Procurement Lead - UAV Manufacturing

About the role

Destinus, which develops Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for defence, is looking for a Procurement Lead for its key European site in the Netherlands. You will own the day-to-day procurement operations, support the manufacturing and engineering teams so that materials and services are available when and where needed, lead a small team of Buyers, manage the local supplier base and act as the main link between global procurement and local operations.

Key responsibilities

• Lead, mentor and develop the local purchasing team, driving accountability, efficiency and continuous improvement.
• Own day-to-day procurement operations for the Netherlands site and ensure an effective end-to-end Procure-to-Pay process aligned with global policies.
• Manage relationships and performance across the local supplier base, focusing on delivery, quality, cost and responsiveness.
• Act as the main escalation point for local supply issues, resolving them quickly with suppliers and internal teams.
• Lead tactical sourcing and supplier negotiations for local spend, balancing cost, quality, delivery and risk.
• Partner with Site, Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering and R&D teams to turn their requirements into effective procurement actions.
• Identify opportunities to improve procurement processes, supplier performance and operational efficiency.

Required profile

• 5-8+ years of experience in procurement, purchasing or supply chain within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience leading, coaching or mentoring Buyers or other procurement professionals.
• Experience in a multi-site or international organisation.
• Professional fluency in English.
• A strong advantage: experience in aerospace, defence, automotive or another complex engineering environment.

Required skills

• Strong understanding of end-to-end procurement and Procure-to-Pay processes.
• Solid supplier management, negotiation, sourcing and problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong ERP skills, ideally with Microsoft Dynamics.

The company states that security screening and a Certificate of Conduct (VOG) are part of the application process. Destinus describes itself as an equal-opportunity employer.