PMO Operations Specialist

About Focused Energy

Focused Energy is building the future of clean energy through laser-driven inertial fusion. Backed by our $240M Series A - the largest fully secured Series A in the global fusion industry we are scaling rapidly across multiple geographies.

Based in Germany and the US, we have brought together the top scientific and engineering minds using proven technologies to unlock fusion power at commercial scale. Focused Energy is working to realize game-changing scientific innovation that promises to deliver a clean, sustainable and abundant source of power globally.

Your Role

As a PMO Operations Specialist, you'll play a central role in building and running the operational foundation of our growing Project Management Office (PMO). Working closely with the PMO Lead, you'll turn newly developed processes into practical, well-documented ways of working that are consistently adopted across dozens of active initiatives.

You'll own the day-to-day operating rhythm of the PMO, from weekly project reporting and portfolio data quality to project lead onboarding, training, and process improvement. You'll work across teams, including scientists, engineers, and project leads, helping make project management processes simple, effective, and accessible to everyone.

This is an opportunity to join the PMO during its early development and make a meaningful impact on how Focused Energy plans, tracks, and delivers its most important initiatives. You'll bring structure to complexity, ensure important details don't fall through the cracks, and help build a scalable foundation for the company's continued growth.

What You'll Do

• Own the PMO Operating Rhythm: Coordinate and manage the weekly project reporting cycle across dozens of active initiatives, ensuring timely updates, accurate information, and consistent visibility into project progress.

• Drive Portfolio Data Quality: Monitor project information, identify missing or inconsistent data, follow up with project leads, and ensure leadership and teams can rely on accurate portfolio reporting.

• Make PMO Processes Work in Practice: Translate newly designed PMO processes into simple, documented, and usable workflows that can be adopted consistently by project leads and non-PM colleagues.

• Lead Project Onboarding and Training: Coordinate onboarding for new project leads and deliver training on PMO processes, tools, reporting expectations, and ways of working to build confidence and self-sufficiency.

• Improve Processes and Efficiency: Identify recurring manual tasks, process gaps, and opportunities for improvement, helping streamline workflows and flag opportunities for automation.

• Drive Improvement Initiatives: Partner with the PMO Lead on selected PMO improvement projects, taking ownership of execution, coordination, documentation, and follow-through.

• Support Cross-Functional Collaboration: Prepare and support workshops, meetings, and working sessions, ensuring the right information is available, discussions stay organized, and agreed actions are followed through.

• Maintain Clear Documentation: Ensure PMO processes, project information, and supporting documentation are complete, accessible, and consistently maintained.

• Keep Things Moving: Proactively identify overdue actions, unclear responsibilities, and emerging gaps, escalating risks to the PMO Lead before they impact project delivery.

Who You Are

• You have a degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• You bring experience in project management, PMO operations, project coordination, or business operations, ideally within a technical, engineering, R&D, or fast-growing organization.

• You understand project management fundamentals and the importance of consistent reporting, reliable documentation, clear ownership, and effective coordination across multiple initiatives.

• You are highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage competing priorities, recurring deadlines, and large volumes of project information without losing sight of the bigger picture.

• You are comfortable translating processes and concepts into practical workflows, documentation, and guidance that people outside of project management can easily understand and adopt.

• You take an ownership-driven approach to your work, naturally identifying what's missing, unclear, or unfinished and proactively driving it toward resolution.

• You are a clear and confident communicator in both German and English, able to follow up persistently and constructively with stakeholders across different functions and levels of technical expertise.

• You enjoy working with diverse teams, including scientists, engineers, and business professionals, and can adapt your communication style to different audiences.

• You demonstrate good judgment and understand when to make decisions independently versus when to escalate process or scope changes to leadership.

• You have a continuous improvement mindset and are interested in simplifying processes, reducing manual work, and leveraging automation and AI tools to improve efficiency.

• You thrive in an evolving environment where processes are still being established and enjoy bringing structure, consistency, and momentum to a growing organization.

What We Offer

• Innovative Technology & Mission: Be part of a cutting-edge company working on groundbreaking research in clean energy and scientific discovery.

• Career Development: We invest in our people. This is an opportunity to 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.

• Ownership: Take ownership from day 1 and drive impact by making decisions, solving challenges and shaping the future of our company.

• 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 and ownership in what we build together.

• Vacation Days: We support your work-life-balance by granting you 30 days of vacation per year.

• Snacks and Drinks: Our office fridges are never empty. Enjoy our healthy snacks and drinks. Our Darmstadt office even offers a canteen with delicious lunch options daily.

• Retirement Plan: If you decide for a private pension plan, we will finance 20% on top of your monthly contributions, plus loyalty incentives.

• Equipment: We offer state-of-the-art Windows or Apple Laptops. In addition, you will receive a keyboard, mouse and headset so you are fully equipped from day 1.

• Events: We organize regular events to foster team bonding, encourage collaboration, and build a strong, supportive company culture. Connect with colleagues across departments, share ideas, and have fun together, both in and outside of the workplace.

• Mobility with NAVIT: We partner with NAVIT to support your flexible commuting needs whether it’s a public transportation ticket, taxi rides or car-sharing you choose what fits your lifestyle.

• Fitness with Wellhub: We care about your health. Get access to a wide range of gyms, fitness studios and wellness services across Europe through our partnership with Wellhub.

Focused Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Focused Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, benefits.