bol logo

Head of Product - Core Logistics

bol

Utrecht
Contractor
10+ years experience
On-site

€8,500 - €10,600 per month

Key Skills

Product Leadership
Product Strategy
Portfolio Prioritization
People Development
Logistics Network Management
Supply Chain Management
Data-Driven Decision-Making
KPI Frameworks
Experimentation
Financial Analysis
Artificial Intelligence
Operational Cost Reduction
Stakeholder Alignment
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Resource Allocation
Product Craftsmanship

Job Description

The biggest challenge Core Logistics is at the heart of bol's ambition to transform logistics into a competitive advantage. International partner volume is growing fast, expanding both the reach and the demands on the network. Simultaneously, bol is making significant strategic bets across a range of topics. These include a new warehouse going live in 2028, AI initiatives and robotics programs to reduce labor costs, out-of-home delivery scaling, and a VvB (shipment via bol) proposition that needs to accommodate millions of additional parcels. Your challenge is to accelerate this agenda. That means raising the ambition of your teams, sharpening their focus, and maximizing impact at the pace this transformation requires. It also means bringing both internal stakeholders and external partners along. How do you create and foster the necessary shared understanding and the level of commitment that turns strategy into execution? And while you push forward, the network cannot blink. Reliability is non-negotiable. What you will do as Head of Product - Core Logistics You report to the Domain Director of Product & Technology and lead a multi-product area: typically 4 product groups and over 30 colleagues in indirect scope, a mix of Group Product Managers, Senior PMs, and Logistics Process Engineers. Beyond your direct team, you inspire and align over 60 engineers and data scientists who help turn logistics ambitions into reality. You set and drive a clear product vision and long-term strategy for the area, translate that into a coherent portfolio with actionable priorities, and own the investment decisions and resource allocation. You’ll establish the right KPI frameworks and experimentation practices that facilitate outcome-driven decision making. Success at this level calls for two things: delivering the right outcomes today, and developing product leaders who deliver exceptional results tomorrow. Define and own the area product strategy, ensuring alignment with the overall company strategy and cross-domain dependencies Translate our ambitions into a coherent product portfolio with explicit prioritization across strategic, commercial, and technical needs Lead, accelerate, and develop a team of senior product leaders with strong craft, clear accountability, and consistent execution Drive data-driven product development through KPI frameworks and experimentation, with a focus on financial outcomes, including cost per item, reverse logistics costs, and partner economics Shape and steer the product vision for AI initiatives that structurally reduce operational costs and advance bol toward more autonomous logistics solutions Own cross-domain problem-solving, expertly navigating trade-offs across business, technology, and operational needs Align senior stakeholders across Product, Technology, Commercial, and Operations on priorities and outcomes Shape cross-functional ways of working that enable efficient, end-to-end value delivery, and contribute to company-wide product and tech practices, in close collaboration with our craft lead Why you can make a difference You have strong product leadership experience in complex, technology-driven environments, ideally in supply chain, logistics, or related operational domains. You read a logistics network the way others read a P&L statement, and understand how data, AI, and operational systems connect to cost, speed, and reliability. You can turn those insights into a product strategy that is ambitious, compelling and feasible. You have successfully led senior product leaders before, and know how to inspire product craftsmanship. When stakeholders, trade-offs, and constraints multiply, you drive clarity, and make sure everyone stays on the same page. Making high-impact decisions comes naturally, even before every question is answered, and every risk is mitigated. Where you'll be working You will join bol's Core Logistics area within the Logistics & Warehousing domain: 11 product teams spanning Capacity Steering, Delivery, Logistics Channel Foundation, and Order Flow. Together they cover the full operational chain, from S&OP planning and daily network capacity steering to the delivery promises we make online, including the final mile to the customer. This role places you at the heart of one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the Netherlands and Belgium. With multiple warehouses and carriers that need to fulfill millions of shipments, your impact is tangible. If you succeed, 14 million customers and 43,300 partner will have a better experience on our platform. The complexity is real. The mandate is clear. Can you deliver? Something for you? Network as a product: You view the logistics network as a valuable product that requires its own strategy and economics. Capacity models, carrier integrations, and AI programs are crucial milestones on your roadmap. Accelerator of leaders: You speed teams up by developing people, inspiring agency and ownership. With you around, Group PMs and Senior PMs become sharper, faster, and more autonomous. Commitment cultivator: Aligning Product, Tech, Commercial, and Operations behind one priority is what you excel at. You make trade-offs explicit, make the calls, and aren’t afraid to roll with the potential punches. Nothing for you? Deck-driven director: Your favorite steering tool is a review meeting with a slide deck. The warehouse floor, the data, and fire drills? Quarterly visits preferred. Hierarchy loyalist: Impact earned through expertise, enthusiasm, and credibility? You prefer the kind of authority that comes printed on a business card. Steady-state strategist: You design brilliant features for networks that are not live yet or can be paused for rework. Switching between strategic thinking and the operational nitty-gritty is the stuff of nightmares. We take pride in our B Corp certification and strive for continuous improvement every day. Our annual bonus is tied to sustainability goals, and we are committed to equality and equal opportunities for all.Perks of having a blue heart 29 days: to recharge Travel costs: Public transport, car, parking & charging covered Pension plan: 75% premium covered Annual bonus: Based on sustainability goals

Core Responsibilities

Lead the Core Logistics product area, setting its strategy and vision, prioritizing the portfolio, allocating resources, and developing senior product leaders. Align stakeholders across Product, Technology, Commercial, and Operations while driving measurable outcomes in cost, reliability, and logistics performance, including through AI initiatives.

Requirements

Requires extensive product leadership experience in complex, technology-driven environments, ideally in logistics, supply chain, or related operational domains. Candidates should understand how data, AI, and operational systems affect cost, speed, and reliability, and be able to develop senior product leaders, make high-impact decisions, and align stakeholders amid competing priorities.

Benefits

  • 29 Days Of Leave
  • Travel Costs Covered
  • Pension Plan With 75% Of The Premium Covered
  • Annual Bonus Based On Sustainability Goals

About bol

Industry: Retail

Company size: 1,001-5,000 employees

Bol is the largest online retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium. In 1999 we opened our virtual doors as first online bookstore in the Netherlands. Nowadays we’re working with 2.000 colleagues to deliver the best shopping platform ever. To be able to do this we have expanded our shopping platform in the 20 years of our existence. 2010 was the beginning of bol.com in Belgium. The first step towards our southern neighbors. And we opened our shopping platform to other retailers, for our customers to be able to find ‘everything’ on bol.com. Since 2016 it is possible for our partners to advertise via bol.com. And in 2017 Huub Vermeulen opened the doors of our bol fulfilment center. Shortly: together with 2.000 bol.commers we work to make the daily lives of our customer easier.

Added Today