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The Exploration Company is seeking a Lead Procurement professional to direct procurement strategy and execution for internally developed aerospace engines and assigned development programs (Scirocco, Storm, and future initiatives). This role reports to the Head of Procurement and carries significant responsibility for supplier strategy, contract management, and team leadership.
Key responsibilities include:
**Supplier and Contract Management:** Define sourcing strategies for development hardware, components, and specialist services. Identify and develop suppliers capable of meeting demanding technical requirements and evolving schedules. Lead major negotiations ensuring contracts address scope, technical annexes, delivery milestones, acceptance, IP, and change management. Monitor supplier performance and lead recovery plans for critical issues. Assess supply risks including single-source dependencies and long-lead items.
**Development Procurement:** Own procurement activities from early supplier engagement through RFQs, contract execution, and delivery. Work with Engineering and program teams to establish clear procurement packages and realistic sourcing schedules. Ensure technical requirements and changes flow into supplier contracts with cost and schedule visibility. Support prototype builds, test campaigns, and successive hardware iterations. Coordinate test hardware and test-stand requirements with indirect procurement and DMP teams. Ensure compliance with company sourcing, approval, and quality requirements.
**Strategic Leadership:** Maintain integrated procurement plans across assigned programs. Allocate team capacity according to approved milestones and company priorities. Develop supplier capability for progression from development toward repeatable manufacture. Identify opportunities to reuse suppliers, contractual approaches, and purchasing experience. Resolve resource and supplier conflicts with other procurement leads, escalating decisions affecting broader company delivery.
**Team Leadership:** Lead and develop the Principal Storm Procurement role and procurement managers responsible for lunar lander and future-program activities. Delegate Storm procurement leadership appropriately. Set clear accountability for supplier strategy, negotiations, execution, and escalation. Collaborate closely with Engineering, program leadership, Quality, Finance, and other procurement leads. Provide consolidated assessment of delivery risks, commercial exposure, and required decisions to Head of Procurement.
**Requirements:**
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or related field, or equivalent experience
- Significant procurement experience supporting complex hardware development in aerospace, propulsion, or comparable engineering environment
- Experience negotiating technically demanding development and manufacturing contracts
- Demonstrated experience leading procurement teams and managing suppliers through changing requirements
- Experience supporting prototype builds, testing, or transition from development into production
- Strong technical understanding and ability to challenge incomplete or ambiguous requirements constructively
- Advanced negotiation and commercial risk management skills
- Ability to manage technical annexes, contractual flow-down, and change-control exposure
- Sound judgment balancing development speed, cost, quality, and delivery
- Ability to develop senior procurement professionals and delegate meaningful ownership
- Clear, concise communication of risks, options, and recommendations
- Experience developing engines or propulsion systems for spacecraft is a strong plus
