Project Manager - General & Cross-Program

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. 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 - Act as Proxima Fusion’s versatile project manager across a growing portfolio of projects - Take ownership of projects where no clear delivery owner currently exists - Manage work across Alpha-adjacent infrastructure, manufacturing interfaces, and early Stellaris planning - Own projects end to end, from initial structure through to delivery - Build processes, plans, and accountability where they do not yet exist - Keep projects moving in a fast-paced and evolving environment - Work proactively and take initiative without waiting for perfect clarity - Absorb new programme needs as they emerge - Ensure increased programme activity results in delivered outcomes rather than growing backlog WHAT YOU WILL DO - Own end-to-end delivery for assigned projects across the Alpha programme and adjacent workstreams - schedule, budget, risk register, and stakeholder management from early definition through to completion - Pick up projects at varying stages of maturity and apply the right level of structure for where each one is - from shaping an early concept into a fundable plan to driving an active delivery programme to completion - Work across infrastructure and manufacturing-interface domains as the programme's project landscape evolves; engage meaningfully with technical leads on both sides without requiring deep specialism in either - Support early Stellaris planning work - infrastructure, site, and programme requirements - as timelines make this relevant - Feed project schedules and risk inputs into the Alpha Integrated Master Schedule; coordinate with the Programme Schedule Manager to ensure all assigned workstreams are accurately reflected in the programme baseline - Identify and manage dependencies between assigned projects and the broader Alpha programme; escalate interface risks early WHO YOU ARE - Experienced in project management on capital, industrial, or research infrastructure projects - comfortable owning delivery across project types and at different stages of maturity - Adaptable: equally effective shaping an early-stage concept and driving an active delivery programme - you adjust your approach to what the project needs - Comfortable in a portfolio that will change - new projects will be assigned, priorities will shift, and scope will evolve; you stay effective through ambiguity rather than despite it - Able to engage across infrastructure and manufacturing-interface domains without deep specialism in either - delivery rigour and stakeholder management are your core strengths - Fluent in English; German is a strong advantage - Familiar with AI tools and digital working methods; comfortable in a lean, high-autonomy environment - Background in capital project delivery in energy, industrial, or research sectors is strongly preferred; experience with first-of-kind or early-stage programmes is a plus 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.