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The Exploration Company is building spacecraft for humanity and seeks a Lead for European Institutions and French Public Affairs to design and execute the company's public affairs strategy at EU and French levels, reporting to the Chief Government Officer.
This is a strategic, high-autonomy role combining policy leadership, direct institutional engagement, and hands-on execution in a fast-growing startup environment. You will act as a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive team on political, regulatory, and institutional matters.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy & Executive Advisory: Co-define EU and French public affairs strategy aligned with company growth, funding, and market-access objectives. Identify policy-driven risks and opportunities (regulation, funding, industrial policy, sovereignty, public procurement). Anticipate regulatory roadmaps and translate them into actionable business recommendations.
European Institutions Leadership: Lead engagement with EU institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the EU) and key ecosystem stakeholders. Own priority EU policy files end-to-end: monitoring, analysis, positioning, and advocacy execution. Draft position papers, consultation responses, and strategic briefings for senior leadership. Represent the company in EU forums, industry coalitions, and strategic alliances.
French Public Affairs Leadership: Lead relationships with French ministries, Parliament, regulators, agencies, and institutional partners. Drive French public affairs actions aligned with EU-level strategy. Support CEO and CGO in high-level French institutional meetings with messaging and briefings.
Hands-On Execution: Personally execute key public affairs actions (no large team). Build lightweight but effective public affairs processes adapted to startup environment. Contribute to funding-related policy work (EU programs, national schemes, public support mechanisms).
Internal Alignment: Work closely with legal, business development, and communications teams. Ensure consistent messaging across EU and French activities. Provide concise, decision-ready updates to leadership.
REQUIREMENTS
- Master's degree in European Studies, Political Science, Law, Public Policy, or equivalent
- 5-7+ years of experience in EU and/or French public affairs, ideally with exposure to startups, scale-ups, or fast-moving regulated sectors
- Proven experience engaging directly with EU institutions and French public authorities at senior level
- Track record of advising executives and operating in politically sensitive, ambiguous environments
- Strong understanding of how public policy impacts business models, funding, and market access
- French: native or fluent; English: fluent; additional EU languages a plus
- Strategic thinker with builder's mindset; highly autonomous, pragmatic, execution-oriented
- Excellent political judgement and stakeholder management skills
- Clear, concise communicator able to brief effectively
