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Strategic Project Buyer (m/f/d)

Stuttgart
Full-time
Permanent employee

Your mission

The future of AI computing is light, not electrons. Q.ANT is building photonic processing systems that compute with light – delivering a scalable, energy-efficient alternative to transistor-based architectures for next-generation AI and HPC applications.
 
As Strategic Project Buyer (m/f/d), you are the catalyst transforming procurement from a transactional function into a high-impact strategic engine. You will sit at the intersection of breakthrough R&D and industrial scalability, ensuring ourtechnological leadership is backed by a resilient, future-proof supply chain. By proactively engaging with engineering teams and global suppliers, you will secure the innovation and cost-optimization necessary to translate Q.ANT’s photonic visioninto market-ready reality.

Your Responsibilities

  • Strategic Sourcing Architecture: Analyze needs and develop sophisticated sourcing strategies aligned with business goals and long-term category planning.

  • Supply Chain Resilience: Drive proactive risk management through second-source strategies, frame agreements, and supplier stewardship to secure critical goods and services.

  • Innovation & NPI Integration: Ensure seamless new product introductions (NPI) by bridging engineering requirements and supplier capabilities within the Product Development Process.

  • Lateral Leadership: Operate as the connective tissue across R&D, Finance, Project Management, Production, and Quality – coordinating complex interfaces without formal authority and driving cross-functional alignment.

  • High-Stakes Negotiation: Design and execute advanced negotiation strategies with full authority to secure optimal terms with global partners.

  • Strategic Market Intelligence: Build and apply deep market insights into semiconductor and electronics supply markets to anticipate bottlenecks, identify opportunities, and inform make-or-buy decisions.


Your profile

  • Educational Foundation: Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, or a comparable field.

  • Industry Expertise: Minimum 5 years in procurement functions; experience in high-tech, semiconductor, computing, or advanced manufacturing is a strong advantage.

  • Ownership Mindset: High degree of accountability with a focus on proactive risk management and solution-finding.

  • Technical Literacy: Working knowledge of optics, semiconductors, and electronics to translate requirements into commercial action.

  • Collaborative Drive: Proven track record of building trust across functions and with external partners. You lead through influence, not hierarchy.

  • Analytical Toolset: Proficiency in SAP and Microsoft Office to manage complex procurement data and workflows.

  • Language: Fluent English required; German or another European language is a strong advantage.

Why us?

  • We hire for attitude and train for skills.

  • We encourage self responsibility and accelerate professional development.

  • We move fast and encourage experimentation.

  • You have the opportunity to be part of developing breakthrough photonic computing technology and have a lasting impact on the future of computing.

  • You can be part of a passionate international, highly skilled cross functional team.

  • You will have access to the founders of the company.

About us

Who we are and what we do
Q.ANT is a deep-tech scale-up developing photonic processing solutions that compute natively with light and deliver a scalable alternative to transistor-based systems. The analog co-processors are optimised for complex computations and enable energy-efficient performance for next-generation AI and HPC applications. In collaboration with the Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart IMS CHIPS, Q.ANT operates its own pilot line for photonic chips, based on the material system Thin-Film Lithium Niobate TFLN. Q.ANT was founded by Michael Förtsch in 2018 and is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.