---
title: 'Indirect procurement Lead at The Exploration Company'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/indirect-procurement-lead-the-exploration-company-munich-vh16p75br540'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-06'
---

# Indirect procurement Lead at The Exploration Company

- **Company:** [The Exploration Company](https://feeny.ai/companies/the-exploration-company)
- **Location:** Munich, Germany
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-09-29
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-06
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/the-exploration-company/db52376a-5fb2-4729-8bed-708f50c15d70

## Job description

Here at The Exploration Company, we are building spacecrafts for humanity.

## Role Overview

We are looking for a Lead Indirect Procurement to lead the procurement of equipment, facilities and services supporting The Exploration Company’s operations and growth. You will own the company’s indirect procurement and CAPEX strategy, ensuring teams have the infrastructure and services they need, when they need them.

You will prioritize investments supporting Nyx Earth delivery while enabling Storm, engine development and other approved company activities.

Reports to: Head of Procurement

## Key Responsibilities

Supplier and Contract Management

- Identify, evaluate and develop suppliers across CAPEX and indirect purchasing categories.
- Lead negotiations covering pricing, delivery, acceptance criteria, warranties and service commitments.
- Manage supplier performance and resolve commercial or delivery issues.
- Develop sourcing strategies that balance capability, total cost, lead times and supply risk.

Procurement Operations

- Own procurement activities from requirements definition and RFQs through contract execution and supplier follow-up.
- Work with internal stakeholders to define clear specifications, scopes of work and acceptance criteria before placing orders.
- Coordinate with Finance on budgets, purchasing approvals and payment milestones.
- Ensure procurement records, contracts and commitments comply with company policies and applicable requirements.

Strategic Leadership

- Build a company-wide sourcing plan for equipment, tools, facilities and indirect services.
- Consolidate requirements across teams and locations where this improves cost, service or delivery.
- Evaluate total cost of ownership and identify opportunities to standardize purchases.
- Prioritize competing requests against approved budgets and company milestones, with Nyx Earth delivery taking precedence.

## Team Leadership and Collaboration

- Lead and develop the indirect procurement team, including the Senior CAPEX Procurement Manager.
- Set clear objectives, delegate decisions and monitor delivery against agreed priorities.
- Work closely with Production /AIT, Operations, Facilities, IT, HR and Finance.
- Resolve issues within delegated authority and escalate material risks with a clear recommendation.

## Qualifications

Education and Experience

- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Business Administration or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- Significant procurement experience in aerospace, manufacturing or another technical environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing CAPEX and indirect procurement, including complex equipment or service contracts.
- Experience leading procurement professionals and managing competing stakeholder requirements.
- Practical experience with ERP systems and procurement controls.

## Skills

- Strong negotiation, contract management and stakeholder communication skills.
- Ability to evaluate investment proposals and total cost of ownership.
- Sound commercial judgment and disciplined budget management.
- Ability to translate operational needs into clear supplier commitments.
- A management approach that develops autonomy and ensures timely escalation.

Why this role?

- Help deliver Nyx Earth and develop the capabilities behind TEC’s future vehicles and engines.
- Take ownership of a procurement function with a direct impact on company milestones.
- Lead and develop a team in a collaborative, international engineering environment.

Why you should join us! What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:

- We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind
- We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them
- We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?

We'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly.

The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.

All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible.

If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.

## About The Exploration Company

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: The Exploration Company (TEC) is building a full-stack space transportation platform, including a reusable space capsule (Nyx) and a high-thrust rocket engine (Storm), to democratize access to space.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B)
- **Headquarters**: Munich, Germany (HQ); additional offices in Bordeaux (France), Luxembourg, Turin (Italy), Houston (Texas, USA), and Dubai/Abu Dhabi (UAE)
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Hélène Huby (CEO) and a team of aerospace veterans

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Space transportation, aerospace engineering, orbital logistics
- **Target customers**: Space station operators, satellite operators, government space agencies (e.g., NASA), commercial space companies (B2B, B2G)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "To build space vehicles for humanity, enabling everyone to participate peacefully in the building of our human future." [exploration.space](https://exploration.space/about)

## Products & Services
- **Nyx**: A reusable space capsule designed to dock with any space station, capable of carrying cargo (and eventually crew) to low-Earth orbit. It is the company’s first commercial vehicle.
- **Storm**: A high-thrust, staged-combustion rocket engine delivering up to 180 tons of thrust, designed to power a globally competitive, reusable launcher.
- **Mission Bikini**: A first demonstrator capsule built for ballistic reentry, completed from paper sketch to flight-ready in nine months.
- **Mission Possible**: A second demonstrator capsule built for controlled re-entry and recovery with cargo, completed in two years.
- **Orbital Propulsion**: In-house development of avionics, flight software, guidance/navigation/control (GNC), and reusable thrusters.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Total Funding**: $210.06M (Series B, with a $160M round raised approximately two years ago) [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/the-exploration-company)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Backed by tier-one investors; first European company to sign a Space Act Agreement with NASA; board includes figures like Mike Griffin (former NASA Administrator) and Yo-Yo Ma (cellist and board advisor) [exploration.space](https://exploration.space/about)
- **Growth Signals**: 10 missions already booked; two demonstrator capsules built in under three years; team of 450+ employees spanning 35 nationalities; offices in 6 locations across Europe, the US, and the UAE; named one of the fastest-growing space companies worldwide.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Speed of execution**: Demonstrated ability to go from concept to flight-ready hardware in 9–24 months, far faster than traditional aerospace.
- **Reusability focus**: Both Nyx and Storm are designed for rapid reuse, dramatically lowering per-mission costs.
- **Open-source vehicle design**: TEC’s approach is intentionally collaborative, fostering partnerships across countries and with NASA.
- **Full-stack capability**: Controls the entire space transportation stack (capsule, engine, avionics, software), reducing dependency on external suppliers.
- **European base with global reach**: Positioned as a key European player in the new space economy, with strong government and commercial ties.

## Strategic Focus
- **Commercial cargo missions**: First priority is launching Nyx to serve low-Earth orbit space stations (both public and private).
- **Engine development**: Continuing work on Storm to power a future European launcher.
- **International expansion**: Deepening presence in the US (Houston office) and UAE (Dubai/Abu Dhabi office).
- **Talent scaling**: Growing the team from 450+ to meet mission milestones, with a focus on engineering, production, and digital roles.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Emphasizes speed, execution, and ownership. Values include Excellence, Teamwork, Integrity, and "Space for everyone." The company prides itself on gathering diverse, international talent from both space and non-space backgrounds.
- **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Offers flexibility and remote work opportunities depending on the role, but encourages a hybrid approach where possible. [exploration.space](https://www.exploration.space/careers)
- **Relocation Support**: Yes, the company provides relocation assistance and work permit/visa support for new hires.
- **Notable Perks**: Opportunity to work on cutting-edge space vehicles from day one; internal mobility encouraged; background check required for all offers.
- **Engineering Culture**: Leadership includes aerospace veterans who have worked on major global space programs. The team is 450+ strong, representing 35 nationalities, with a flat, fast-moving structure.

## Sources
1. [exploration.space - Home](https://exploration.space/)
2. [exploration.space - About](https://exploration.space/about)
3. [exploration.space - Careers](https://www.exploration.space/careers)
4. [cbinsights.com - The Exploration Company](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/the-exploration-company)
5. [Wikipedia - The Exploration Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exploration_Company)

## Other roles at The Exploration Company

- [Welding Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/welding-engineer-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-0kgzkww4cjpd) — Bordeaux, France
- [Head of Electronics & software](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-electronics-software-the-exploration-company-munich-3yxtwzah13vy) — Munich, Germany
- [TCS and ECLSS Certification Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/tcs-and-eclss-certification-engineer-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-rqv9dzq7gzfa) — Bordeaux, France
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- [Storm Test Bench Principal Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/storm-test-bench-principal-engineer-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-4kdfjx6tgmck) — Bordeaux, France
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