Jobs / operations
Senior Buyer
Paebbl · Rotterdam
About the role
About Paebbl
Paebbl is an industrial resilience company turning captured CO₂ into carbon-storing building materials. We accelerate the natural process of CO₂ mineralisation- in which CO₂ reacts with minerals to form stable carbonates from thousands of years -to a matter of hours, producing a carbon-negative powder that can replace conventional, heavily emitting cementitious materials. Having switched on the world’s first continuous CO₂ mineralisation demonstration plant, we are now scaling from startup execution into structured industrial operations. It is a fast-moving environment where pragmatism, ownership, and the ability to build things that work in the real world matter.
Why This Role Matters
Paebbl’s first commercial plant is the most important procurement challenge the company has undertaken. The success of the project will depend not only on selecting the right technology, but on building a robust, competitive and executable supply chain capable of supporting the final investment decision, construction, commissioning and future scale-up.
The role bridges today’s development work and tomorrow’s project execution, reducing project risk, improving cost certainty and accelerating procurement readiness.
Role Purpose
Work closely with Engineering, Project Delivery, Supply Chain and Finance to ensure procurement becomes a competitive advantage rather than a project bottleneck.
Key Responsibilities
Procurement Strategy and Readiness
Develop the overall procurement strategy for the first commercial plant.
Build package strategies for major equipment and construction scopes.
Create procurement schedules aligned with project milestones and long-lead requirements.
Identify procurement risks and mitigation plans.
Supplier Development and Market Engagement
Map and prioritise suppliers across key packages for the first commercial plant.
Build relationships with strategic equipment manufacturers and service providers.
Conduct supplier assessments, factory visits and capability reviews.
Develop a qualified supplier pipeline before formal tendering begins.
Cost and Commercial Development
Build and continuously refine equipment cost models.
Improve confidence in capital cost estimates for the first commercial plant.
Support business case development and investment decisions.
Identify opportunities for standardisation, cost reduction and strategic partnerships.
Sourcing and Contracting
Prepare and manage requests for information, requests for quotation and requests for proposal.
Lead commercial negotiations for major equipment packages.
Support development of contracting strategies and supplier agreements.
Drive competitive tension while maintaining strategic supplier relationships.
Cross-Functional Leadership
Work closely with Engineering to ensure specifications are procurement-ready.
Support site selection activities where supplier and infrastructure input is required.
Coordinate with Finance and Project Controls on budget development and forecasting.
Candidate Profile
5-10 years of procurement, project procurement or capital project sourcing experience.
Background in industrial plants, chemicals, mining, energy, process industries or engineering, procurement and construction environments.
Strong commercial negotiation capability.
Comfortable operating in ambiguity and building processes from scratch.
Able to engage credibly with engineers, suppliers and senior leadership.
Entrepreneurial mindset with a willingness to build rather than maintain.
The Person Who Will Thrive in This Role
You will likely succeed in this role if you are practical, proactive, and comfortable building a procurement function from the ground up at the pace of a scale-up. You are equally at home talking specifications with engineers, negotiating hard with suppliers, and presenting cost and risk to senior leadership. You bring strong commercial judgment, low ego, and a genuine preference for building something rather than maintaining it.
What Good Looks Like in Year One
After the first year, this person will have turned procurement into a source of confidence for the first commercial plant rather than a project risk.
By the end of 2026, strategic sourcing plans will be defined for the major equipment and construction packages, and the long-lead equipment supplier landscape will be mapped and prioritised.
Competitive supplier engagement will be underway across the critical categories, with strong relationships established across key equipment and construction suppliers.
Confidence in the capital cost estimates and procurement assumptions for the first commercial plant will have improved measurably, supported by validated cost models.
Most importantly, a clear procurement readiness plan will be established