Project Manager – Laser-Driven Radiation Source

Role Overview

• Own the integrated project plan: maintain the master schedule across subsystems, dependencies, and critical path; drive recovery plans when milestones slip.
• Lead project governance and cadence: run core meetings, maintain decisions and actions, and ensure consistent status reporting that highlights progress, blockers, and next steps.
• Align work to the technical roadmap: ensure subsystem plans and milestones stay consistent with the program direction; surface deviations early and drive resolution.
• Drive requirements and interface management: Ensure system-level requirements and interfaces are tracked, implemented and validated consistently and are under change control.
• Decision traceability: Establish a way with the team to efficiently document progress and make decisions traceable.
• Own risk and issue management: maintain a single risk register process with mitigation ownership, regular review cadence, and clear escalation paths. Steer and track the risk reduction over time to meet the project goals.
• Budget & procurement coordination: track budget, forecasts, and changes; coordinate long-lead procurement tracking with engineering and system owners.
• Verification & readiness: plan and guide readiness reviews with system owners (e.g., design reviews, integration readiness, commissioning readiness); ensure evidence, test plans, and acceptance criteria are captured.
• Safety & operational readiness: ensure a research-operable safety approach is implemented (hazard reviews, procedures, training, operational envelopes) so the system is safe for researchers to use.
• Process improvement: continuously improve delivery flow and documentation efficiency with the Project Management Office to reduce redundancy and increase execution speed, without compromising safety or quality.

Requirements

• Experience: 7+ years project/program management in complex R&D environments (hardware-heavy systems preferred: laser facilities, accelerators, aerospace, semiconductor tools, scientific infrastructure, robotics, or similar).
• Technical Background: Understand how the system components interact and have the ability to understand the technical problems the team faces on a high level. Have at least worked 3+ years in the technical execution besides your management experience.
• Planning discipline: strong ability to build and maintain integrated plans (milestones, work packages, dependencies, critical path) and keep teams aligned.
• Risk & change control: proven experience running risk registers, issue management, and practical change control in dynamic R&D settings.
• Communication: clear, concise communicator who can lead meetings, write crisp status updates, and drive action closure with senior stakeholders.
• Operational rigor: able to support readiness/commissioning planning and ensure documentation and evidence are produced at a level that enables repeatable operation.

Benefits

• Innovative Technology & Mission: Be part of a company working on groundbreaking research in clean energy and scientific discovery.
• Career Development: We invest in our people. Join an early, growing company at the forefront of new technology, where you’ll have the opportunity to develop and grow your career.
• Collaborative Culture: Work with great people in a dynamic, international environment with top-tier scientists, engineers and professionals passionate about solving global challenges.
• Your Success is Our Success: We offer a competitive salary and company ownership in the form of stock options, giving you a direct stake in our success.
• Vacation: We support your work-life-balance by granting you 30 days of vacation per year.
• Flexibility: We offer a hybrid setup, giving you the freedom to work from our office while also enjoying the flexibility to work from home up to two days a week.
• Snacks and Drinks: Our office fridges are never empty. Enjoy our healthy snacks and drinks. Our Darmstadt office even offers a subsidized canteen.
• Retirement Plan: If you decide for a private pension plan, we will finance 15% on top of your monthly contributions.
• Equipment: Choose between a state-of-the-art Windows or Apple Laptop, fully equipped from day one.
• Events: We organize regular events to foster team bonding, encourage collaboration, and build a strong, supportive company culture.
• Mobility with NAVIT: We partner with NAVIT to support your flexible commuting needs whether it’s public transportation, taxis or car-sharing.
• Fitness with Wellhub: Get access to a wide range of gyms, fitness studios and wellness services across Europe through our partnership with Wellhub.