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Xcimer Energy

Develops inertial fusion power using laser

Head of PMO

Full-TimePosted on 10/19/2026
$241k - $284k/yr
Expert
Denver, CO, USA
In PersonFull-time, onsite at the Denver headquarters.
Project & Program ManagementProgram Management
No H1B Sponsorship
US Citizenship Required

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 15 years of experience in program, portfolio, or PMO leadership, including demonstrated success building, transforming, or resetting a PMO or portfolio management function by establishing its mandate, operating model, governance routines, standards, and adoption roadmap.
  • Experience leading large, complex programs, preferably at billion-dollar scale, within an engineering-intensive environment such as semiconductor, laser, nuclear, space and defense, or similar.
  • Experience operating across a matrixed organization and influencing program leaders, functional leaders, and executives without relying on direct authority.
  • Experience working in an ambiguous environment and building order and clarity from loosely defined problems.
  • Experience leading or supporting a hub-and-spoke PMO model, with direct accountability for a central function and dotted-line relationships to embedded or divisional program managers.
  • Strong business and financial acumen to connect strategy, execution, financial outcomes, capacity planning, investment choices, and measurable value.
  • Ability to simplify complex portfolio information and facilitate tradeoff decisions with senior leadership.
  • Ability to introduce governance and standards in an engineering, science, or hardware-intensive environment without slowing technical teams down.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.
Responsibilities
  • Define the PMO's vision, mandate, operating model, and multi-year roadmap in partnership with other department leadership.
  • Establish the PMO as a hub-and-spoke function with direct accountability for the enterprise Hub and a dotted-line coordination model to program managers embedded in the business.
  • Define roles, decision rights, engagement models, and escalation paths across the hub-and-spoke model, clarifying what the PMO decides, what each Program Lead decides, and where alignment is needed.
  • Establish company-wide program management standards, playbooks, templates, and minimum controls, with common definitions for scope, milestones, financials, resources, risks, issues, dependencies, and value realization.
  • Determine the appropriate mix of agile, hybrid, and traditional delivery discipline for each initiative based on its complexity, risk, and business need.
  • Lead independent health reviews and recovery planning for strategically important initiatives that need more support or intervention.
  • Hire, manage, and mentor the PMO's core team; set departmental budgets, performance targets, and career paths.
  • Coordinate, without directing, program managers matrixed into Fusion and Defense, ensuring they share a common practice and community while reporting through their programs day to day.
  • Build enterprise program management capability company-wide through assessment, coaching, communities of practice, and talent development for PMO staff and embedded Fusion and Defense program managers.
Desired Qualifications
  • Demonstrated proficiency in one or more core engineering disciplines, such as Nuclear, Aerospace, Laser, Optics, Electrical, or Mechanical.
  • Experience with the design and construction of a one-of-a-kind prototype system.
  • Experience in a national laboratory, aerospace, defense, energy, or another engineering/science-intensive, regulated, or export-controlled environment.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required for clearance eligibility.

About the company

Xcimer Energy develops inertial fusion energy technology aiming to generate fusion-powered electricity. Its system uses a 10+ megajoule KrF laser to ignite a hydrogen fusion target inside a HYLIFE-style liquid-wall chamber, which absorbs fusion energy and shields reactor walls for long life. The approach combines a high-energy laser, a consumable fusion target, and a liquid-wall chamber to pursue scalable, laser-driven inertial confinement fusion for power generation. The company’s goal is to make commercial fusion power a reality for utilities within the next decade.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$148.3M

Headquarters

Denver, Colorado

Founded

2021

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Xcimer raised $100 million in June 2024 and nearly $200 million total.
  • The company expanded Denver in May 2026 and planned to double headcount.
  • DOE funding, June 2026 approval, and RTX backing improve financing and recruiting access.

What critics are saying

  • Vulcan site selection slipped past 2025; further delays push commercialization beyond 2035.
  • Athena needs multi-megajoule lasers, tritium breeding, and grid integration before any revenue.
  • Any Phoenix-to-Anvil performance miss would strand Xcimer’s capital-intensive laser platform.

What makes Xcimer Energy unique

  • Xcimer’s June 2026 DOE-approved Athena roadmap validates its KrF inertial-fusion architecture.
  • Phoenix started operations June 3, 2026, proving 1-kJ excimer amplification and 38-meter SBS compression.
  • RTX partnered September 9, 2026, giving Xcimer defense-market validation beyond fusion alone.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • 401(k) Company Match
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Paid Holidays
  • Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

-3%

1 year growth

-3%

2 year growth

-3%
StreetInsider
Oct 6th, 2026
Xcimer Energy secures $30.5M DOE funding for laser fusion development, bringing total federal support to $43.5M

Denver-based Xcimer Energy has secured an additional $30.5 million from the US Department of Energy's Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program. This brings the company's total potential DOE milestone funding to $39.5 million, with an additional $4 million previously received from ARPA-E in 2024. The laser fusion company is developing excimer laser technology designed for commercial fusion power plants. Unlike conventional solid-state approaches, Xcimer's architecture uses cost-effective gas lasers and a two-beamline configuration. In June, Xcimer launched Phoenix, the world's largest privately owned laser system. The company recently partnered with RTX to develop directed-energy air defence systems, with RTX also making an investment in Xcimer. Xcimer targets putting electricity on the grid by the mid-2030s. The company has raised approximately $200 million from investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital.

Associated Press
Sep 10th, 2026
RTX invests in Xcimer Energy to develop laser fusion technology for air defense systems

RTX Ventures has made a minority investment in Xcimer Energy Corporation to support development of scalable pulsed-laser technologies. Xcimer has raised nearly $200 million from investors including Hedosophia and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. The companies signed a teaming agreement to explore integrating Xcimer's laser technology into RTX's defence systems for defeating airborne threats. Xcimer's fusion pilot power plant design was approved by the US Department of Energy in June as part of the Milestone-based Fusion Development Program. The excimer laser system aims to deliver longer-range performance at lower cost than current directed energy systems. Xcimer expects to deliver fusion energy to the grid by the mid-2030s. RTX's chief technology officer Juan de Bedout said the partnership will explore integrating Xcimer's technology with RTX's expertise in advanced sensing and air defence.

Business Wire
Jun 10th, 2026
DOE approves Xcimer's fusion power plant design, clears path to commercial laser fusion

Xcimer Energy has secured US Department of Energy approval for its preconceptual design and technology roadmap for Athena, its fusion power plant architecture. The milestone, part of the DOE's Fusion Milestone Development Program, positions the Denver-based startup amongst frontrunners to commercialise fusion energy. Xcimer's 724-page submission detailed plant performance targets, economics, engineering requirements, safety analyses and development pathways. Athena integrates the company's proprietary excimer laser platform with target delivery, fusion chamber, tritium breeding and power generation systems designed for industrial scale. The approval follows Xcimer's launch of Phoenix, the world's largest privately owned laser system, at its 74,000-square-foot Denver facility. Founded in 2022, Xcimer is developing laser fusion technology targeting costs under $100 per joule with a chamber design requiring no first-wall replacement.

TechCrunch
Jun 3rd, 2026
World's largest privately owned laser switched on by fusion startup Xcimer Energy

Fusion startup Xcimer Energy has activated its Phoenix laser system, which the company claims is the world's largest privately owned laser. The system uses excimer amplification to generate over one kilojoule of energy through a 38-metre-long krypton-fluoride laser core. Xcimer's approach mirrors the National Ignition Facility, which in December 2022 demonstrated a controlled fusion reaction producing more power than required to ignite it. The company aims to improve upon this concept using more powerful, less complex lasers that compress fuel targets in nanoseconds rather than microseconds. Phoenix represents an early step towards a commercial fusion power plant, which Xcimer estimates would require lasers exceeding 12 megajoules. The company plans to complete a prototype by 2028 and build its first commercial-scale power plant in the mid-2030s.

Business Wire
May 12th, 2026
Xcimer Energy hires defence VP as fusion startup scales team to 400 amid $90M facility build

Xcimer Energy has hired Doug Kunzman as Vice President of Defence as the Denver-based fusion startup scales towards commercial operations. Kunzman brings extensive military and aerospace experience, including commanding US Navy warships and leading operations at Blue Origin and Astra. The company, which now employs nearly 200 people, plans to double its workforce over the next year to advance Vulcan, its next-generation laser fusion facility. Xcimer is developing excimer-laser architecture for scalable inertial fusion energy with applications in energy resilience and national security. Recent leadership additions include Brad Appel as Chief Engineer for Vulcan, previously CTO at Ursa Major and SpaceX; Justin Brynestad as Senior Vice President overseeing Vulcan programme execution; and Rachel Konrad as Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications. Founded in 2022, Xcimer has secured Department of Energy funding.