Alpha Plant Systems Lead

About the role

You will own the end-to-end delivery and integration of Alpha's ancillary systems, defining how the first commercial stellarator fusion power plant is architected at the systems level. This role requires you to take full responsibility for critical infrastructure such as the tritium fuel cycle, high voltage electrical power, heating sources, cryogenic and non-cryogenic cooling, and waste water treatment, ensuring they work as a unified whole. You will lead cross-disciplinary collaboration across plasma physics, magnets, cryogenics, manufacturing, controls, and regulatory interfaces to resolve complex trade-offs and keep the design aligned with operational reality. Your decisions will directly shape the architecture, safety logic, and commissioning strategy for Alpha's ancillary systems, translating cutting-edge stellarator design into a buildable and maintainable facility. You will manage the budget, interface with external stakeholders, and act as the primary technical lead between in-house experts and external contractors. This is a hands-on leadership position where your engineering judgment and execution mindset will determine how efficiently and safely the plant comes together. You will drive the industrialization of design through modern methods while ensuring that every system interconnect supports reliable, safe, and scalable fusion energy production.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Drive integrated system design and delivery by owning the end-to-end architecture of Alpha's ancillary systems and their seamless embedding into the wider facility.
• Modernize the engineering approach for industrial facility development by introducing advanced process engineering techniques, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and 4D assembly planning.
• Own the interfaces and the budget by managing critical design trade-offs, collaborating closely with stellarator engineering and facility teams, and serving as the primary technical interface with external stakeholders and regulators.
• Build systems with a fast-moving, globally distributed team by combining systems thinking with pragmatic execution to unblock cross-disciplinary challenges and facility-level decisions.
• Execute safe and successful operations by defining safety logic and leading the integrated installation, commissioning, and maintenance strategies for all ancillary systems.
• Translate stellarator requirements into physical infrastructure by leading the definition, qualification, and delivery of major ancillaries and their supporting networks.
• Establish robust delivery frameworks that bridge in-house talent and external contractors, ensuring traceability, risk management, and alignment with project timelines.
• Champion continuous improvement in design, reliability, and manufacturability by questioning assumptions and exploring innovative solutions within realistic industrial constraints.

Requirements

• End-to-End Infrastructure Delivery: You have a proven track record owning major projects from design through construction, commissioning, and handover, demonstrating end-to-end responsibility for complex industrial systems.
• Relevant Industrial Experience: You bring first-hand experience witnessing and delivering complex plant engineering and facilities, with a background in areas such as manufacturing, data centers, refineries, chemical plants, or industrial gas production.
• Deep Technical and Design Judgement: You possess strong technical skillsets beyond delivery management, with the ability to lead detailed design decisions regarding facility integration, systems interfaces, and performance trade-offs.
• Systems & Execution Mindset: You can balance inputs from multidisciplinary technical teams and maintain a bias to action when resolving critical trade-offs between performance, safety, cost, and schedule.
• Agility and Leadership: You thrive in fast-moving, high-growth environments, demonstrating the ability to manage large internal and external teams, set clear priorities, and deliver under tight timelines.
• Regulatory and Stakeholder Interface: You are comfortable engaging with regulators, external stakeholders, and contractors, communicating technical decisions clearly and managing expectations effectively.
• Safety and Compliance Focus: You understand the importance of defining and implementing safety logic, operational procedures, and compliance requirements to ensure the reliable and safe operation of complex infrastructure.
• Collaborative Problem Solving: You work effectively across disciplines, integrating inputs from plasma physics, cryogenics, magnets, controls, and manufacturing to arrive at practical and robust solutions.

Practical notes

Hours

This is a full-time role.

Travel

There may be travel between offices in Munich, Zurich, and Oxford.

Visa

Sponsorship is available for the appropriate visa.

Deadline

Please apply as soon as possible.