code by which we live and work. We call it our ‘Winning Traits & Behaviours’: Purpose Led, Agile, Collaborative, Positive and Resilient. Five aspects of pladis life that define who we are, how we interact and get things done.