Director of Global Procurement
Polaroid · Amsterdam, Netherlands
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About us: iconic brand, tiny company.
Polaroid was founded in 1937 by one of the 20th century’s most influential innovators, Edwin Land, whose philosophy was: “Don’t undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible.”
In 2008, Polaroid produced its last pack of instant film. But a group of passionate fans refused to let instant photography disappear. What started as The Impossible Project grew into a mission to preserve and reinvent analogue photography for a new generation. More than a decade later, that same startup acquired the Polaroid brand and continues to shape its future today.
At Polaroid, we create products and experiences that spark emotion, fuel creativity, and bring people closer together. At the intersection of art and technology, we believe in the power of analogue moments and genuine human connection in an increasingly digital world.
Job Summary
At Polaroid, we are building a supply network that enables our future: resilient, competitive, globally connected and strategically aligned with our growth ambitions. We are looking for a strategic and hands-on Director of Global Procurement to own our global external spend, supply resilience strategy and supplier ecosystem.
In this role, you will shape how Polaroid sources, partners and manages risk across our global supply base. You will work closely with Operations, Product Development, Manufacturing, Finance and Commercial teams to ensure procurement creates meaningful business value, not simply purchasing efficiency.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and execute Polaroid’s global procurement strategy, aligned with our long-term business and growth ambitions.
- Act as a strategic partner to Operations, Product Development, Manufacturing, Finance and Commercial teams.
- Lead sourcing strategies across direct and indirect spend categories, including electronics and PCBAs, chemicals and film materials, packaging, mechanical and plastic parts, finished goods manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, professional services and corporate spend.
- Build and maintain a robust supply risk management framework, including dual sourcing and contingency plans for critical materials, suppliers and supply chains.
- Reduce dependency on single suppliers, regions and other single points of failure, while monitoring geopolitical, regulatory, capacity and market risks.
- Deliver sustainable savings, cost avoidance and total cost of ownership improvements across the supply base.
- Lead complex commercial negotiations and establish strategic supplier agreements.
- Improve working capital and support margin improvement through procurement-led initiatives.
- Develop local-for-local sourcing capabilities where this improves responsiveness, lead times, resilience, sustainability or cost.
- Build strong executive relationships with strategic suppliers and establish a clear supplier segmentation approach.
- Drive supplier performance across quality, service, cost, innovation and sustainability through regular business reviews and development programmes.
- Ensure responsible, ethical and compliant sourcing practices, supporting Polaroid’s sustainability commitments and regulatory requirements.
- Build, lead and develop a high-performing global procurement organisation.
- Establish clear procurement governance, policies, processes and succession plans, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
Key Qualifications
- 10+ years of progressive procurement leadership experience.
- Proven experience leading global procurement organisations within manufacturing, consumer products, electronics, chemical or industrial environments.
- Experience across both direct and indirect procurement categories.
- A strong track record in procurement transformation, cost and value optimisation, and supply risk management.
- Experience negotiating complex global supplier and service-provider agreements.
- The ability to think strategically while remaining pragmatic and close to execution.
- Strong commercial judgement and the ability to balance cost, quality, service, speed, sustainability and risk.
- The confidence to influence senior stakeholders through insight, data and clear recommendations.
- A collaborative leadership style and the ability to build trusted partnerships internally and externally.
- Comfort operating in a dynamic, fast-changing international environment.
What success looks like
You will build a procurement function that gives Polaroid greater resilience, commercial strength and flexibility - reducing supply risk, improving value across our external spend and creating a supplier ecosystem that supports our growth ambitions.