Technical Procurement Engineer

Overview

You're joining a robotics hardware startup at the exact moment where operational excellence becomes the bottleneck. CeiliX has proven product-market fit - €800k+ in orders, live installations in EU and US, and a pipeline outpacing what the current team can handle. Right now, one of our best engineers spends 70% of his time on procurement instead of designing products. This isn't a back-office role - you'll be the critical interface between suppliers, customers, engineering, and finance. Growth trajectory: Start with tactical procurement, then expand into full operations leadership - quality management, supplier strategy, contracts, and potentially managing a team.

About CeiliX
We've built ceiling-based robots that move freely in all directions, solving fundamental problems in industrial logistics. The market is responding: €800k+ in pre-orders and we already have live installations in EU and US. Why procurement matters now: We're purchasing €200k+ in components in Q1 alone. Total volume heading toward €500k–1M this year. Every week without dedicated procurement is a week our engineers aren't engineering.

What You'll Do

Immediate (first 3 months):

• Take over day-to-day procurement from engineers
• Manage supplier relationships across Germany and internationally
• Handle incoming goods control - verify quality, coordinate payments
• Build basic process documentation (we're currently on Excel)

Medium-term (3–12 months):

• Negotiate with larger suppliers and integrators
• Develop quality assurance processes
• Create scalable procurement workflows
• Support contract work with suppliers and customers

What We Need

Must-haves:

Technical foundation:

• Technical education background (engineering, Wirtschaftsingenieur, or technical apprenticeship)
• Understanding of mechatronic components - motors, mechanical and electrical parts, ability to evaluate substitute components
• Several years in technical procurement for physical products

Skills:

• Supplier relationship management
• Process knowledge - order management, payment coordination, incoming goods control
• Fluent German (C1/C2) and strong English (C1+)
• Excellent communication - this role is 60%+ talking to suppliers, engineers, finance, customers
• Startup-compatible - comfortable with ambiguity, willing to build processes from scratch

Nice-to-haves:

• Automation, robotics, or mechatronics industry experience
• Quality management (QM/QA) background
• Contract and supplier agreement experience
• Existing supplier network in relevant categories

Logistics

• Location: Hybrid with regular on-site in Euskirchen (Cologne–Bonn area)
• Start date: ASAP

Interested? Apply and we'll get back to you within 48 hours.