Lead Engineer, Strategic Partnerships

Lead Engineer, Strategic Partnerships

We are looking for a leader who combines deep technical fluency with strategic relationship building to architect CFS's external innovation ecosystem. The role will engage with National Laboratories, universities, government agencies, and private partners to drive informed collaboration and accelerate our roadmap.

• Create a vision for technical partnerships: Identify, recruit and build new collaborators to retire risk and accelerate roadmaps.
• Own partner success stories: Manage existing relationships, align goals, and accelerate the commercial pathway.
• Connect the dots: Integrate with internal R&D, engineering, procurement and policy teams to pursue technical and business opportunities.
• Imagine and create: Pitch, catalyze and deliver new programs to internal leads and world‑class talent.
• Create opportunities: devise and execute funding strategies across grants, private collaborations, philanthropy, etc.
• Write the CFS story: Produce proposals, white papers, grants, pitches, and briefings.
• Tackle organizational complexity: manage program cycle including contracts, milestones, outputs.
• Technically capable business operator: navigate technical papers and negotiations across technical and commercial domains.
• Strategic thinker: parse and plan through complex roadmaps.
• Self‑starting dynamo: proactively solve problems, take informed risks.
• Life‑long learner: quickly learn new technical fields.
• Exceptional communicator and negotiator: articulate, motivate and deliver insight.
• Problem solver: address technical, organizational, financial and contractual challenges.
• Mastery of details: spot inconsistencies and gaps to create opportunities or retire risk.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering or a related technical field.
• 10+ years experience owning, developing or managing a technical project, program or product with value exceeding $1M/year.
• 10+ years managing technical or business partnerships with diverse stakeholders across institutions; experience building executive consensus and driving organizational alignment.

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Business or a scientific field.
• Experience negotiating project and program contracts, including IP terms.
• Experience with energy technologies, systems or markets – fusion energy a plus.
• Familiarity with enterprise management systems such as Confluence/Jira or equivalent.

• Ability to type, stand, sit for extended periods.
• Willingness to travel and work required nights/weekends/on‑call occasionally.
• Work in a facility with industrial hazards: heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics.
• Ability to navigate lab, R&D and manufacturing environments, abiding by safety protocols for high magnetic fields, cryogenic liquids, large equipment, high power electronics, etc.

Salary range: $130,000 – $200,000 a year (plus equity and benefits).

Benefits include:

• Competitive compensation with equity.
• 13 company‑wide holidays.
• Flexible vacation days.
• 10 sick days.
• Generous parental leave policy.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) with employer matching.
• Professional growth opportunities.
• Team‑building activities.

We value diversity deeply and are proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally, regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law.

This role requires compliance with U.S. export control laws. Any offer of employment will be contingent on the need for compliance with such laws.