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ICEYE, the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space, is seeking an Engineering Supply Chain Manager (Mechanical) to join its Global Supply Chain organization in Amsterdam. You will work closely with hardware engineering teams designing and building mechanical systems for satellite constellations, operating in a fast-paced, startup-like environment with tight and shifting timelines.
Your primary mission is to serve as the hands-on supply chain counterpart for mechanical engineering teams working on multiple, rapidly evolving hardware projects. You will identify long lead items, critical raw materials, and complex parts as early as possible in the design process, securing them proactively before they become bottlenecks for testing and builds. When machining capacity, material availability, special process queues, or late design changes threaten prototype schedules, you will act decisively to find solutions.
Key responsibilities include:
**High-Velocity Engineering Support:** Translate early-stage concepts and evolving BOMs into actionable sourcing steps with minimal delay. Provide engineers with real-time insights on material and component availability, quick-turn manufacturing options, and identify supply issues before they become blockers.
**Rapid Sourcing & Procurement Execution:** Own project procurement of CNC machined parts, structural elements, composite parts, mechanisms, motors, fasteners, bearings, thermal hardware, and raw materials, including special processes such as heat treatment, surface treatments, and coatings. Run fast quoting and supplier selection to meet engineering timelines. Lead efforts to find alternative suppliers, processes, or materials within hours when shortages occur. Set stock levels and material availability plans for development and prototype builds.
**Supplier Interaction & Technical Engagement:** Work closely with machine shops, composite fabricators, special process providers, and material distributors to understand lead time constraints, manufacturing capabilities, DFM implications, and fast-track build options. Support technical capability assessments and negotiate priority machine time, expedited processing, and shipments.
**Cross-Functional Collaboration:** Coordinate across engineering, manufacturing, program management, and operations to remove obstacles and maintain build readiness. Maintain complete visibility into prototype schedules, engineering changes, and material risks, communicating clearly and frequently. Operate with a bias for action: chase unclear items, fix broken processes, and find missing resources.
**Risk Management & Continuous Improvement:** Build and maintain a living view of supply risks across all active projects, including capacity constraints, raw material availability, single-source suppliers, special process bottlenecks, and export restrictions. Qualify alternatives early. Keep purchasing details accurate in the ERP system with clean traceability and build readiness status. Test new suppliers, sourcing channels, manufacturing partners, and tools to reduce lead times and costs.
**R&D to Production Readiness:** Communicate R&D supply chain risks and identified critical parts and materials to Production early and clearly. Support the success and rapid iteration of engineering prototypes while preparing Production for rollout and mass production. Ensure critical and long lead parts, qualified suppliers, special processes, and realistic lead times are in place before a design moves into series production.
You will be a key link between Engineering and Production, ensuring nothing comes as a surprise at handover. Your work supports the success of every engineering prototype iteration and simultaneously prepares Production for mass production. How quickly ICEYE gets from concept to working hardware in orbit, and then into production, depends on how well this role is executed.
**Requirements:**
- 5+ years of direct experience in mechanical sourcing, procurement, or engineering supply chain roles in fast-moving hardware environments
- Strong procurement understanding of machined and composite parts, special processes, engineering materials, and prototyping flows
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in startup-like conditions: tight deadlines, shifting priorities, incomplete information, and rapid cycles
- Hands-on experience running purchasing and material management through an ERP system
- Confident negotiator, commercially and technically, able to influence engineers, program managers, and suppliers without formal authority
- Strong communication, problem-solving, and negotiation abilities
**Nice to Have:**
- Experience in space, aerospace, defense, hardware startups, or other deep-tech R&D environments
- Mechanical engineering background and knowledge of tools such as CAD with technical understanding of designs
- Exposure to taking a hardware design from prototype into series production
- Existing relationships with machine shops, fabricators, special process providers, and material distributors; familiarity with rapid-prototyping suppliers and global component marketplaces
