Ready to make this your next chapter?
Let Xcimer Energy know you found them on WorkInGreen. It helps more companies post climate jobs here.
Employment type:
Full time
Experience required:
Director
Salary
Salary not provided
About the company:
Xcimer Energy is a fusion energy company focused on commercializing laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, which it describes as the only scientifically validated form of fusion energy. The company is developing high-energy excimer laser systems designed to ignite fusion reactions using fuel derived from seawater and lithium, with the goal of delivering safe, clean, and affordable electricity that is cost-competitive with fossil fuels and renewables. Its mission centers on decarbonizing energy-intensive sectors such as artificial intelligence infrastructure, desalination, and industrial processes that require firm, always-on, carbon-free power.
Xcimer's technical approach relies on electron-beam-pumped excimer lasers combined with a pulse compression technique called Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS), which compresses microsecond laser pulses to nanosecond durations without damaging optics. In 2024 the company broke ground on Phoenix, its first prototype high-energy laser system, located in Denver, Colorado, and announced the start of its operations in June 2026. Phoenix is the first electron-beam-pumped excimer laser built in the private sector in more than two decades and validates key elements of the company's low-cost laser fusion architecture.
Xcimer's longer-term target is Athena, which it describes as the world's first laser fusion power plant, expected to deliver 400 megawatts of continuous clean energy by 2035. The company has received a U.S. Department of Energy approval of its fusion power plant preconceptual design and technology roadmap milestone, and collaborates with industrial partners such as TRUMPF Laser SE. With a team of nearly 200 engineers, physicists, and business professionals, Xcimer positions itself as the most technically mature private laser fusion company.
Xcimer Energy leverages decades of research on Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) combined with groundbreaking new laser architecture. Our mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. Xcimer has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by leading investors, Xcimer is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. Join us in powering a better world with inertial fusion!
This is a full-time, onsite role based at our headquarters in Denver, CO.
As the Director of Laser Engineering, you will lead the development, scaling, and industrialization of advanced laser systems that support Xcimer’s next-generation fusion energy platform. You will define the technical direction for large-scale laser architectures, build and mentor a high-performing engineering organization, and ensure laser systems are reliable, manufacturable, and scalable for industrial deployment. We are looking for a technical leader to apply their expertise in laser engineering, systems integration, and organizational leadership to positively impact the future of energy!
Equal Employment Opportunity
Xcimer Energy is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated work force. Xcimer Energy hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Xcimer Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. For more information on “EEO Is the Law,” please see here and here.
Benefits
Xcimer offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employee health, well-being, and long-term success. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage; basic and supplemental life insurance; short- and long-term disability; paid parental leave for employees at the time of birth or adoption; and a 401(k) with a company match of up to 6%. Eligible employees also receive equity, allowing them to share in the company’s long-term success.
Xcimer operates under a flexible Paid Time Off (ATO) approach. Rather than a fixed number of vacation days, employees are trusted to take the time they need to rest and recharge while meeting the expectations of their role and team. In addition, employees receive paid sick time, 13 company-paid holidays, and an annual paid company shutdown. Benefits are available to regular employees, including part-time and fixed-term roles, as well as interns, with eligibility varying by benefit.
Responsibilities
- Lead the Laser Engineering department, including hiring, onboarding, mentoring, and performance development of engineering staff.
- Define and own the technical roadmap for laser system development, maturation, scaling, and industrial deployment.
- Oversee the design, integration, testing, validation, and commissioning of large-scale laser systems with strong emphasis on reliability, manufacturability, repeatability, and operational performance.
- Collaborate closely with experimental physics teams to evaluate existing laser architectures, experimental results, and critical design tradeoffs.
- Review and assess current laser technologies and architectures to identify technical risks, limitations, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
- Drive technical decision-making related to future laser system architectures using experimental data, modeling results, and system-level performance analysis.
- Partner cross-functionally with optics engineering, optomechanical engineering, pulsed power, materials science, controls, manufacturing, and systems engineering teams to ensure effective communication and technical alignment.
- Translate experimental insights and lessons learned into robust engineering designs, specifications, and scalable production-ready systems.
- Lead the transition from prototype and research systems to reliable industrial-grade laser products and infrastructure.
- Establish engineering best practices, design review processes, technical documentation standards, and quality expectations for complex laser systems.
- Identify technical risks across laser development programs and drive mitigation strategies to support program execution and long-term scalability.
- Manage relationships with external vendors and partners supplying laser components, hardware, and subsystems.
- Support system troubleshooting, root cause investigations, and corrective action implementation during development and operations.
- Align laser engineering priorities with company strategy, schedules, budgets, and organizational objectives in partnership with executive leadership.
Qualifications
Desired
Get job alerts
Receive new climate job opportunities matching your preferences.
Not quite the right fit? Keep looking.
More climate roles that match your skills and values.
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
32 Energy jobs at Xcimer Energy
Xcimer Energy is hiring Principal Systems Engineer,Pulsed Power Physicist,Principal Adaptive Optics Engineer, and more.
