---
title: 'Lead European Institutions and French Public Affairs at The Exploration Company'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-european-institutions-and-french-public-affairs-the-exploration-company-f5qg5721tw4a'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-16'
---

# Lead European Institutions and French Public Affairs at The Exploration Company

- **Company:** [The Exploration Company](https://feeny.ai/companies/the-exploration-company)
- **Location:** France
- **Compensation:** €84k–€140k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-10-12
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/the-exploration-company/63f783b7-a318-4e72-b181-a66cd325b126/application

**Skills:** EU Public Affairs, French Public Affairs, Strategic Policy, Stakeholder Management, Regulatory Analysis, Strategic Briefing, Policy Advocacy, Funding Policy, French Language, English Language, Additional EU languages

> This role designs and executes public affairs strategy for EU and French levels, coordinating with the Chief Government Officer. The position involves direct institutional engagement, policy advisory, and hands-on execution in a startup environment, requiring strong autonomy and political judgment.

## Job description

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

The Lead – European Institutions & French Public Affairs is responsible for designing and executing the company’s public affairs strategy at EU and French levels, in close coordination with the Chief Government Officer

In a fast-growing startup environment, this role combines strategic policy leadership, direct institutional engagement, and hands-on execution. The position requires strong autonomy, political judgement, and the ability to translate complex regulatory developments into clear business and strategic implications for executive leadership.

## Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Executive Advisory

- Co-define EU and French public affairs strategy with the CGO, aligned with the company’s growth, funding, and market-access objectives.
- Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive team on political, regulatory, and institutional matters.
- 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 and validate 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 in close alignment with EU-level strategy.
- Support CEO and CGO in high-level French institutional meetings, including preparation of messaging and briefings.

Hands-On Execution in a Startup Context

- Personally execute key public affairs actions (no large team or heavy hierarchy).
- Build lightweight but effective public affairs processes adapted to a startup environment.
- Contribute to funding-related policy work (EU programs, national schemes, public support mechanisms).

Internal Alignment & Communication

- Work closely with future projects, legal, business development, and communications teams.
- Ensure consistent messaging across EU and French public affairs activities.
- Provide concise, decision-ready updates to leadership (CEO, CGO, ExCom when relevant).

Required Experience & Profile

- 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.

## Key Skills & Mindset

- Strategic thinker with a builder’s mindset: comfortable creating structure from scratch.
- Highly autonomous, pragmatic, and execution-oriented.
- Excellent political judgement and stakeholder management skills.
- Clear, concise communicator able to brief effectively.
- Comfortable switching between big-picture strategy and detailed policy work.

Languages

- French: native or fluent
- English: fluent
- Additional EU languages are a plus

## Why Join Us

- Direct impact on the company’s strategic positioning and growth
- High visibility role with the CEO and leadership team
- Opportunity to shape public affairs in a fast-scaling startup environment
- Exposure to EU and French policymaking at the highest level

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

- [Propulsion Engineer - Huracan Components](https://feeny.ai/job/propulsion-engineer-huracan-components-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-hm7d92nm0je9) — Bordeaux, France
- [HIL Engineer — Huracan Rocket Engine](https://feeny.ai/job/hil-engineer-huracan-rocket-engine-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-emhstqpnghzd) — Bordeaux, France
- [Intern- Office & Site Management](https://feeny.ai/job/intern-office-site-management-the-exploration-company-munich-0804jw3gzwpp) — Munich, Germany
- [Project Security Officer](https://feeny.ai/job/project-security-officer-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-xzdts7mgjyqe) — Bordeaux, France
- [Deputy Flight Software Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/deputy-flight-software-lead-the-exploration-company-munich-bs353xwvzqjx) — Munich, Germany
- [Lead Procurement In-House Engine development](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-procurement-in-house-engine-development-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-dmwhg1x0e1ns) — Bordeaux, France
- [Lead Project Manager Dual Use In-Orbit Services](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-project-manager-dual-use-in-orbit-services-the-exploration-company-munich-14vx6hjewz7z) — Munich, Germany
- [Lead Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-supply-chain-the-exploration-company-munich-ghy6tyn015aq) — Munich, Germany
- [Propulsion Data & Modeling Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/propulsion-data-modeling-engineer-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-zpbm7wfw8vtq) — Bordeaux, France
- [Propulsion GSE Team Leader](https://feeny.ai/job/propulsion-gse-team-leader-the-exploration-company-bordeaux-t8ncqxzja0bd) — Bordeaux, France