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Xcimer Energy seeks an IFE (Inertial Fusion Energy) Program Director to lead a large-scale, billion-dollar class program from concept through operational demonstration. This is a senior leadership role accountable for program strategy, execution, and alignment with organizational objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
- Oversee design, planning, and execution of the billion-dollar IFE program, ensuring alignment with company goals.
- Provide day-to-day leadership to matrixed engineering, science, and operations teams while maintaining technical integrity and quality standards.
- Lead IFE system architecture development across all phases: early-stage concept, engineering design, technology maturation, construction readiness, commissioning, and operational demonstration.
- Manage program budgets, resource allocation, and schedules with proactive risk mitigation and performance reporting.
- Collaborate with senior leadership and stakeholders on program status, risks, critical path activities, dependencies, and improvement opportunities.
- Lead resolution of cross-disciplinary technical issues involving performance, cost, reliability, maintainability, safety, and schedule trade-offs.
- Ensure consistency of design assumptions, technology development activities, and engineering analyses across the program.
- Work with element leads and technical authorities to establish design maturity, validation requirements, and evidence-based readiness assessments.
- Establish effective program governance, reporting, configuration management, change control, and decision-making processes.
- Ensure near-term technical decisions support long-term commercial deployment strategy.
Requirements:
- Master's degree in physics, mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering, or related technical field (Ph.D. in relevant engineering field preferred).
- 15+ years leading large, complex programs at billion-dollar scale within engineering-intensive environments (semiconductor, laser, nuclear, space and defense, etc.).
- Proven track record guiding large-scale technical teams through all phases of technical program delivery.
- Demonstrated success translating technical objectives into integrated program plans with measurable milestones, budgets, schedules, and accountable owners.
- Experience coordinating multiple technical disciplines and managing complex system interfaces and dependencies.
- Strong understanding of systems engineering, technology maturation, technical risk management, and engineering design reviews.
- Experience managing program budgets, resource allocation, external contracts, and executive-level reporting.
- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills with ability to influence at all organizational levels.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.
Desired Qualifications:
- Experience in fusion energy development, nuclear technology, advanced energy systems, or other highly complex, capital-intensive technology programs.
- Experience with pilot plants, first-of-a-kind facilities, prototype systems, or integrated technology demonstrations.
- Familiarity with fusion plant architectures, including major subsystems such as laser driver, targets, chamber, and fusion fuel cycle.
- Familiarity with regulatory and compliance frameworks for high-value engineering projects.
