Project Manager - Site & Infrastructure Development

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 - Own project delivery across Proxima Fusion’s site development and infrastructure portfolio - Manage projects across multiple sites and different levels of maturity - Cover both near-term facility development and early Stellaris siting preparation - Shape early-stage concepts into fundable and executable project plans - Drive confirmed projects forward with structure, rigour, and pace - Act as the owner-side delivery authority for site development and infrastructure - Manage relationships with site owners, local planning authorities, and specialist consultants - Represent Proxima Fusion’s interests, requirements, and timelines in external discussions - Establish clear plans, governance, responsibilities, and delivery structures where they do not yet exist - Maintain oversight across both developing opportunities and active delivery projects WHAT YOU WILL DO - Own end-to-end project delivery for assigned site development and infrastructure projects - schedule, budget, risk register, and stakeholder management from early definition through to completion - Lead early-stage project structuring: translate feasibility studies, masterplanning inputs, and concept briefs into delivery-ready plans with milestones, gates, and resource requirements - Manage relationships with site owners, local planning authorities, and specialist consultants; navigate the constraints and timelines they bring as a core part of project delivery - Own site development workstreams and infrastructure siting preparation for FOAK projects as these programmes mature and require dedicated delivery structure - Feed project schedules and risk inputs into the Alpha Integrated Master Schedule; work closely with the Programme Schedule Manager to ensure site development workstreams are accurately reflected in the programme baseline - Identify and manage dependencies between assigned projects and the broader Alpha programme; flag interface risks early before they affect the critical path WHO YOU ARE - Experienced in project management on site development, industrial, or infrastructure projects - comfortable owning delivery from early concept through execution where scope is not fully defined at the outset - Proven ability to structure ambiguous, early-stage projects: you can take an incomplete brief, identify what needs to be resolved, and build a credible delivery plan around it - Experienced managing complex external stakeholder relationships - site owners, local authorities, planning bodies - and navigating the constraints they bring - Comfortable holding multiple projects at different maturity levels simultaneously without losing grip on any of them - Fluent in German and English, written and spoken - Familiar with AI tools and digital working methods; comfortable in a lean, high-autonomy environment - Background in civil engineering, site development, industrial facilities, or energy infrastructure 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) - CEO call (30 min) *This role sits at "L3" 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.