Customer Service Representative
IFF · Leiden
Job Summary
IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences. We deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products.
Global Operations: Ensuring excellence in execution, from procurement to supply chain and reliability, delivering quality, safety, efficiency and sustainability across the value chain.
The role is based in Leiden, Netherlands. This is a full-time temporary position for an initial period of 7 months, with the possibility of extension based on business needs.
The Customer Service Representative serves as the primary operational interface between IFF and its internal and external customers. In this role, you will receive and process customer orders, inquiries, and complaints while ensuring excellent service throughout the customer journey. You will build and maintain strong relationships with customers and commercial teams, acting as a key communication link between customers, Sales, Supply Chain, Logistics, and other internal stakeholders.
Success in this role requires strong analytical skills, sound judgment, a customer-focused mindset, and a high level of product, process, and export expertise. Be part of an experienced, customer-focused, collaborative, and solution-oriented team where together we can achieve greatness and make a real impact. Your potential is our inspiration.
Where You'll Make a Difference
- Receive, process, and manage customer orders, inquiries, and complaints while ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction.
- Serve as the primary operational contact for assigned customers, building strong relationships and providing exceptional service throughout the customer journey.
- Act as a key communication link between customers, Sales, Supply Chain, Logistics, and other internal stakeholders to ensure seamless order execution and issue resolution.
- Manage customer onboarding activities, including new customer setup, introduction of new products, and implementation of new systems and ways of working.
- Coordinate export documentation and international shipments, ensuring compliance with customs regulations, trade requirements, and company procedures.
- Use your knowledge of products, product availability, customer requirements, and sales territories to provide accurate information and effective solutions.
- Identify and resolve operational issues through root cause analysis, ensuring timely escalation and sustainable corrective actions when required.
- Act as a compliance gatekeeper by maintaining data integrity, ensuring adherence to business procedures, and retaining required documentation for audit purposes.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives, KPI performance, and transformation projects to enhance operational efficiency and customer experience.
What Makes You the Right Fit
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
- Minimum 3 years of experience in Customer Service, Export Operations, Supply Chain, or Logistics.
- Strong experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, preferably SAP Order-to-Cash (OTC).
- Demonstrated expertise in international export processes, customs documentation, export compliance, and global shipping requirements.
- Fluent in English with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving skills with the ability to make sound operational decisions.
- Ability to communicate effectively and build strong relationships across all organizational levels and cultures.
- Proven stakeholder management skills and a collaborative approach to working with customers, commercial teams, and operational partners.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment while maintaining a high level of accuracy and service excellence.
How Would You Stand Out?
- Experience with continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, or Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).
- Knowledge of additional ERP systems such as Microsoft Dynamics, Navision, or similar platforms.
- Experience participating in customer service transformation, process improvement, or digitalization projects.
Why Choose Us?
- Opportunity to work for a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition.
- Exposure to international customers, export operations, and global supply chain processes.
- Collaborative and inclusive work environment with strong cross-functional partnerships.
- Professional onboarding and training programs from day one.
- Continuous learning and development opportunities to support your career growth.
- Potential opportunity for contract extension based on business needs and performance.
We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.
Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more