This is a full-time, onsite role based at our headquarters in Denver, CO.As the Director of Integrated Target Design at Xcimer, you will lead the interdisciplinary group of scientists and engineers that optimize all aspects of target physics for our new laser architecture. Your main responsibilities will be to guide efforts in advanced simulations and experiments, as well as the recruitment, mentoring, and development of the team. As a technical expert, you will provide day-to-day guidance to your team and participate in cross-function discussions across ICF disciplines. In close partnership with the program leads, you will translate high-level priorities and objectives into actionable plans, and build the culture and collaborations needed to reach the highest possible levels of fusion performance. At Xcimer, you can expect the resources and opportunity to build on decades of prior work in ICF and realize its ultimate potential for producing energy.
The ideal candidate would have significant understanding of inertial confinement fusion (ICF), the associated workflows, and existing high-energy-density-facilities and institutions.
Responsibilities- Build, grow, and lead the Integrated Target Design group, including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, managing, mentoring, and the professional development of staff.
- Convert program priorities into detailed work scopes, schedules, and task assignments for the team.
- Evaluate near-term capability and resource needs and communicate them to program leadership to support effective staffing and toolchain development.
- Uphold and enforce Xcimer's cultural values of humble ambition, accountable trust, respectful critique, and rigorous urgency.
- Ensure the high-quality execution of all work by removing obstacles and maintaining clear priorities for the team.
- Work with the Theory and Computation group to ensure modeling capabilities align with design needs.
- Collaborate with the Diagnostic Physics Division (Imaging and Spectroscopy) to ensure researchers have the diagnostic support, interfaces, and coordination needed for high-quality execution of experiments.
- Participate as a technical authority in cross-functional discussions with laser engineering, target fabrication, chamber engineering, diagnostics, etc.
- Provide day-to-day technical guidance to team members in implosion physics, LPI, symmetry control, and energy coupling strategies.
- Review and validate team outputs for technical quality and consistency Contribute to technical collaborations with national labs, universities, external vendors, and testing facilities.
- Establish department-wide practices, documentation standards, review processes, and quality control appropriate for industrial fusion systems.
Success Measures- An Integrated Design team with high measures of performance, strong collaborations, and very clear priorities.
- High-quality outputs delivered on schedule and aligned with program goals.
- Strong integration of target physics and implosion design work into experimental platforms that drive system, element, and program level decisions.
- Effective recruiting, mentoring, and development of internal capabilities.
- Consistent delivery of work scopes tied to physics risks and their resolution.
Qualifications- Ph.D. in Physics or Engineering, or a related technical field, with knowledge of ICF.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and develop scientific or technical teams.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey complex arguments to diverse staff in a matrixed organization.
- Ability to manage execution in a fast-moving, interdisciplinary environment, with evolving priorities.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted as a refugee or granted asylum.
Desired- Deep expertise in inertial confinement fusion, capsule and hohlraum design, laser-plasma instabilities, hydrodynamics, or a related field.
- Familiarity with radiation-hydrodynamic modeling workflows, methods in physics validation, and developing or supporting experimental platforms at HED facilities (NIF, OMEGA, Z, or similar).
- Experience in multi-institutional experimental collaborations.
- Familiarity with topics of interest to IFE including target fabrication, DT filling, cryogenic handling, and/or target injection and delivery.
$241,000 - $284,000 a year
Candidates may be considered for other positions at Xcimer Energy, and our actual base salary will be determined on an individual basis and may vary based on job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. The range is published in accordance with Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act and California Equal Pay Act.
BenefitsXcimer 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.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
