Procurement Manager (Mechanical Equipment)

Location: Harwell, Quad Two, United Kingdom

A Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space is a global space manufacturer delivering, for more than 40 years, high-tech solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth Observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Thanks to our diversity of skills, talents and cultures, our customers (governments, institutions, space agencies, telecommunications operators), therefore have Space to Connect, Secure & Defend, Observe & Protect, Explore, Travel & Navigate.

Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

Governments, institutions and companies rely on Thales Alenia Space to design, operate and deliver satellite-based systems that help them position and connect anyone or anything, everywhere, help observe our planet, help optimize the use of our planet's – and our solar system’s – resources. Thales Alenia Space believes in space as humankind’s new horizon, which will enable to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth.

We’re recruiting for a Procurement Manager – Mechanical Equipment (Propulsion Systems) to join our growing team at Harwell Campus, one of the UK’s leading innovation hubs for space and technology.

In this role, you’ll take ownership of supplier sourcing and tendering activities for propulsion systems and mechanical equipment, driving procurement strategies that support mission-critical R&D and production programmes. You’ll collaborate with business-winning teams, negotiate complex contracts, and help shape supplier partnerships across our global network.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive supplier tendering and negotiation processes (subcontracts, RFQs, ITTs, collaborative agreements).

• Lead procurement planning aligned with project and commercial strategy.

• Conduct bid evaluations, supplier proposal analysis, and selection recommendations.

• Collaborate with Legal and Contracts functions on complex agreements.

• Support Bid and Project Managers and represent Procurement in customer or internal meetings.

• Interface with international Thales procurement networks to align policies and ensure compliance.

Candidate Profile

• Experience: Proven experience in Procurement or Contracts Management within Aerospace, Defence, or Space sectors.

• Skills: Strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, supplier management, understanding of export controls and trade compliance.

• Education: Degree in Business, Law, or equivalent; professional accreditations like CIPS or IACCM preferred.

• Languages: English essential, Italian an advantage.

• Attributes: Proactive, detail-oriented, adaptable under pressure, and collaborative. Willingness to travel internationally.

Location

Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire — a key UK hub for space innovation.

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In line with Thales' Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.

Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative format or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.

Great journeys start here, apply now!