Supply Chain Engineer

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

Achieving this ambitious goal requires more than innovative engineering — it requires a supply chain capable of turning complex technologies into reliable, manufacturable solutions.

As a Supply Chain Engineer, you'll serve as the critical technical link between our Engineering teams and external suppliers, ensuring components, materials, and systems can be sourced, manufactured, and delivered to meet our development needs. You'll own technical sourcing assessments and supplier readiness across one or two assigned technology domains, such as Laser, Targetry, Chamber, or Core Engineering.

Working closely with Engineering, Strategic Procurement, and Quality Management, you'll bring supplier capabilities and manufacturing expertise into the development process early, identifying technical challenges, assessing manufacturability, and addressing supply risks before they become costly delays. This is an opportunity to apply your engineering expertise in a highly collaborative, fast-moving environment where your technical judgment directly influences project readiness and our ability to scale.

What You'll Do

• Own Technical Sourcing Readiness: Lead technical feasibility and sourcing-readiness assessments across your assigned technology domain, evaluating supplier capabilities, manufacturing processes, and technical requirements from early development through sourcing readiness.

• Connect Engineering with Suppliers: Serve as the primary technical point of contact for suppliers within your domain, partnering with Engineering and Strategic Procurement to identify, assess, and engage potential suppliers.

• Drive Early Supplier Involvement: Bring supplier manufacturing expertise into the development process early, identifying manufacturability challenges and opportunities before designs are finalized.

• Translate Engineering Requirements: Work with Engineering to clarify incomplete or ambiguous specifications, drawings, and technical requirements to ensure they are accurate and ready for sourcing.

• Develop Supplier Readiness: Build and track technical supplier development and qualification plans in partnership with Supplier Quality, ensuring suppliers have the capabilities and readiness needed to support development milestones.

• Improve Manufacturability and Cost: Collaborate with Engineering and suppliers to identify opportunities to improve manufacturing processes, reduce complexity, optimize costs, and minimize lead times.

• Inform Supplier Selection: Provide technical assessments, supplier capability insights, and recommendations to support Strategic Procurement's supplier evaluation and award decisions.

• Manage Technical Supply Risks: Identify and proactively escalate supplier capacity constraints, long lead times, technical dependencies, and other risks that could impact project timelines.

• Enable Cross-Functional Alignment: Maintain clear technical documentation, supplier readiness information, and risk assessments to support effective handovers between Engineering, Procurement, and Quality.

Who You Are

• You have a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

• You bring experience in engineering, technical sourcing, supplier development, manufacturing engineering, or a related role within a complex technical or industrial environment.

• You have a strong understanding of relevant manufacturing technologies, materials, processes, and supplier capabilities within your area of expertise.

• You can evaluate technical specifications, engineering drawings, and manufacturing requirements, identifying gaps, ambiguities, and potential manufacturability challenges.

• You have experience assessing supplier technical capabilities, manufacturing capacity, and readiness, ideally within highly engineered products, advanced manufacturing, or complex system development.

• You understand how to balance technical requirements, manufacturability, cost, and lead-time considerations to support effective sourcing decisions.

• You are comfortable navigating ambiguity and exercising independent technical judgment, knowing when to resolve an issue directly and when to escalate decisions requiring Engineering, Quality, or commercial approval.

• You are a proactive communicator who can translate complex technical findings into clear recommendations for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• You thrive in cross-functional environments, building trusted relationships with engineers, suppliers, procurement professionals, and quality teams.

• You demonstrate strong ownership and follow-through, taking responsibility for technical sourcing readiness within your domain and ensuring risks and open issues are addressed early.

• You enjoy working in a growing organization where you can help establish processes, strengthen supplier relationships, and contribute to building a scalable supply chain.

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.