English Speaking Founding LPA Engineer (Hybrid)

Location: Hamburg, Germany (Hybrid – approximately 4 office days per week, 1 home-office day; relocation support provided)

Department: Engineering Management

Compensation: €80,000 – €130,000 base salary + substantial employee equity program & attractive benefits

Contract Type: Permanent, Full-Time (Start: January or February 2027)

About the Role

We are seeking a Founding Laser-Plasma Accelerator (LPA) Engineer to take full technical and leadership ownership of our core muon source development. In this foundational role, you will build, operate, and optimize our laser-plasma accelerator from working point to product readiness—turning cutting-edge physics into a robust, transportable system that operates 24/7 inside a shipping container.

You will start hands-on in the lab, spearheading our experimental campaigns and vacuum/opto-mechanical designs, and rapidly transition into building and leading the Muon Source team (covering LPA, converter, and optics) as our scope expands.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead & Build the Team: Assemble and lead the Muon Source team. Start hands-on, then hire, structure, and scale the team as technical demands grow.
• Accelerator & Plasma Source Development: Build, operate, and optimize the LPA. Develop density-tailored plasma sources capable of surviving the thermal load of a 100 Hz, 100 TW focus to deliver millions of consistent, stable shots rather than just one-off records.
• User Facility Campaigns: Plan and execute multi-year experimental campaigns at world-class user facilities (such as DESY PRIMA, ELI Beamlines, EPAC, and ATLAS), iterating designs using real beamtime data.
• High-Power Laser Systems: Translate requirements into concrete specs for laser manufacturers (pulse energy, duration, pointing and energy stability, beam quality) and hold vendors accountable for delivery.
• Vacuum & Opto-Mechanical Engineering: Own the vacuum systems, laser transport lines, differential pumping, vibration isolation, and thermal management required for continuous, high-average-power operation.
• Controls & Diagnostics Integration: Define requirements for control systems, machine protection systems, and diagnostic suites to ensure the machine can run unattended 24/7.
• Strategic Ownership: Manage budgets, make critical technical decisions within your area of responsibility, and participate actively in hiring processes.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Must-Haves

• Doctorate (PhD / Dr.) in Physics or a closely related field.
• Minimum 3 to 5 years of postdoc experience specializing in laser-plasma accelerators and high-power lasers.
• Hands-on LPA Experience: Proven track record of building and operating a real laser-plasma accelerator (injection, dephasing, depletion, guiding physics tuned on hardware—not just simulations or modelling).
• Experimental Leadership: Prior experience planning and running multi-year experimental campaigns at user facilities.
• Technical Leadership: Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and empower technical teams, including hiring experience.
• Laser & Hardware Literacy: High-power laser system literacy (spec writing and vendor management), alongside robust vacuum and opto-mechanical engineering competence.
• Language & Logistics: Full professional proficiency in English and the willingness to relocate to Hamburg, Germany, for on-site work.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience with muon or electron LPAs, converter optics, or plasma source scaling.
• Prior work experience or research campaigns at major facilities (DESY, CERN, ELI Beamlines, EPAC, ATLAS, etc.).
• Proficiency in German or Estonian.

What We Offer

• Founding Role with High Autonomy: Build both the accelerator team and the machine from the ground up with full ownership over technical and budgetary decisions.
• High-Impact Deep-Tech Challenge: Direct hands-on work with 100 Hz / 100 TW LPAs revolutionizing industrial inspection, security, and medical imaging.
• World-Class Infrastructure: On-demand beamtime at multi-GeV facilities and close collaborations with premier research networks and industrial partners.
• Competitive Compensation: Base salary ranging from €80,000 to €130,000 paired with a substantial employee equity program.
• Comprehensive Support: 30 vacation days per year, plus relocation and visa support for international (including non-EU) candidates.
• Culture of Ownership & Speed: Enjoy a flat-hierarchy, skunkworks-inspired environment where bold decision-making, transparency, and personal growth are prioritized.