Sales & bid manager

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run. The Exploration Company is seeking a Sales Manager to lead capture and proposal activities mainly for LEO and Moon destinations. You will coordinate multi‑partner proposals with the European Space Agency, national space agencies, and defense institutions. Your mission is to qualify opportunities early, shape requirements, submit compliant and persuasive proposals, and support negotiations through contract signature. Key Responsibilities Capture leadershipBuild a practical capture plan with a clear win strategy and review gates. Align our solution with the priorities of space and defense institutions, including commercial cargo, lunar logistics, and strategic autonomy.Bid management & writingLead the end‑to‑end writing of bids: define proposal architecture, draft and iterate core sections, integrate partner inputs, and ensure consistency of tone, messaging, and evidence‑based claims. Drive customer interactions through negotiations (technical/commercial), prepare negotiation packages, and support closure activities through contract signature.Commercial and CustomersBuild and maintain a high‑quality customer map and opportunity pipeline through business intelligence, continuous stakeholder engagement, and regular 1:1 meetings. Represent the company in customer‑facing forums (industry days, conferences, institutional events), develop strategic networks, and drive structured engagement plans. Define consortium, pricing structures and project payment milestones with Finance & Engineering. Support negotiations and ensure clean handover to Project Management.Governance and improvementContribute to the Sales to Government Process Handbook; capture lessons learned and improve templates.ProfileDemonstrated success delivering winning proposals to space or defense institutions in Europe. Sound understanding of space segment sectors (launchers, spacecraft, propulsion, payloads, operations). Skilled at coordinating diverse partners and managing complex compliance. Languages: English is required. In addition, one of French, German, Italian, or Spanish is required. Flexible, eager to learn, competitive, and comfortable multi‑tasking across several campaigns. Eligible to work in the European Union or the European Free Trade Association and able to meet relevant clearances. Experienced in teamworking + customer interface- create confidence with customerWhat we offerOwnership of flagship campaigns with visible impact.Why you should join us!We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?