About the job Founding LPA Engineer (Hybrid)
Location: Hamburg, Germany (Hybrid – ~4 days on-site / 1 day remote per week; relocation assistance included)
Language Requirements: Fluent English (C1+) (German or Estonian nice-to-have)
Job Title: Founding Laser-Plasma Accelerator (LPA) Engineer / Engineering Manager
Function: Engineering Management
Contract & Start: Permanent, Full-Time (Target Start: January or February 2027)
Role Overview
We are seeking a Founding Laser-Plasma Accelerator (LPA) Engineer to take complete ownership of the development, execution, and scaling of our core muon source infrastructure. In this vital early-stage position, you will bridge the divide between advanced plasma physics and practical industrial deployment—transforming an LPA setup from initial operating parameters into a robust, containerized machine engineered for continuous, unattended operation.
Beginning with a strong emphasis on hands-on, laboratory-based execution, you will spearhead experimental campaigns and oversee vacuum and opto-mechanical design initiatives. As the initiative advances, you will transition into a leadership capacity to hire, build, and direct our dedicated Muon Source engineering division.
Work Setup: Hybrid model (~4 days on-site / 1 day remote per week) based in Hamburg.
Relocation & Support: Full relocation assistance and comprehensive visa sponsorship provided for global candidates.
Core Responsibilities
Team Building & Leadership: Build and scale the Muon Source division (focusing on LPA, converter, and optical systems), driving early development hands-on before expanding and mentoring the team.
Plasma Source & Accelerator Optimization: Design and optimize high-durability, density-tailored plasma targets capable of withstanding the thermal loads of a 100 Hz / 100 TW system, ensuring multi-million-shot operational stability.
Beamtime & Facility Management: Design and direct multi-year experimental campaigns across premier international research facilities (including DESY PRIMA, ELI Beamlines, EPAC, and ATLAS), turning empirical beam data into rapid hardware iterations.
High-Power Laser Engineering: Formulate precise technical specifications for laser equipment providers (covering energy, pulse duration, pointing/energy stability, and spatial profile) and manage vendor performance.
Opto-Mechanical & Vacuum Systems: Drive the engineering of laser transport channels, vacuum chambers, differential pumping, thermal management, and vibration control to build a transportable, continuous-run unit.
Diagnostics & System Automation: Define requirements for control architecture, machine protection frameworks, and diagnostic pipelines to support safe, 24/7 autonomous operation.
Strategic Oversight: Retain full decision-making authority over division budgets, technical roadmaps, and ongoing hiring efforts.
What We Are Looking For
Essential Qualifications:
Education: Doctorate (PhD / Dr.) in Physics or a closely related engineering discipline.
Experience: Minimum 3 to 5 years of postdoctoral research or industry experience focused on laser-plasma accelerators and high-power laser systems.
Practical LPA Mastery: Proven track record of building, tuning, and running actual LPA hardware (hands-on expertise with injection dynamics, dephasing, depletion, and plasma guiding).
Experimental Leadership: Demonstrated history of planning, securing, and leading multi-year experimental runs at major research facilities.
Team & People Leadership: Background in managing, mentoring, or hiring technical staff.
Hardware & Optics Expertise: Deep familiarity with high-power laser procurement, opto-mechanics, and vacuum design specifications.
Location & Language: Fluent English (C1+ level) with a firm commitment to relocate to Hamburg for regular on-site engineering work.
Desirable Extras:
Background in electron/muon LPA production, converter optics, or plasma scaling architectures.
Hands-on history working within or alongside facilities like DESY, CERN, ELI, EPAC, or ATLAS.
Working knowledge of German or Estonian.
What We Offer
Compensation: €80,000 – €130,000 base salary + key employee equity package & competitive benefits.
Foundational Influence & Autonomy: Total ownership over the architecture, budget, and growth of our core accelerator platform and team.
Pioneering Deep-Tech Work: Direct involvement in scaling 100 Hz / 100 TW laser-plasma systems to revolutionize non-destructive testing, security, and healthcare diagnostics.
Elite Infrastructure Access: Direct access to beamlines at leading global centers alongside a network of tier-one industrial and research partners.
Work-Life & Relocation Support: 30 annual vacation days, complete visa sponsorship, and comprehensive relocation assistance.
Agile, Transparent Culture: A lean, skunkworks-style environment that champions speed, open communication, and decisive execution over bureaucracy.