Director of Laser Engineering (m/f/d)
Location: Darmstadt, Germany
Travel: Approximately 20%
About Focused Energy
Focused Energy is building the engineering organization and laser systems needed for laser-driven fusion energy. We bring together specialists across laser engineering and adjacent teams to tackle a complex, long-term technology challenge.
The opportunity
As Director of Laser Engineering, you will own the delivery of our laser functions at fusion machine and system level. You will lead a team of managers and technical leaders, establish a single technology and functional roadmap, ensuring coherence of the sub-functions, and build the operating practices that help the organization scale from individual expertise to coordinated industrial engineering.
You will connect immediate technical priorities to long-term FPP goals, make sure technology risks have clear owners and retirement plans, and represent Laser Engineering in technical reviews and executive-level forums. The role has a global scope, with most of the team and work based in the Darmstadt area.
What you will do
- Own and maintain the technology and functional roadmap of the laser function, linking critical work to long-term system goals.
- Lead and develop a team of five direct reports and a broader organization of 15+ indirect FTEs and students; delegate outcomes, coach managers, and build leadership capacity; scale the team by a factor 2-3x in the next 12 months.
- Establish clear ownership, decision rights, technical review processes and practical operating rhythms as the organization scales.
- Steer partnerships and outsourcing strategies for laser technology development. Act as an escalation step in those relationships.
- Build a current picture of technology maturity, dependencies, gate reviews, and technical risks; maintain a risk register and drive actions that retire risks systematically.
- Strengthen technical documentation and working practices so that important context is visible, maintained, and usable across teams.
- Lead system-level architecture discussions by testing assumptions, weighing evidence and trade-offs, and surfacing gaps or decision points.
- Work closely with Laser Systems Engineering, Program, Lab Infrastructure, Digital Twin, Supply Chain, and the Reactor team to maintain alignment and resolve cross-functional issues; work closely with Legal and business development on IP strategy.
- Represent the function at fusion-machine-wide technical review meetings and executive forums, communicating outcomes, risks, and decisions clearly.
What you bring
- A technical background in engineering, physics, photonics, or a related discipline, gained through a relevant degree or equivalent experience.
- Proven experience leading managers or senior technical leaders. You have developed leaders, not only managed projects or individual contributors.
- A record of building and delivering technology or engineering roadmaps in a complex environment.
- Strong first-principles reasoning: you can challenge expert views constructively, separate data-backed conclusions from assumptions, and make sound decisions when information is incomplete.
- Experience managing technical risks, dependencies, and cross-functional delivery.
- Clear, concise, outcome-focused communication with senior and technical audiences.
- High EQ, adaptability, and comfort working in an organization where priorities and structures may evolve.
- Willingness to maintain a consistent presence in the Darmstadt area and travel approximately 20%. Full relocation is welcome but not required; the on-site cadence can be agreed with the team.
- Fluent English. German is a plus, not a requirement.
- Experience in laser engineering, photonics, or complex hardware—or building structure in a scaling organization—is a plus, but not required. A PhD is not required.
