Senior Specialist, IRIS2 & meoSphere Procurement

About the role

As part of the SES EU Programmes team, you will support the sourcing of products and services for the IRIS2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnection & Security by Satellites) and SES meoSphere programmes. The role follows SES Global Procurement guidelines and covers vendor relations, RFI/RFP preparation, contract negotiations and compliance.

Key responsibilities

• Collaborate with global stakeholders at SES and in the SpaceRISE consortium, and develop options for purchasing hardware, software and services
• Reduce costs and improve value for money, building relationships with suppliers, manufacturers and external partners
• Support pricing and contract negotiations, and guide sourcing from vendor scouting to tendering (RFI, RFP, RFQ, informal price requests)
• Prepare and run RFI/RFPs to select subcontractors, including drafting documents, answering vendor questions and analysing responses
• Ensure compliance with SES Global Procurement policies and understand programme requirements, strategies and constraints
• Analyse the vendor base, identify potential suppliers including SMEs and start-ups, and support vendor onboarding
• Flow down customer terms and conditions to existing agreements and agree new contracts with vendors
• Contribute to programme management: status reports, schedules, cost analysis, resource quantification, risk management and mitigation
• Draft documentation for the EC/ESA under the IRIS2 framework, coordinate cross-functional teams and report weekly on progress and risks
• Monitor procurement contracts with the functional specialist and work with the Global Procurement team to find further opportunities

Required profile

• Minimum five years' experience in a similar procurement role
• Proven experience procuring software, hardware and professional services
• Experience on large projects and with contracts; public procurement (EC and ESA) experience is an asset
• Eligibility for a SECRET security clearance under national and EU/ESA/NATO rules
• Willingness to work 60% onsite and travel as required

Required skills

• Strong procurement and project management skills
• Negotiation and communication skills, attention to detail and good written English
• Knowledge of satellite communications infrastructure and telecommunications systems is an asset
• Understanding of engineering department workflows is an asset