Director, Procurement

Overview

Welcome to one of Europe’s most exciting New Space companies, creating the world's first fully connected mesh network in the sky. We are an international team of experts and engineers who have spent their careers expanding the boundaries and potential of space, now united in pursuit of a single vision. We value trust, open communication and collaboration to achieve the best results together. Now we are looking for the best talents for our locations in Munich and Berlin to help us make our vision come true.

Your mission

As Director Procurement you will be responsible for all phases of procurement and subcontractor management activities in support to the program management for both Space Segment, Ground Segment and associated Services. This process covers the full procurement lifecycle with tender process, supplier selection, contract negotiation, contract signature, contract execution and contract close-out. The Director Procurement is responsible to standardise the associated processes to harmonise the procurement and subcontractor management activities across the entire company. Together with your team, you will ensure a professional procurement management system resulting in a delivery on time and at quality. In doing so, you will supervise the subcontractors’ activities and support the responsible segments’ program manager and specifically assigned technical managers per contract with major focus on progress, schedule and risks. Avoiding cost overrun and ensuring adequate and compatible processes and interfaces will be essential.

This includes:

• You ensure compliance of all procurement activities assigned to you including program governance, regulations, policies, and strategies
• You take ownership of the program’s entire procurement plan including its regular update and maintenance
• Establish and maintain a Procurement Management Plan which shall include the company’s procurement governance and all associated processes for the program’s end-to-end procurement activities, including creating process descriptions, standards and templates as required
• Oversee and coordinate all stages of procurement, establishing and follow-up guidelines which apply the relevant best practices throughout all phases of the procurement process until delivery
• Effectively follow-up all contractors’ activities including their potential lower-level subcontractors (down to N-2 level) and its associated industrial management
• Follow-up explicitly the Space Segment prime contract as concerns satellite mass production, associated procurement program and industrialisation
• Supervise the performance of all industrial contracts, as it concerns cost and schedule adherence, including support to the processing and negotiation of relevant contract changes
• You and your team deal with the administrative, contractual, and industrial issues arising, including the consequences of technical problems
• Evaluate respective commercial implications for each issue and early appropriate escalation in a timely manner
• Assess the industrial risk items and trend analyses and contribute to the definition of potential mitigation actions to manage the risk, proposing mitigation actions and preparing risk reports as required
• Prepare and actively support in (technical) change management
• Build a trusting relationship with the contractors and gain the required business intelligence to observe and detect industrial evolutions and changes including associated risks impacting our strategic and contractual partnerships
• Collaborate and coordinate with the Rivada Space Segment, Ground Segment, Launch Segment, IVV and System Engineering teams, Project Management Office and Project Control Office
• Participate in external and internal management meetings, as required

What You Bring On The Table

• Successfully completed university degree in a related field (i.e. Electrical, Software, Aerospace, or Systems Engineering)
• Demonstrated experience of 8+ years in the procurement or development of space-based infrastructure systems providing operational services
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing, geographically dispersed team, ensuring alignment, engagement, and effective communication across regions.
• Several years of expert experience in the procurement or management of subsystems or complex services, and in the negotiation and technical management of contracts, preferably of complex high technology systems in the frame of international or governmental public procurement
• Understanding and responding to complex situations by systematically and rigorously analyzing issues
• Strong skills in persuading, negotiating effectively and resolving conflicts
• Strong analytical and excellent organizational skills
• Demonstrated excellent relationship management and communication skills, both oral and written
• Ability to anticipate problems, solve complex issues, work out innovative and creative solutions, and relate situations to their context
• Fluent in English and ideally German (speaking and writing)
• Proven professional experience in a multi-lingual and international environment, willingness to travel

Why you should join us

We are an international team of space enthusiasts, following one great vision. We value equality in our work environment where different opinions, backgrounds and experiences are not only welcomed but also necessary to achieve the best result collaboratively. This permanent position was created recently and thus offers a lot of creative freedom. Our approach is to create a modern work environment with hybrid working model. We offer an attractive salary depending on your experience.

Rivada Space Networks is an equal opportunity employer with the approach to create a diverse and inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, disability, or other individual characteristics.

About Us

Rivada Space Networks is deploying the Outernet: the first unified global communications network. Rivada's global low-latency point-to-point network of 600 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites is a unique next-generation constellation combining inter-satellite laser links with advanced onboard processing and routing to create an ubiquitous optical mesh network in space. This "orbital network," in which data stays in space from origin to destination, creates an ultra-secure satellite network with pole-to-pole coverage, offering end-to-end latencies much lower than terrestrial fiber over long distances. And by routing traffic on a physically separated network, it provides a layer of defense for any organization that needs to securely share data between widely distributed sites.

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