Senior Software Engineer (f/m/d)

About Focused Energy

Focused Energy is a pioneering international deep-tech company with locations in Germany and the US, dedicated to commercializing laser-driven nuclear fusion. Our mission is to deliver clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy to the world. As we rapidly scale, we seek talented individuals who thrive on bringing clarity and structure to fast-growing environments.

About the Role

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will be the primary software point of contact for the Laser team and provide technical leadership across software, hardware, and experimental-system interfaces. You will help define the architecture and technology direction for a greenfield laser-software platform while remaining hands-on in developing reliable tools for calibration, operation, human-machine interaction, and experimental data processing.

This role offers the opportunity to work across software, hardware, and experimental-system boundaries while contributing to a strong engineering culture within the Darmstadt Software Department. You will help shape technical direction, establish the foundations of a new software platform, and grow toward a broader technical leadership role. The position does not initially include direct people-management responsibility.

What You’ll Do

• Act as the primary software partner for the Laser team and coordinate software activities across laser projects.

• Provide technical leadership for software initiatives, including planning, technical alignment, risk identification, and coordination with laser physicists, engineers, and systems-integration partners.

• Help define the architecture, technology choices, development practices, and interfaces for a new laser-software platform in a greenfield environment.

• Design and implement reliable software for critical laser projects, from system-level interfaces to user-facing applications.

• Develop and maintain automated calibration software that improves repeatability, reduces manual effort, and supports reliable laser operation.

• Design and build clear, dependable human-machine interfaces, dashboards, and operational tools for monitoring and operating laser systems.

• Develop software that interfaces with laser devices, diagnostic systems, cameras, and experimental equipment to support data acquisition, system monitoring, operational control, and visualization.

• Develop data-processing pipelines and data-storage solutions for experimental and operational data, including diagnostic and camera data where appropriate.

• Define robust interfaces between software, hardware, cameras, and experimental systems in an environment where requirements and technologies are still evolving.

• Work with networked device and system interfaces, potentially including TCP/IP, REST APIs, webhooks, DDS, SCADA, or comparable communication technologies.

• Write automated tests, technical documentation, and operational guidance to support long-term maintainability and safe, reliable operation.

• Identify and address reliability, performance, integration, debugging, and maintenance risks in software that interacts with real-world systems.

• Contribute to technical design discussions, code reviews, and knowledge sharing across the Software Department.

• Mentor engineers and help establish engineering practices as the software team grows.

Who You Are

• You are an experienced software engineer who enjoys solving complex, ambiguous technical problems and building systems from the ground up.

• You are comfortable taking ownership of technical direction while collaborating closely with software specialists, laser physicists, experimental experts, and systems-integration partners.

• You can move effectively between technical leadership, project coordination, architecture, and hands-on implementation.

• You take ownership of the quality, reliability, testability, and long-term maintainability of the systems you build.

• You communicate clearly with both software specialists and technical partners from adjacent disciplines.

• You apply sound technical judgment when making design, implementation, and technology-selection decisions in an evolving environment.

• You are curious, adaptable, and motivated to understand how software interacts with hardware, cameras, diagnostics, and experimental systems.

• You are experienced in debugging and testing complex software and understand their importance in senior-level engineering work.

• You value constructive feedback, knowledge sharing, and mentoring other engineers.

• You are interested in developing toward technical leadership and project ownership. Formal people-management responsibility is not required at the outset.

Desirable Skills & Knowledge

• Strong programming experience in C++, Python, or comparable programming languages.

• Experience designing, implementing, testing, debugging, and maintaining complex software systems.

• Knowledge of software architecture, code review practices, automated testing, technical documentation, and engineering best practices.

• Experience with greenfield development, platform or architecture definition, and making technology choices where requirements are still evolving.

• Experience with automated calibration, control-adjacent software, laboratory systems, automation, or physical-device interfaces.

• Experience developing human-machine interfaces, dashboards, or software for operating technical equipment.

• Experience with camera integration, image processing, diagnostic data, or experimental data-processing pipelines.

• Experience developing data-storage solutions for high-volume, time-series, experimental, or operational data.

• Familiarity with software-hardware integration and working across experimental-system boundaries.

• Experience with networked device communication or system interfaces, such as TCP/IP, REST APIs, webhooks, DDS, SCADA, or comparable technologies.

• Familiarity with control systems or optics is beneficial, but not required; the ability to learn and collaborate across these disciplines is more important.

• Previous experience mentoring engineers or leading technical design discussions.

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.