Director, Integrated Target Design

Xcimer; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Xcimer Energy seeks a Director of Integrated Target Design to lead an interdisciplinary team optimizing target physics for their laser-based ICF platform in Denver. You will translate program priorities into actionable plans, mentor staff, and collaborate with theory, diagnostics, and fabrication groups to advance fusion performance.

The role requires a PhD in Physics or Engineering, proven leadership of scientific teams, and strong communication in a fast‑moving, cross‑institution environment.

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics or Engineering required.
• Experience leading scientific/technical teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Ability to operate in a fast-moving, interdisciplinary environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead Integrated Target Design group and mentor staff.
• Translate priorities into work scopes and schedules.
• Assess staffing needs and align resources with toolchain development.
• Uphold Xcimer values and ensure high-quality execution.
• Collaborate with Theory/Computation and Diagnostics teams.
• Provide technical guidance on implosion physics and energy coupling.
• Review outputs for quality and consistency.
• Establish department-wide practices and documentation standards.

Skills

Team leadership

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Education

PhD in Physics or Engineering

Job description

Xcimer Energy is advancing Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) by combining decades of scientific progress with a breakthrough laser architecture designed for practical and scalable fusion power. Our mission is to deploy commercial fusion plants quickly enough to accelerate global decarbonization, and also reduc the cost of electricity. Backed by leading investors, Xcimer brings together experts in laser physics, fusion science, and advanced manufacturing with a proven history of rapid execution. With a uniquely positioned team and technology, we are urgently working to deliver clean, abundant fusion energy with the speed to address climate change. Please join us in building a future powered by laser driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF).

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Xcimer Energy is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated work force. Xcimer Energy hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Xcimer Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. For more information on “EEO Is the Law,” please see here and here.

Benefits

Xcimer 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.