Procurement Officer; Direct

Location:

Farnborough - Parking onsite

Contract Type:
Full Time, Permanent

Hours:

37 – Hybrid Travel:
Yes

AALTO, a global leader in Stratospace. Based in Farnborough, AALTO is an Airbus subsidiary that manufactures, operates, and delivers services with its solar-powered, stratospheric platform:
Zephyr.

Zephyr’s persistence enables continuous flight for months at a time. Its current flight-time record of over 67 days in the stratosphere. From above 60,000+ft, or 20km above ground, AALTO can deliver several applications including direct-to-device connectivity and high-resolution Earth observation.

AALTO operates in a new operational layer between most of air traffic and low-Earth orbit, Stratospace. This is where high-altitude platforms led by Zephyr deliver services to commercial and government partners. We can help monitor environments, observe borders, track natural disasters and connect unconnected communities.

Join us as we create a new domain of aerospace:
Stratospace. You’ll be part of a highly-skilled, innovative and passionate group of people – Team AALTO. Together, we can Unlock Stratospace.

About

The Role We’re looking for a Procurement Officer to join our team and help manage the full procurement lifecycle across key aerospace commodity groups, including Avionics, Power on Board and Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS). In this role, you’ll play an important part in making sure we secure the right components, systems and services on time, at the right quality, and with strong commercial value — directly supporting product development, manufacturing and in-service support.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys working in a fast-moving, collaborative environment and wants to make a real impact. You’ll support the transformation and development of our Direct spend commodity groups, working closely with teams across the business to shape sourcing strategies, build strong supplier partnerships, and support programme delivery. You’ll also help improve procurement processes, systems and performance management as we continue to grow and evolve.

What you’ll be doing :
· Use your procurement experience to develop and deliver strategies for Avionics, Power on Board and Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS).
· Explore market trends, assess supplier options and identify opportunities to strengthen and optimise the supply chain.
· Lead supplier selection activities, from RFx processes and proposal reviews through to supplier assessments and technical and commercial recommendations.
· Negotiate long-term agreements, pricing and contract terms that deliver strong value and protect the business.
· Manage contract changes, claims, cost-saving opportunities and budgets for your assigned commodities.
· Work closely with internal teams to ensure sourcing activity, supplier engagement and contracts meet regulatory, export control and governance requirements.
· Build positive supplier relationships and manage performance against key measures such as cost, quality, delivery and technical capability.
· Support supplier development initiatives that improve manufacturing readiness, capacity and adherence to aerospace standards.
· Help resolve supplier performance issues and manage risks that could affect programme delivery.
· Partner with Engineering to ensure specifications, drawings and technical packages align with supplier capabilities and cost targets.
· Work with the Programme Management Office to support schedule alignment, milestone reviews and risk mitigation.
· Collaborate with Supply Chain Quality Assurance to address non-conformances, audits and continuous improvement activities.
· Keep an eye on supply chain risks, including long-lead items, capacity constraints,…