Systems Engineer, Laser

Focused Energy is a fusion energy startup with the goal of generating unlimited clean energy to responsibly meet future global demand. With the use and commercialization of laser-induced inertial fusion, a clean and highly efficient power generation technology is coming within reach, suitable to ensure a secure and scalable future energy supply.

We are seeking a skilled and driven Laser Systems Engineer to join our team and help us shape the future of energy. In this role, you will own the laser driver system through its full engineering lifecycle — from early architecture through design, integration, commissioning, and operational readiness — ensuring that it evolves from an R&D platform into a reliable, industrial-grade system for fusion power generation. Your work will directly enable the transition from experimental physics to operational fusion energy infrastructure.

In this role, you will drive the laser system through its full engineering lifecycle from concept and architectural definition through preliminary and detailed design, integration, commissioning, and operational readiness. You will act as the system authority for the laser driver, ensuring technical coherence, controlled evolution, and readiness for safe, reliable operation within an integrated fusion facility.

What you'll do:

• Own the system lifecycle: Lead the laser system through defined lifecycle phases, supporting formal design and readiness reviews (requirements, preliminary and detailed design, integration and operational readiness), and ensuring alignment between physics intent, engineering implementation, and delivery milestones.

• Define and manage system requirements: Establish and maintain system-level requirements (energy, pulse shape, repetition rate, efficiency, reliability, lifetime), including traceability to subsystem requirements, verification methods, and acceptance criteria.

• Own verification and validation: Define the system-level verification and validation strategy, ensuring requirements are demonstrably met through analysis, test, and commissioning at component, subsystem, and system level.

• Manage system interfaces and integration: Act as the technical authority for laser system interfaces, defining and controlling boundaries between optical modules, controls and timing systems, safety and interlocks, facility infrastructure (power, cooling, space, services), and external partner deliverables to ensure robust and predictable integration.

• Maintain system baselines and change control: Establish and maintain system baselines, manage technical change in a controlled manner, and ensure configuration consistency across internal teams and external partners throughout the system lifecycle.

• Develop and maintain system models: Support the development and maintenance of a coherent system model (functional, physical, and performance-based) to support architectural decisions, interface definition, risk reduction, and lifecycle evolution of the laser system.

• Bridge R&D and industrialization: Translate complex physics requirements into executable engineering specifications, guiding the evolution from flexible R&D platforms to a reliable, industrialized, high-repetition-rate system.

• Support safety and operational readiness: Contribute to safety analyses, interlock systems, laser safety protocols, and commissioning activities to ensure safe and compliant operation.

Who you are:

• Master’s or PhD in Optical Engineering, Physics, Systems Engineering, or a related field.

• 10+ years developing large, integrated, complex systems in domains such as lasers, energy, aerospace, or other high-reliability engineering environments. Experience with ICF-class laser facilities (NIF, LMJ, OMEGA, or similar) is strongly preferred.

• Proven experience applying systems engineering lifecycle processes (e.g. ISO 15288), including requirements engineering, architecture definition, interface control, verification and validation, configuration management, commissioning, and operational handover within complex, high-risk engineering projects.

• Ability to reason across scales — from micro-optics to facility-level infrastructure — and decompose complex systems into clear functional and physical architectures.

• Strong ability to synthesize complex technical information and communicate clearly with physicists, engineers, external partners, and executive leadership; experienced author of technical documentation.

• General working knowledge of mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation & controls systems, with the ability to learn and integrate across disciplines.

• Strong orientation toward robustness, reliability, maintainability, and operability — understanding what it takes to evolve from laboratory systems to industrial machines.

• Fluency in English required; German proficiency is a strong plus..

What we offer:

• Innovative Technology & Mission: Be part of a cutting-edge company working on groundbreaking research in clean energy and scientific discovery.

• Ownership: Take ownership from day 1 and drive impact by making decisions, solving challenges, and shaping the future of our company.

• Your Success is our Success: We offer a competitive salary and company ownership in the form of stock options, giving you a direct stake in our success.

• Flexibility: We offer a hybrid setup, giving you the freedom to work from our office while also enjoying the flexibility to work from home when it suits you.

• Vacation Days: We support your work-life balance by granting you 30 days of vacation per year.

• Snacks and Drinks: Our office fridges are never empty. Enjoy healthy snacks and drinks, and a subsidized canteen with delicious lunch options daily.

• Mobility & Fitness: We partner with NAVIT for flexible commuting needs and Wellhub for access to gyms and wellness services across Europe.

• Events: We organize regular events to foster team bonding, share ideas, and have fun together.

Focused Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Focused Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, benefits.