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.