Head of High-Temperature Superconducting film deposition

We are looking for an experienced, world-class engineer and manager to form, inspire and lead the department of High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) film deposition. The successful candidate will report directly to the CTO and work closely with the Heads of “Magnet, Vacuum and Cryogenics”, liquid metal R&D, fusion science and “Heat, Diagnostics and Balance-of-Plant”. Your goal? Lead your team to provide HTS tapes and HTS-coated surfaces of insane performance as the building blocks of strong, large, accurate HTS magnets for magnetic fusion energy (stellarators, tokamaks, spherical tokamaks and others) and non-fusion spin-offs. Our team is diverse, agile, international, and based in the exciting city of Grenoble, by the French Alps. Responsibilities Scientific leadership and activities Oversee and integrate all HTS film-deposition activities, including substrate preparation, Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), post-processing (annealing, oxygen loading, etc.), deposition of protection layers, characterization (profilometry, X-Ray Diffractometry etc.), testing (critical current, mechanical properties etc.) Ensure the proper coordination of your teams Drive the delivery of outstanding results in technical and commercial metrics such as tape width, number of HTS layers per tape, critical current at high field, type of substrate (flexible/rigid, thin/thick, 2D/3D etc.), efficiency of deposition process, resilience to mechanical stress and delamination, durability, and deterioration due to thermal cycling and oxidation, neutron damage and irradiation limits in displacements per atom (dpa), overall manufacturing time, fixed and variable costs, etc. Monitor, coordinate and enable the on-time, on-budget, on-specs accomplishment of technical milestones Conduct conceptual and detailed design reviews of film deposition machines, setups for film characterization, etc. Design and lead experiments (in house and/or in external facilities) to characterize and test HTS tapes to their limits, including quench. Occasionally contribute -in person- to tough modeling, processes, and measurements that less experienced colleagues might struggle with, to lead by example and not lose contact with the lab. Team management Form and lead the HTS department (group leaders, engineers and technicians). Be the ambassador of Renaissance Fusion's vision within your team and promote its culture, values (speed, simplicity, fantastic realism, constructive interference, and unified force), and policies Encourage collaboration at all levels of the organization Ensure that your team is motivated to achieve its objectives: set targets and follow them up with encouragement, support, feedback and responsibility Ensure that employees are in the best position to achieve their objectives: listen to them, look after their well-being, make sure they have the appropriate tools and skills; fill the gap if necessary (recruitment, training, reorganization…) Take an active role in talent development: identify potential, determine areas and opportunities for development, encourage reflection on professional projects, propose training courses Appoint, empower, inspire and coordinate the group-leaders. Train the group-leaders of tomorrow Comply with and enforce the highest Health, Environment and Safety standards within your teams. Ensure that the laboratory is a safe, clean, well-organized, pleasant workplace by controlling many hazards (magnetic fields, high electric currents, very high and low temperatures, gases and high-pressure liquids, etc.) Scientific input to company strategy in your field of expertise Identify scientific needs, directions, priorities and goals in the short, medium, and long term, to realize the company’s mission and vision of building and commercializing a stellarator power-plant and non-fusion spin-offs Identify scientific risks and opportunities and spearhead the team’s efforts to address them Scientific outcome Organize the department’s attendance of scientific conferences and workshops, supervise scientific reports (presentations, posters, etc.) and represent Renaissance Fusion to scientific conferences and workshops Coordinate the writing, review and approval of patents and scientific papers Supervise your teams to stay at the state of the art for any scientific advances in your scope of expertise Initiate and develop collaborations and partnerships with labs and partners such as super-computing facilities, external services etc.; maximize co-creation of value Requirements Do not hesitate to apply if you don’t meet all the requirements. Superheroes don’t exist; people with talent and passion do. Education and professional experience PhD or Master’s degree + equivalent experience in material science, physics, engineering, or closely related field Management certification or equivalent experience of Team Management 15+ years of in international labs or in the industry- in design, modeling, manufacturing, and testing in at least 5 of the following areas: Metallurgy, polishing and other surface treatments Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Thin film characterization Vacuum technology Cryogenics High magnetic fields Mechanical testing Previous experience in a start-up is a plus Languages Fluent in English (C2) Knowledge (B2 or higher) of French is a plus Technical skills Prototyping and scaling up to volume production of innovative thin film deposition processes, not necessarily for HTS. Other industries of interest include semiconductors, optical coatings, aerospace, photovoltaics, LED and OLED screens, MEMS, automotive coatings. First-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects management Safety standards Technical challenges and risks management in complex projects Strategic project management: scheduling, measuring progress, managing risks, reporting. Contract management: measuring progress, managing risks, identifying issues and delays, developing recovery plans, negotiating cost, scope and schedule First-hand experimental experience in Magnetron sputtering, Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD), Metal Organic CVD (MOCVD), High magnetic field measurements is a plus Detailed knowledge of material parameters at cryogenic temperatures and in high magnetic fields is a plus What we offer Visit our career page to learn more about our work conditions and benefits: Career Page At Renaissance Fusion, we value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of origin; gender; morals, sexual orientation; sexual identity; age; marital status; pregnancy; genetic characteristics; actual or assumed membership or non-membership of an ethnic group, nation or race; political opinions; trade union or mutualist activities; religious beliefs; physical appearance; family name; place of residence; state of health; disability. #J-18808-Ljbffr