Strategy and Business Development Manager

Ignite Next GmbH; München; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Proxima Fusion, Europe’s fastest-growing fusion company, seeks a strategic deal professional to shape growth and partnerships from Munich. You will own market assessments, write compelling memos, and lead cross-functional workstreams with engineering, finance, and operations teams.

With 2–3 years in top strategy or PE roles and a STEM background, you will drive inorganic growth, evaluate opportunities, and help scale the business toward a commercial fusion power plant in the late 2030s.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years in tier-1 strategy consulting, private equity, VC, or fast-paced startup.
• Exposure to deep tech or energy industries preferred.
• Fluent English; German is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own the front of the funnel: build market reports, competitive landscapes, and technology assessments.
• Drive clear decisions: write investment memos and business cases for leadership approval.
• Run project workstreams: lead expert calls, interviews and data room screening.
• Support post-deal integration: integrate acquisitions and joint ventures with teams.
• Strengthen the function: define how the team runs strategic projects and deploy AI tools.
• Source new opportunities: represent Proxima Fusion at conferences and grow the pipeline.

Skills

Strategy & deal experience

Technical fluency

Relationship building

Clear communication

Independent problem solving

Modeling & memo writing

Startup mindset

Education

STEM degree (engineering, physics, etc.)

Job description

Proxima Fusion is Europe’s fastest-growing fusion company and the continent’s best-funded fusion player, as well as the first spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP). Backed by over €650M and powered by a growing team across Munich, Zurich, and Oxford, we are developing the hardware and infrastructure needed to deliver the world’s first commercial stellarator fusion power plant.

Our concept advances the most mature fusion technology out there, the Wendelstein 7‑X stellarator, through two next‑generation machines: Alpha and Stellaris. Our work combines stellarator optimization, advanced computation, machine learning, and high‑temperature superconducting magnets to unlock higher‑performance designs that were previously out of reach.

Turning these designs into a functioning fusion power plant requires excellence and ownership across every discipline, from physics and engineering to software, manufacturing, law, and business functions.

WHY JOIN PROXIMA FUSION

• You will get to work on some of the most complex tech challenges to bring abundant, safe, clean energy to the world.

• You'll get to join and learn from an exceptional selection of accomplished and driven individuals.

• Do your life’s best work and enjoy the journey.

• Get to show that big things are possible in Europe when you assemble the best talent.

  YOUR IMPACT

  Proxima will sell fusion electricity in the late 2030s. Our Business Development team shapes our growth strategy by identifying and executing organic and inorganic business opportunities on the way there. You will own deals along our playbook, from market scan to a clear go/no‑go from leadership, with an initial focus on inorganic ones (e.g. M&A, JV). This is a highly cross‑functional role: you will work directly with the Business Development Lead and the Head of Business Operations, and partner with our finance, legal, engineering and supply chain teams.

  WHAT YOU WILL DO

  • Own the front of the funnel: Build market reports, competitive landscapes, and company and technology assessments that inform where Proxima invests and which new products it develops.

  • Drive clear decisions: Write investment memos and business cases that lead to a go/no‑go from the leadership team and Board, working with our engineering teams to ground the analysis in technical reality.

  • Run project workstreams: Lead expert calls, customer interviews and data room screening, and develop trusted relationships with colleagues and external partners along the way.

  • Support post‑deal integration: Integrate acquisitions and set up joint ventures together with the teams involved, and track that they meet the original business case.

  • Strengthen the function: Help define how the team runs strategic projects, and systematically deploy AI tools to speed up research, screening, and drafting.

  • Source new opportunities: Represent Proxima Fusion at conferences and industry events, grow a network, and feed new ideas into the pipeline, from acquisitions and partnerships to new product lines.

  WHO YOU ARE

  • Strategy and deal experience: 2-3 years in tier‑1 strategy consulting, private equity, venture capital, or a fast‑paced startup, ideally with exposure to deep tech or energy industries.

  • Technical fluency: Comfortable working on technical topics, preferably with a STEM degree (engineering, physics or similar).

  • Relationship building: You earn trust with a wide range of counterparts (engineers, founders, family‑owned businesses) and enjoy bringing their views together into a shared conclusion.

  • Clear communication: You are a good listener and communicate clearly with founders, suppliers, and senior stakeholders. Fluent English is required; German is a plus.

  • Independent problem‑solving and judgement: You structure an ambiguous question, run the analysis, and come back with a recommendation. You show initiative, seek out other perspectives, and know when to draw on others’ expertise.

  • Modeling and writing craft: Strong market modeling and memo‑writing skills; you can build a valuation, a business plan, and a two‑page document that helps leadership make a decision.

  • Startup mindset: Curious, proactive, detail‑oriented and comfortable with pace and ambiguity. You welcome feedback, enjoy working with others to help the team succeed, and are excited by fusion energy and the industrial base behind it.

  • Don't tick all the boxes? We would still like to hear from you!

  INTERVIEW PROCESS

  • Recruiter Interview (30‑60 min)
  • Technical Screening (30 min)
  • Technical Panel (3x60 min)

  
  This role sits at "L2" of our framework, please inquire during the recruitment process for further information.

  At Proxima Fusion, our mission is bold: making limitless clean energy a reality. To get there, we need a high‑performing, diverse team that brings different perspectives, challenges assumptions, and builds together with purpose. We know that diversity of thought and experience leads to better ideas, stronger execution, and a more resilient team. We don’t look at how you identify, what you look like, who you choose to worship or what ethnicity you are. We care about what you can bring to the table.