Grants & Non-Dilutive Funding Manager

LightQ; Hamburg; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

LightQ in Hamburg seeks a dedicated Grants & Public Funding Manager to own the end-to-end funding pipeline across Germany and the EU. You will identify programs, build compelling applications, and translate complex technical inputs into funder-ready narratives working with a world-class founder team.

You will manage deadlines, ensure compliance, report milestones, and maintain strong relations with funding bodies, while aligning with the company’s photonics-driven computing vision.

Qualifications

• Fluent in German and English, with ability to write funder-ready narratives.
• 2–5 years of professional experience writing and managing grant applications in Germany and/or EU level (BAFA, ZIM, EXIST, Horizon Europe, EIC).
• Ability to translate complex technical input into compelling grant proposals.
• Experience managing multiple applications and milestone reporting.

Responsibilities

• Funding Pipeline & Strategy — Identify, evaluate, and prioritize grant and non-dilutive funding programs across Germany and the EU, aligned with the company roadmap.
• Application Ownership — End-to-end drafting, internal review coordination, submission, and follow-up with funding bodies.
• Technical Narrative — Turn founder and engineering input into funder-ready narratives.
• Compliance & Reporting — Milestone reporting, documentation, and audit readiness for each grant.
• Funding Body Relations — Primary point of contact with funding bodies, treated like investor relations.

Skills

Technical fluency

Relentless execution

Financial literacy

Written precision

Collaboration & creativity

Grant applications (Germany/EU)

Translate technical input to funder-nr

Multiple applications management

Meet deadlines & reporting

Bachelor/Master in technical field

Education

Technical or scientific degree

Job description

The demand for AI is rapidly outgrowing the electronic hardware it runs on. At LIGHT Q , we’re building next-generation computing to unlock sustainable AI: based on light, not electrons, and grounded in ultrafast laser technology, our platform is orders of magnitude faster and far more energy-efficient.We are a team of internationally recognised scientists, proficient engineers and seasoned operators. We are based in Hamburg, one of the global epicentres of ultrafast photonics.

THE ROLE

At LIGHT Q , cutting-edge photonics meets computing hardware — a synergetic field which can greatly benefit from today’s public funding instruments. You own the non-dilutive channel end-to-end — grants, public funding programs, and non-dilutive capital across Germany and the EU. You track down the right programs, build the case, and turn our development topics into language a funding body will act on. You work directly with a world-class founding team of physicists, engineers, and operators building the next computing paradigm.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Funding Pipeline & Strategy — Identify, evaluate, and prioritize grant and non-dilutive funding programs across Germany and the EU, matched against the company’s roadmap and stage.
• Application Ownership — End-to-end ownership of the application process: drafting, internal review coordination, submission, and follow-up correspondence with funding bodies.
• Technical Narrative — Turn founder and engineering input into funder-ready technical and business narrative, working independently wherever possible.
• Compliance & Reporting — Own milestone reporting, documentation, and audit requirements for every awarded grant, and keep the company in good standing with every funder.
• Funding Body Relations — Act as the company’s primary point of contact with funding bodies, managed with the same rigor as an investor relationship.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Technical fluency — You read photonics and engineering material fast, and turn it into language a non-specialist reviewer will fund.
• Relentless execution — You track every deadline, every document requirement, and every follow-up independently and meticulously. You don’t wait for reminders, and you don’t miss a submission window.
• Financial literacy — You speak the language of grant budgets, cost eligibility, and milestone-based disbursement.
• Written precision — You speak fluently German and English, tuned to the exact format and tone each program expects.
• Collaboration & creative resourcefulness — You find the funding programs others miss and thrive connecting with funding agencies & politics.
• 2–5 years of professional experience writing and managing grant applications in Germany and/or at EU level (BAFA, ZIM, EXIST, Horizon Europe, EIC, or comparable).
• Proven ability to translate technical input into funder-ready narrative without needing to be the technical expert.
• Track record of managing multiple applications and reporting deadlines end-to-end without dropping details.
• Degree in a technical or scientific field — physics, engineering, or comparable is a plus, not a requirement.

If you are passionate about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in photonics, working on something that genuinely matters and thrive in a high-energy, fast-paced environment, we want to hear from you.