Listed on Orbital Diplomat 14 May 2026
The Exploration Company is a fast-growing European aerospace company developing Nyx, a modular, reusable spacecraft designed for cargo transport to Low Earth Orbit and, in the longer term, crewed missions. With offices in Munich, Bordeaux, Turin, Houston, Dubai, and Luxembourg, the company is positioning itself as a pan-European champion in commercial space transportation, operating at the intersection of NewSpace commercialisation and European industrial sovereignty. This Lead European Institutions and French Public Affairs role sits within the Government Affairs function reporting to the Chief Government Officer (CGO), and is responsible for designing and executing the company's public affairs strategy at both EU and French levels. The postholder will own priority EU policy files end-to-end — monitoring regulatory developments, crafting position papers and consultation responses, representing the company in EU forums and industry coalitions, and providing strategic advisory to the CEO and executive team on political and regulatory risks and opportunities. On the French side, the role leads relationships with ministries, Parliament, regulators, and institutional partners, and supports high-level meetings with direct preparation of messaging and briefings. The postholder will also contribute to funding-related policy work spanning EU programmes and French national support mechanisms. This is a hands-on, highly autonomous role in a startup environment — designed for a senior public affairs professional who can operate without a large team and create institutional-level impact from a lean structure.
Master's degree in European Studies, Political Science, Law, Public Policy, or equivalent 5-7+ years of experience in EU and/or French public affairs, ideally with exposure to startups, scale-ups, or fast-moving regulated sectors Proven experience engaging directly with EU institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, Council) and French public authorities at senior level Track record of advising executives in politically sensitive and ambiguous environments Strong understanding of how public policy impacts business models, funding, and market access in regulated sectors French: native or fluent (mandatory); English: fluent (mandatory) Additional EU languages are a plus