Program Schedule Manager

Proxima Fusion is Europe’s fastest-growing fusion company and the continent’s best-funded fusion player, as well as the first spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP). Backed by over €650M and powered by a growing team across Munich, Zurich, and Oxford, we are developing the hardware and infrastructure needed to deliver the world’s first commercial stellarator fusion power plant. Our concept advances the most mature fusion technology out there, the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, through two next-generation machines: Alpha and Stellaris. Our work combines stellarator optimization, advanced computation, machine learning, and high-temperature superconducting magnets to unlock higher-performance designs that were previously out of reach. Turning these designs into a functioning fusion power plant requires excellence and ownership across every discipline, from physics and engineering to software, manufacturing, law, and business functions.

Responsibilities

Own and build the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) for Alpha, Proxima Fusion’s first fusion demonstrator; Define the scheduling architecture, coding structure, baseline conventions, and reporting standards from the ground up; Integrate sub-schedules across infrastructure, plant suppliers, manufacturing, and machine engineering into one coherent programme view; Establish credible milestones, programme gates, dependencies, and schedule interfaces across all workstreams; Identify, validate, and maintain the programme’s critical and near-critical paths; Provide early warning of schedule risk, emerging delays, and downstream impacts; Run schedule analysis to support recovery planning, mitigation actions, and informed trade-off decisions; Maintain the IMS as a live, accurate, and trusted programme-management tool; Support PMO governance, release-gate decisions, and executive programme reviews; Provide clear schedule insights and recommendations to programme leadership as Alpha scales; Drive schedule discipline and alignment across internal teams, suppliers, and delivery partners; Ensure the programme has a defensible plan against which progress, performance, and readiness can be measured; Build and advance the Alpha IMS architecture including WBS structure, activity coding, baseline conventions, and schedule governance rules; Consolidate sub-schedules from all workstreams into one integrated baseline and enforce scheduling standards; Maintain a lean 6-week rolling lookahead as a live, actionable planning tool for the PMO and construction governance stream; Identify and continuously update the critical path and model schedule impacts from scope changes, design evolution, or supplier delays; Own the schedule input to release gate decisions and present risk-adjusted scenarios to management; Define and enforce scheduling standards including building and plant construction partners and other specialist disciplines; Work in lockstep with the Cost Controller so schedule baseline and cost forecast always reflect the same program assumptions; Support the development of the PMO's broader project controls framework as the team builds out

Requirements

Experienced in integrated schedule management on major capital programs - energy, industrial, research infrastructure, or similarly complex multi-discipline projects; Capable of building an IMS architecture from scratch, not just maintaining an inherited baseline; Technically proficient in scheduling tools for large-scale complex projects; comfortable working with federated schedule inputs from parties using different tools and conventions; Able to hold the line on schedule discipline with internal engineers and external partners who have their own priorities; Comfortable operating with high autonomy in an environment where program structure is still being built; Fluent in English; Familiar with AI tools and digital working methods; you adapt fast and are comfortable in a lean, high-pace environment

Nice to have

Experience spanning both building construction and equipment/plant supply chains is strongly preferred; German is a strong advantage

Benefits

You will get to work on some of the most complex tech challenges to bring abundant, safe, clean energy to the world; You'll get to join and learn from an exceptional selection of accomplished and driven individuals; Do your life’s best work and enjoy the journey; Get to show that big things are possible in Europe when you assemble the best talent