Director, Regulatory & Compliance - France/Europe

Wanna Join the Adventure?
As Director, Regulatory & Compliance (France), you’ll be the lead point of contact for all regulatory, trade, and compliance activities supporting Loft’s operations in France and the broader European region. You will play a critical role in enabling our space missions by securing regulatory approvals, managing compliance with French and EU laws, and ensuring our satellite programs remain audit-ready across jurisdictions.
You’ll work closely with Loft’s Head of Global Regulatory (Doug Farren), our technical and legal teams, and external stakeholders including French authorities like ANFR and CNES. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role; ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of regulation, technology, and cross-border collaboration.
This role is based in Toulouse, France. A strong command of French and the European regulatory framework, especially related to space, spectrum, and export control, is essential.

About This Role:

• Export Control & Licensing
• Lead Loft France’s export control compliance, covering hardware, software, and data transfers to international destinations—including the UAE and other non-EU countries.
• Manage the submission and approval of all export license applications under French, EU, and international export control regimes (Dual-Use, ITAR/EAR, War Material).
• Support the submission of U.S. EAR and ITAR (DSP-5) license requests and ensure ongoing compliance with those authorizations.
• Advise program, procurement, and sales teams on export constraints related to suppliers and partners in Europe and abroad.
• Conduct regular audits and risk assessments of Loft satellite programs to ensure adherence to all licensing requirements and compliance frameworks.
• Facilitate all international shipments through export compliance review and customs clearance support.
• Spectrum & Remote Sensing Licensing
• Lead the development and management of spectrum grant filings and remote sensing applications for submission to relevant national authorities.
• Act as Loft France’s primary liaison with CNES, ANFR, and other regulatory bodies for spectrum allocation, operator licensing, and satellite registration. Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely and accurate submissions.
• Security & Regulatory Compliance
• Coordinate and lead the preparation of dossiers required under the French Space Operations Act (LOS), in collaboration with CNES and SGDSN.
• Ensure Loft France’s compliance with national security regulations (IGI-1300, II-901, DR/DR-SF) and, when applicable, NATO standards.
• Monitor cybersecurity compliance with frameworks such as SecNumCloud, NIS2, and ANSSI guidelines; support internal awareness and training programs.
• Governance & Institutional Reporting
• Support Loft France’s regulatory reporting obligations and responses to French and European authorities (e.g., DGA, SGDSN, DRSD, ARCEP).
• Conduct due diligence on third-party vendors and customers to assess compliance and risk exposure.
• Contribute actively to Loft France’s governance and sovereignty posture, helping to position the company as a trusted industrial player for European and defense-related programs.
• Serve as a proactive interlocutor with government stakeholders on regulatory, security, and strategic issues.
• Internal Processes & Collaboration
• Develop internal licensing templates, process improvements, and best practices for compliance workflows.
• Coordinate with internal teams to classify products, manage licensing requirements, and maintain accurate documentation to support internal controls and regulatory audits.
• Advise the business on international trade compliance, including economic sanctions, foreign policy, and export restrictions.

Must Haves:

• 8+ years in trade compliance and regulatory affairs in the aerospace industry
• Strong understanding of EU trade compliance regimes, including hands-on experience managing dual-use and military export license applications
• Working knowledge of ITU licensing processes and relevant French and European spectrum authorities
• Strong grasp of French Space Law, including its practical regulatory implications for commercial and government operations
• Ability to be self-motivated and work independently with a methodical approach to detail.
• Ability to interface with a variety of interdisciplinary stakeholders and adapt in a dynamic and evolving start-up environment.
• High attention to detail and attentiveness to deadline
• Familiarity with Google Suite, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Drive initiatives forward independently, earning the confidence of senior internal and external stakeholders through clear, authoritative communication and sound judgment.

Nice To Haves:

• Working knowledge of FCC spectrum licensing and NOAA remote sensing licensing requirements in the United States
• Hands-on experience with U.S. export control regulations, including EAR and Familiarity with regulatory frameworks outside the U.S. and EU, with particular focus on the MENA region.
• Experience in a global organization working across national borders to enable business goals.
• Solid understanding of U.S., EU, and other global customs regimes, including experience with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) and enforcement practices
• Experience working with technical subject matter experts in an engineering environment.

Some Of Our Awesome Benefits:

• Equity, we want you to have an active role in our success
• Up to 35 days of Paid Time Off (vacations & RTT ) and flexible working hours, we want you to be at your best
• Health and life insurance, we care about your health
• Lunch Vouchers, because let’s be honest, we love food! (we even have a slack channel about it #loft-gourmand)
• Cross-office travel opportunities between San Francisco, Colorado, and Toulouse to learn from our differences
• Company and team off-sites and many other events to work & celebrate together
• Relocation assistance to Toulouse when applicable

 *Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other underrepresented people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the qualifications. At Loft, we value respectful debate and people who aren’t afraid to challenge assumptions.  We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t check all the boxes.
Who We Are
Loft: Space Made Simple. 
Founded in 2017, Loft provides governments, companies, and research institutions with a fast, reliable, and flexible way to deploy missions in orbit. 
We integrate, launch, and operate spacecraft, offering end-to-end missions as a service across Earth observation, IoT connectivity, in-orbit demonstrations, national security missions, and more. Leveraging our existing space infrastructure and an extensive inventory of satellite buses, Loft is reducing years-long integration and launch timelines to months. With more than 25 missions flown, Loft’s flight heritage and proven technologies enable customers to focus on their mission objectives. 
At Loft, you’ll be given the autonomy and ownership to solve significant challenges, but with a close-knit and supportive team at your back. We believe that diversity and community are the foundation of an open culture. We are committed to hiring the best people regardless of background and make their time at Loft the most fulfilling period of their career.
We value kind, supportive and team-oriented collaborators. It is also crucial for us that you are a problem solver and a great communicator. As our team is international, you will need strong English skills to better collaborate, easily communicate complex ideas and convey important messages.With 4 satellites on-orbit and a wave of exciting missions launching soon, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France.
As an international company your resume will be reviewed by people across our offices so please attach a copy in English.