Procurement and Subcontracts Manager

Salary & Benefits: Competitive

Department: Commercial

Reports to: Head of Customer Success

Job Type: Full time

Location: Central London, Hybrid (with regular international travel to suppliers and partners)

About us

ORCA Computing (“ORCA”) is at the forefront of a new era in high-performance computing, developing full-stack photonic quantum systems designed to transform how organisations tackle machine learning, generative AI, and complex optimisation challenges. Headquartered in London, ORCA has delivered eleven on-premises quantum computers worldwide – demonstrating that its technology is not theoretical but already delivering real world results.

At the core of ORCA’s innovation is its hybrid quantum-classical architecture, engineered for seamless integration into existing AI and HPC infrastructure. Its current PT-2 system, a rack-mounted quantum computer, connects directly to GPU clusters via NVIDIA’s CUDA-Q platform, enabling accelerated AI workloads with significantly lower energy consumption than traditional silicon-based systems. Backed by a strong portfolio of patent families spanning photonic integrated circuits, quantum memory, and multiplexing technologies, ORCA is enabling enterprises, research institutions, and HPC operators to unlock new levels of performance, efficiency, and scalability.

As ORCA prepares to launch its next-generation PT-3 system, the company is entering a pivotal phase of growth and technological advancement. Its solutions are already being embedded into generative AI pipelines, delivering measurable improvements in model performance, while also addressing the rising energy demands of large-scale AI adoption. With a focus on practical deployment and a clear roadmap to fault-tolerant quantum computing, ORCA is leading the development and deployment of quantum technology, providing a commercially viable path to the future of computing.

What you will do

• Own strategic sourcing for specialised photonic and quantum components, identifying, qualifying and managing suppliers for low-volume, long-lead-time parts that are frequently single- or dual-sourced.
• Own subcontract management, leading the commercial and technical relationships with our manufacturing, assembly and integration partners, including Statements of Work (SOWs), deliverable tracking and supplier performance.
• Manage suppliers operating under licence from ORCA, ensuring appropriate handling of our intellectual property within these relationships and overseeing joint investment decisions made with licensed partners.
• Run day-to-day procurement operations across direct (hardware) and indirect spend, including purchasing, cost negotiation and supplier onboarding, establishing repeatable processes as you go.
• Build supply chain resilience by mitigating single-source risk, monitoring lead times, planning for continuity, and feeding supply risk into ORCA’s wider risk register.
• Lead on export control and compliance in sourcing, working with Legal to manage dual-use and ITAR-adjacent considerations in supplier contracts and cross-border supply.
• Develop strong working relationships with ORCA’s key suppliers, acting as a trusted point of contact and supporting them in building the business case for their own ongoing investment and support decisions.
• Drive supplier-led initiatives to improve the quality and performance of the products and services they provide to ORCA.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Project Management, Legal and Finance to translate demanding hardware requirements into deliverable, commercially sound supply arrangements.
• Secure increasingly favourable commercial terms as production volumes grow, ensuring supplier capability and contracts keep pace with our roadmap.

What you will bring- required

• Demonstrable experience in procurement, strategic sourcing or subcontract management within a hardware business such as aerospace, defence, semiconductors, photonics, scientific instrumentation or comparable deep-tech engineering.
• A track record of negotiating and managing supplier contracts and subcontracts, including SOWs, deliverables, acceptance criteria and performance terms.
• Experience managing supplier or licensing arrangements involving intellectual property and joint investment decisions, with sound commercial and IP awareness.
• Confidence operating within low-volume, high-complexity, long-lead-time supply chains, as distinct from high-volume commercial procurement.
• Working knowledge of export control as it applies to cross-border sourcing, including UK export control and dual-use and ITAR/EAR-adjacent regimes.
• Strong commercial judgement and the confidence to engage directly with engineers on complex, fast-evolving hardware requirements.
• Comfort establishing processes from first principles, given there is no existing procurement function to inherit.

Nice to have

• Experience in a regulated or quality-critical manufacturing environment (e.g. AS9100, ISO 9001) and familiarity with supplier approval requirements.
• Familiarity with photonics, optics, cryogenics, or precision-engineered and electronic components.
• Experience scaling new products into volume manufacture and supporting production ramp-up.
• Exposure to implementing or improving ERP and procurement systems within a scaling company.
• A professional procurement qualification such as CIPS.

Who we are looking for

• Ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively.
• Excellent communication skills, particularly in a commercial setting.
• Growth mindset, results driven.
• Enthusiasm for new technologies and interest in quantum computing.

Why join us

Joining ORCA Computing offers the opportunity to work at the forefront of quantum technology, where innovation is already delivering real-world impact. Across commercial, operational, and product roles, you’ll collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to bring advanced quantum systems to market and help integrate quantum capabilities into modern AI and data centre ecosystems.

ORCA provides a rare chance to contribute to a pivotal moment in the evolution of computing. With a culture built on ownership, collaboration, and ambition, the company empowers individuals to solve complex challenges and shape how next-generation quantum technologies are developed, deployed, and scaled across industries – driving a more efficient and powerful future for AI and compute.

How to apply

Please send your CV and a brief introduction (one paragraph is fine!) to: careers@orcacomputing.com.