Head of Supply Chain & Strategic Partnerships job at Exergy3

Exergy3 is hiring: Head of Supply Chain & Strategic Partnerships. About Us Exergy3 is a Scottish cleantech company developing and commercialising a…

Company: Exergy3 · Work mode: hybrid, partly remote · Contract: Full-time

About Us
Exergy3 is a Scottish cleantech company developing and commercialising a high-temperature Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system for industrial decarbonisation. Our technology converts surplus electricity into stored heat, delivered as process steam or hot air directly into industrial plant, displacing natural gas and reducing industrial carbon emissions without requiring customers to redesign their processes.
More than 25% of global CO₂ emissions arise from industrial heat processes. Exergy3 provides a reliable, cost-effective and scalable solution: one that enables industry to decarbonise without compromising operational performance.
Exergy3 is transitioning from technology development to commercial deployment. Our strategy sets a clear objective for the period to Series A: deliver a commercially-ready product, establish the partner and supplier ecosystem required to scale delivery, and become the benchmark for industrial heat decarbonisation in the UK and Germany. This role owns the second of those three objectives.
We're a startup, and no two weeks look the same. If you can be flexible to both customer and company needs and can be ready to jump in and support any area of the business, this is the role for you.
The Role (can be based in Edinburgh or Munich)
The Head of Supply Chain & Strategic Partnerships will help build and lead Exergy3's supply chain capability as the business moves from prototype manufacture to repeatable commercial deployment. This is a strategic commercial and operational leadership role: you will help design the supply chain from the ground up, establish the manufacturing partnerships that determine whether Exergy3 can scale, and ensure the company's products are manufacturable, cost-effective and deliverable.
Working alongside the CEO, Technical Director, finance and business development teams, you will play a central role in transforming Exergy3 into a commercially successful industrial technology company that makes a genuine difference to Europe's carbon footprint.
This is a rare opportunity to build the supply chain that will underpin one of Europe’s most important industrial decarbonisation technologies. You won’t inherit a mature procurement function; you will design and build it.
You will have significant autonomy, direct access to the leadership team, and the opportunity to shape not just the supply chain but the operational culture of a rapidly scaling cleantech business.
If you’re looking for a role where everything is ready built and somebody else executes the ideas, this probably isn’t it. If you want to get close to innovative minds, find the story, and build momentum around it, read on.

What You'll Own
Supply chain strategy
• Support the development of and own Exergy3's end-to-end supply chain strategy, from raw material sourcing through contract manufacturing to customer site delivery
• Build a scalable supplier and manufacturing partner ecosystem capable of supporting the transition from FOAK delivery to repeatable commercial deployment
• Develop sourcing strategies for critical components and systems
• Improve supply chain resilience, lead time performance and continuity of supply as the product range and customer base grows
• Define the supply chain architecture for European customer deployments, identifying European fabrication partners and logistics arrangements

Strategic partnerships
• Develop long-term manufacturing partnerships with fabrication companies, specialist manufacturers and strategic suppliers capable of meeting Exergy3's quality, lead time and cost requirements
• Identify and onboard new manufacturing partners to support European growth, in particular DACH-region fabricators for the EU pipeline
• Negotiate framework agreements, Heads of Terms, long-term collaboration arrangements and preferred supplier agreements that provide commercial predictability and protect supply continuity
• Build the relationships that will support future industrialisation, working with partners who can grow with Exergy3 as volumes increase
• Develop the scaling partnerships (infrastructure funds and large corporates) that will underpin the Heat-as-a-Service business model post Series A
• Manage strategic partner relationships and specialist subcontractors at a commercial and operational level

Procurement and commercial management
• Lead procurement across engineering, projects and commercial operations, ensuring all major purchases are competitively selected, commercially managed and delivered against project schedules
• Manage supplier selection processes, RFQ/tender management and commercial negotiation for capital equipment, fabricated components, materials and services
• Develop supplier contracts, framework agreements and performance agreements with appropriate commercial protections
• Manage commercial disputes and contract turnaround where supplier relationships or performance require recovery
• Deliver cost reduction over time while maintaining quality and delivery performance; support design-to-cost work with the Engineering team
• Manage post-Brexit import/export processes for equipment moving between the UK and European customer sites

Supplier development and quality
• Qualify new suppliers and manufacturing partners to Exergy3's standards: technical capability assessment, quality system review, financial stability check
• Implement supplier performance management (KPIs, review cadence and improvement plans) for all strategic and critical suppliers
• Drive supplier quality, capability development and continuous improvement; conduct or support supplier audits where appropriate
• Develop and maintain an Approved Vendor List (AVL) and ensure engineering and procurement are working from current approved sources
• Manage non-conformance processes at supplier level: NCR issuance, root cause analysis, corrective action tracking

Design for manufacture
• Work with the Technical Director, product and systems team to ensure product designs are aligned with manufacturing capability and supplier reality
• Provide early supplier input during new product development, identifying manufacturing risks, long-lead items and cost drivers at the design stage
• Drive improvements to product manufacturability, repeatability and cost as the product transitions from FOAK to NOAK configuration
• Support design reviews from a supply chain perspective, flagging make/buy decisions, single-source risks and DFM issues

Project delivery support
• Coordinate supply chain inputs to live project delivery, including long-lead item management, delivery scheduling and logistics coordination from factory gate to customer site
• Work with the Project Delivery team to manage supplier delivery against project schedules; identify and resolve supply chain risks during project execution before they become programme issues
• Support procurement planning for the NOAK projects

Governance and risk
• Develop procurement policies, approval authorities and governance processes appropriate for a scaling business
• Identify and assess supply chain risks (single-source dependencies, geopolitical risks, lead time vulnerabilities), and develop and implement mitigation plans
• Support the implementation and maintenance of the quality management system (ISO 9001) across supply chain activities

What You'll Bring
• Degree-qualified in a related technical discipline or equivalent experience
• Significant experience in industrial supply chain, procurement or manufacturing leadership in a business that makes real, complex, engineered products
• Demonstrated experience building supplier networks for engineered products, not just managing an existing list of approved vendors
• Experience managing outsourced manufacturing or contract manufacturers
• Track record of negotiating commercial contracts, framework agreements and supplier performance arrangements
• Experience of commercial disputes and contract turnaround
• Experience working alongside multidisciplinary engineering teams and translating engineering requirements into supplier-facing specifications
• Comfortable reading engineering drawings, P&IDs and technical specifications; sufficient technical literacy to have credible conversations with fabricators, welding engineers and process engineers

Nice to Have
• Experience in energy systems, industrial equipment, process industries or capital equipment supply chains
• Experience supporting EPC-style project delivery, coordinating multi-supplier programmes against a project schedule
• Experience in a first-of-a-kind or scale-up technology business
• Familiarity with industrial processes
• European supplier network, particularly industrial equipment manufacturers; German language an advantage given the Munich operation
• Experience with procurement software and systems

Meet most but not all of the above? Apply anyway. We care more about what you can do than ticking every box.

What You're Like
• You’re brilliant at what you do but leave the ego at the door
• You can build strong relationships and earn trust quickly, whether it’s with colleagues or suppliers
• You take ownership, solve problems and don’t wait to be told what to do
• You’ll bring positivity, integrity and common sense to the team
• You’re commercially minded and think strategically, whilst being willing to roll your sleeves up and get things done
• You thrive in fast-paced environments where priorities are constantly evolving

Why Join Us
• Be part of a dynamic and innovative company at the forefront of clean technology energy
• Play a pivotal role in driving the growth and success of Exergy3
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• Contribute to a sustainable future by promoting clean heat solutions
• Opportunity to shape the design processes, documentation standards, and engineering practices at a critical growth stage
• Be a key contributor in turning emerging technologies into commercially viable products
• Work at the intersection of academic innovation and industrial impact, helping scale clean heat solutions across Europe

• Competitive salary
• Stock options
• 34 days annual leave (UK) inc. public holidays OR:
• 30 days annual leave (Munich) exc. public holidays
• Company pension
• Hybrid working
• Compressed hours
• Up to 15 days of remote work from abroad each year
• Learning and Development budget

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES
If these principles resonate with you, we look forward to receiving your application.
Respect for the task
What we do is challenging! What we do is significant—for humanity, for our customers, and for one another. Someone has to do it, and we embrace the challenge.
Speak plainly
No sugar-coating, no dodging the issue. We speak openly, share the full picture, and collaborate based on genuine trust. Honesty isn’t just a value; it is the foundation for better decisions.
Take ownership
We don’t wait to be told what to do. We identify what needs to be done and take personal responsibility for seeing it through to completion.
Efficient and precise
We don’t get distracted. We focus on the details that matter. We channel our energy into critical tasks to quickly turn ambitions into results.
Mistakes happen!
Occasional mistakes are normal. When they occur, we learn from them together and move forward.
Enjoy the work
We take our work seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We celebrate successes and support one another—because great teams are built on trust and genuine care.

Inclusion at Exergy 3
Great ideas come from different perspectives. We’re building a diverse and inclusive team at Exergy3 where people can be themselves and do their best work. If you need any adjustments during the hiring process, just let us know and we’ll do our best to support you.