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The Exploration Company is building innovative aerospace technologies for space transportation. This role leads operational purchasing and direct material procurement across the company's locations, reporting to the Head of Procurement.
You will manage the Direct Material Procurement (DMP) team and own the operational procure-to-pay process, ensuring materials and services reach teams on time with required documentation. You will balance responsive purchasing support with the strict controls required in an aerospace environment, prioritizing Nyx Earth delivery while allocating capacity to Storm, engine development, and other approved activities.
Key Responsibilities:
Supplier and Delivery Management: Manage supplier relationships for commodities and standard parts; monitor order confirmations, lead times, and delivery commitments; develop sourcing approaches for recurring purchases; escalate shortages and supplier risks based on program impact.
Procurement Operations and Controls: Lead procure-to-pay activities for purchases outside the sourcing-board process; ensure purchase orders accurately reflect approved requirements, prices, delivery dates, and contractual conditions; maintain reliable purchasing and supplier data in the ERP system; coordinate with receiving, logistics, Quality, and Finance to resolve discrepancies; implement purchasing controls supporting EN9100 requirements; ensure urgent purchasing follows appropriate approval and traceability processes.
Planning and Continuous Improvement: Allocate purchasing workload across locations by program priorities and delivery risks; work with program procurement leads and Engineering to anticipate demand and identify long-lead requirements; develop commodity and standard-parts purchasing strategy; monitor delivery performance, overdue orders, lead times, and data quality; improve purchasing processes in coordination with process and ERP owners.
Team Leadership and Collaboration: Lead and develop DMP managers across Germany, Italy, France, and planned US scope; establish consistent ways of working while accommodating local requirements; give team members clear decision authority and escalation criteria; provide Head of Procurement with consolidated view of purchasing capacity, shortages, and recovery actions; coordinate closely with Nyx, in-house development, and indirect procurement leads.
Requirements:
Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, Engineering, Operations, or related field, or equivalent experience; significant experience in operational purchasing or supply chain management within aerospace, manufacturing, or another controlled technical environment; experience managing teams across multiple locations; strong practical knowledge of ERP purchasing workflows, supplier follow-up, and procure-to-pay controls; experience working within EN9100/AS9100 or comparable quality management systems.
Skills: Strong operational judgment and ability to prioritize against production and development milestones; ability to establish disciplined processes without creating unnecessary administrative delays; confidence using purchasing data to identify risks and direct corrective action; effective supplier negotiation and cross-functional communication; proven ability to develop a team that resolves routine issues independently and escalates critical exceptions.
