Systems Engineer

Xcimer Energy leverages decades of research on Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) combined with groundbreaking new laser architecture. Our mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. Xcimer has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by leading investors, Xcimer is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. Join us in powering a better world with inertial fusion 
As a Optical Systems Engineer, you will serve as the owner of optical performance requirements and error budgets across Xcimer's laser driver. This is a systems-focused role, centered on defining, allocating, and validating optical requirements that directly enable fusion ignition. You will bridge the gap between high-level fusion performance targets and as-built optical hardware, ensuring that every optic, subassembly, and beamline contributes predictably to overall system performance. You will maintain and update optical system model in a FRED platform environment to baseline performance metrics and radiometric budgets.
You will work on-site in a lab-intensive environment, collaborating across optical, mechanical, electrical, and plasma physics teams; guiding integration, testing, and validation. As a senior engineer, you will also mentor junior staff, influence system-level decisions, and help define the engineering practices that carry our laser platform from R&D prototypes through manufacturable systems. We are looking for our engineers to apply their leadership, technical expertise, curiosity, problem solving skills, and dedication to quality to positively impact the future of energy   Responsibilities

• Translate fusion performance goals into optical system-level requirements (wavefront error, pointing jitter, fluence, scatter, throughput).
• Derive, allocate, and manage requirements from system to subsystem to component level, ensuring traceability and compliance.
• Collaborate with program and systems engineering teams to maintain requirement documentation and verification matrices.
• Develop and maintain end-to-end optical error budgets for jitter, pointing stability, wavefront distortion, transmission losses, and energy roll-up.
• Allocate tolerances top-down and bottom-up across optical and opto-mechanical mechanical subsystems.
• Track measured as-built parameters and update budgets based on test data, environmental effects, or component degradation (e.g., contamination, laser damage).
• Lead trade studies to reconcile competing subsystem tolerances, negotiating performance trade-offs with cross-functional teams.
• Define verification strategies and test plans that map directly to requirements and budget allocations.
•  Integrate metrology and diagnostics data (interferometry, wavefront sensing, beam profiling) into performance budgets.
• Perform tolerance analyses, sensitivity studies, and Monte Carlo simulations to quantify system margins and risks.
• Support integration campaigns by defining acceptance criteria and analyzing test results to confirm compliance.
• Partner with mechanical engineers on opto-mechanical stability and alignment tolerances.
• Collaborate with electrical and controls engineers to integrate active alignment systems, diagnostics, and sensors.
• Work with physicists and plasma scientists to connect optical performance with fusion target and chamber requirements.
• Define and manage technical interfaces across optics, mounts, electronics, and target systems.
• Serve as the technical lead for optical requirements and budgets, accountable for compliance across the laser system.
• Mentor junior optical and systems engineers in requirements management, error budgeting, and systems engineering rigor.
• Produce and maintain technical documentation: requirements specifications, performance budgets, verification reports, and test acceptance criteria.
• Present progress, risks, and trade studies at program reviews, communicating effectively with both technical experts and project stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Education: B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Physics, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in optical systems engineering and/or Optical Engineering, preferably with high-energy lasers, semiconductor lithography, directed energy, or other high-precision optical systems.
• 5+ years experience using optical design software platforms such as Zemax, Code V, or FRED
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and managing complex optical error budgets.
• Hands-on experience with requirements flow-down, allocation, and verification in a multidisciplinary system.
• Experience working in R&D environments and transitioning designs toward manufacturable systems.
• Experience with requirements management tools
• Strong background in optical metrology (interferometry, wavefront sensing, beam profiling).
• Proficiency with simulation and analysis tools (MATLAB, Python, Zemax/Code V).
• Strong cross-disciplinary collaboration skills across optics, mechanics, electronics, and controls.
• Ability to lead technical discussions, influence decisions, and mentor less-experienced engineers.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills for managing complex requirements and budgets.

Desired

• Prior experience with fusion-class laser systems or large-scale optical integration projects.
• Background in Design for Manufacturability/Reliability (DFM/DFR) for optical hardware.
• Experience with adaptive optics, wavefront correction, and active stabilization architectures.
• Familiarity with IV&V processes (Integration, Verification & Validation) and test acceptance workflows.
• Experience leading supplier engagement for custom optical components or subsystems.

$140,000 - $165,000 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. 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 Benefits Employee Benefits include: Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave (must be employed at time of birth or adoption), short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 6%. Paid Time Off: 15 days per year based on weekly scheduled hours, 10 paid sick leave, and 13 company-paid holidays for all regular employees (including part-time), fixed-term, and interns. Equity will be granted to eligible employees. Equity is designed to allow employees to share in company results and success. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. 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.

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