Stellarator Systems Architect

Job description

WHO WE ARE 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. BY JOINING OUR TEAM YOU’LL GET TO Shape the architecture of a fusion power plant – Own system-level decisions that determine how a first-of-a-kind energy technology is designed, integrated, and ultimately deployed at scale. Solve some of the most complex engineering challenges – Work across tightly coupled disciplines (plasma physics, magnets, cryogenics, manufacturing, controls, and more) to resolve critical trade-offs and turn cutting-edge science into a functioning product. Design real hardware with a pragmatic, fast-moving team from all over the world – Combine advanced simulation and systems thinking with a strong execution mindset, focusing on practical engineering solutions that accelerate the path to commercial fusion energy. YOUR IMPACT Shape a first-of-a-kind machine: Alpha will be the first stellarator to achieve net energy, requiring a deeply coupled design where plasma, magnets, structures, cryogenics, and heating all work as one system, each pushed to the edge of what it can deliver alone. Own the coherence of the design: As part of the integrated design team, you'll turn fast-moving engineering feedback into architecture decisions that improve performance, margin, and cost. Be accountable for the outcome: You'll be responsible for whether Alpha's concept resolves into an elegant and efficient design. WHAT YOU WILL DO Hold the whole machine in view. Keep Alpha converging on its top…