Procurement & Supply Chain Engineer

About Focused Energy & SourceLight

Focused Energy is building the future of clean energy through laser-driven inertial fusion. As a spin-out of Focused Energy, SourceLight is turning breakthrough laser-driven radiation source technology into practical solutions for some of the world's most demanding inspection and material characterization challenges.

We are building on cutting-edge scientific innovation to develop scalable technology for industrial applications, including nuclear waste characterization, security screening, and non-destructive testing of safety-critical components.

As our technology moves from development toward industrial application, building a robust and scalable supply chain is essential to our success.

Your Role

We are looking for a Procurement & Supply Chain Manager to establish and lead this function from the ground up. This is a unique opportunity to take ownership of procurement and supplier strategy across the company, shaping how we identify, qualify, engage, and manage suppliers while ensuring our engineering teams have the components and resources they need to deliver.

You will work closely with our Product and Engineering teams, Finance, Legal, and external partners to establish company-wide procurement standards, negotiate complex technical and commercial agreements, and build a supplier ecosystem capable of supporting our growth.

Initially operating as a senior individual contributor, you will have significant autonomy and influence over how this function develops. As SourceLight scales, you will have the opportunity to expand the team, introduce new capabilities, and evolve procurement and supply chain into a fully established organizational function.

If you enjoy building structure in a fast-moving technical environment, navigating complex supplier relationships, and creating the operational foundations that enable innovative technology to reach the market, this is an opportunity to make a lasting impact.

What You'll Do

- Build and lead the Procurement & Supply Chain function: Establish the strategy, processes, tools, and operating standards required to support procurement across all SourceLight product and engineering teams.
- Develop a strategic supplier ecosystem: Identify, evaluate, qualify, and manage suppliers across specialized technical categories, particularly high-value optical, laser, mechanical, electrical, and other advanced hardware components.
- Own sourcing and commercial negotiations: Lead supplier selection, RFQs, commercial negotiations, pricing discussions, lead-time agreements, and framework contracts to secure favorable terms while balancing cost, quality, technical requirements, and delivery timelines.
- Manage complex technical agreements: Lead commercial negotiations for strategic supplier agreements and Joint Development Agreements (JDAs), partnering with Engineering, Legal, Finance, and leadership to ensure appropriate commercial, operational, and contractual outcomes.
- Enable engineering and product teams: Take ownership of procurement activities from request through purchase order and supplier follow-up, allowing technical teams to focus on engineering, integration, testing, and product development.
- Establish scalable procurement processes: Implement standardized purchasing workflows, supplier documentation, approval processes, contract management practices, and procurement systems that support transparency, efficiency, and accountability.
- Drive supply chain planning and risk management: Monitor supplier capacity, component availability, lead times, delivery performance, and potential supply disruptions. Develop mitigation strategies for critical components and proactively communicate risks to stakeholders.
- Partner with Finance and Legal: Coordinate purchase order approvals, budget alignment, payment processes, contract reviews, and compliance requirements while maintaining clear decision-making and escalation pathways.
- Ensure quality and compliance: Establish supplier qualification and performance standards that account for technical specifications, quality requirements, cleanroom and safety considerations, and applicable regulatory or industry requirements.
- Build visibility and accountability: Develop reporting on procurement status, supplier performance, purchasing cycle times, cost savings, delivery risks, and sourcing priorities to support informed operational decisions.
- Scale the function over time: Identify future capability and resourcing needs, contribute to hiring plans, and establish the processes and knowledge base required to develop and lead a growing Procurement & Supply Chain team.

Who You Are

- You bring significant experience in procurement, strategic sourcing, supply chain management, or technical purchasing, ideally within a complex engineering, hardware, deep-tech, industrial technology, or advanced manufacturing environment.
- You have experience building or significantly improving procurement processes and supplier management practices, ideally within a growing organization where structure and systems are still evolving.
- You are comfortable managing technically complex sourcing activities, working with engineers to understand requirements, and translating technical needs into effective commercial and supplier strategies.
- You have a strong track record of negotiating supplier agreements, pricing, delivery terms, and commercial contracts, with the confidence to manage high-value and strategically important supplier relationships.
- You understand the importance of balancing cost, quality, lead time, technical risk, and long-term supplier reliability when making sourcing decisions.
- You have experience developing supplier qualification frameworks, evaluating supplier performance, and proactively managing supply chain risks and constraints.
- You are highly organized and process-oriented, with the ability to establish practical, scalable workflows without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
- You operate with a high degree of ownership and independence, bringing structure to ambiguous situations and making sound decisions while knowing when to involve stakeholders or escalate.
- You are a strong cross-functional partner who communicates proactively, builds trust with technical and non-technical stakeholders, and can influence decisions without relying on formal authority.
- You are comfortable operating as a hands-on individual contributor today while thinking strategically about the capabilities, processes, and team structure needed for tomorrow.
- You are motivated by the opportunity to build a function, develop future team members, and grow into broader leadership responsibility as the organization scales.
- You communicate confidently in English; German language skills are an advantage.

What We Offer

- Innovative Technology & Mission: Be part of a cutting-edge company working on groundbreaking research in scientific discovery.
- Career Development: We invest in our people. This is an opportunity to join an early, growing company at the forefront of new technology, where you’ll have the opportunity to develop and grow your career.
- Collaborative Culture: Work with great people in a dynamic, international environment with top-tier scientists, engineers and professionals passionate about solving global challenges.
- Ownership: Take ownership from day 1 and drive impact by making decisions, solving challenges and shaping the future of our company.
- Your Success is our Success: We offer a competitive salary and company ownership in the form of stock options, giving you a direct stake in our success and ownership in what we build together.
- Vacation Days: We support your work-life-balance by granting you 30 days of vacation per year.
- Snacks and Drinks: Our office fridges are never empty. Enjoy our healthy snacks and drinks. Our Darmstadt office even offers a canteen with delicious lunch options daily.
- Retirement Plan: If you decide for a private pension plan, we will finance 20% on top of your monthly contributions, plus loyalty incentives.
- Equipment: We offer state-of-the-art Windows or Apple Laptops. In addition, you will receive a keyboard, mouse and headset so you are fully equipped from day 1.
- Events: We organize regular events to foster team bonding, encourage collaboration, and build a strong, supportive company culture. Connect with colleagues across departments, share ideas, and have fun together, both in and outside of the workplace.
- Mobility with NAVIT: We partner with NAVIT to support your flexible commuting needs—whether it’s a public transportation ticket, taxi rides or car-sharing you choose what fits your lifestyle.
- Fitness with Wellhub: We care about your health. Get access to a wide range of gyms, fitness studios and wellness services across Europe through our partnership with Wellhub.
 
Focused Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Focused Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, benefits.