Technical Project Manager - DOE Partnerships

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 a Technical Project Manager, DOE Partnerships, you will support Xcimer’s public-private partnerships with the U.S. Department of Energy as we design, build, and test the experimental facilities and run the numerical investigations that lead to our fusion pilot plant. You will apply your project management skills to coordinate proposals and milestone reporting, manage cost and schedule performance, and help keep our DOE-funded work on track. As part of the Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) program team, you will work closely with technical leads to translate program requirements into actionable schedules, track progress across concurrent workstreams, and surface risks before they threaten deliverables.   We are looking for a project manager who is comfortable coordinating both internal engineering teams and outside consultants to deliver complex technical scope, and who can pick up new technical domains quickly, going deep enough to ask the right questions and spot problems early. In this role, you’ll help manage the partnerships that take Xcimer’s fusion pilot plant from design to reality. Responsibilities

• Manage execution of the public-private partnership between Xcimer and the Department of Energy, including milestone tracking, status reporting, and deliverable coordination.

• Coordinate across technical teams, external partners, and consultants to keep DOE-funded work on track. Partner with engineering and science teams responsible for technical execution.

• Coordinate the next update to the Fusion Pilot Plan (FPP) report to the DOE, including coordination with external consultants and stakeholders, to deliver an update aligned with DOE milestone requirements.

• Lead establishment of cost and schedule baselines for the FPP report deliverables and milestones. Track performance against those baselines and support technical leads in keeping work within scope, cost, and schedule commitments.

• Communicate accurate and timely program status, award health, risks, and reporting deadlines to Xcimer leadership.

Qualifications

• Education: B.S. degree in engineering, physical sciences, project management, or a related field; advanced degree a plus.

• Experience: 5+ years of project or program management experience, preferably supporting technically complex engineering, R&D, or hardware development programs.

• Demonstrated experience developing and managing project schedules, milestones, dependencies, risks, and cross-functional deliverables.

• Strong ability to work with technical teams and develop sufficient understanding of complex technical scope to identify dependencies, risks, and execution challenges in unfamiliar domains.

• Experience coordinating multiple internal and external stakeholders across concurrent workstreams.

• Experience with technical program reporting, proposal development, statements of work, milestone definitions, and deliverable management.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex program information for technical teams, executives, and external stakeholders.

• 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

• Experience working in fusion energy or fusion-adjacent technology, including inertial fusion, high-energy-density physics, plasma physics, high-power lasers, pulsed power, or related fields.

• Experience supporting federally funded programs, cooperative agreements, milestone-based awards, or similar public-private partnerships.

• Experience working across institutional/organizational cultures (e.g., national labs, universities, private companies).

• Experience managing first-of-a-kind hardware, experimental facilities, or complex R&D programs involving significant technical uncertainty.

• Experience working with integrated master schedules, critical-path planning, earned value concepts, or other structured cost and schedule performance-management approaches.

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.    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 eli