---
title: 'Compliance Manager / Director / Counsel at Inertia'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/compliance-manager-director-counsel-inertia-livermore-md8d7dn6a2dj'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-09'
---

# Compliance Manager / Director / Counsel at Inertia

- **Company:** Inertia
- **Location:** Livermore
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-03
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/inertia/44d43c07-122e-4e68-8ebf-2837555e4565

## Job description

Overview:

Inertia is seeking an experienced compliance professional to lead and build our compliance function, starting with a focus on export controls and trade compliance and expanding over time into broader regulatory compliance as we scale the our operations required to commercialize fusion energy.

This is an opportunity to build the compliance infrastructure for a highly technical, rapidly growing company operating at the intersection of fusion energy, advanced technology, national laboratories, and the U.S. government. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating independently, building programs from the ground up, and wearing multiple hats as the needs of the business evolve – someone with deep expertise in trade compliance who is excited to grow into other compliance and operational areas as the function expands http://expands.we. We are considering candidates at the Manager, Director, or Counsel / Attorney level.

## WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO:

- Own and develop Inertia's trade compliance and export control program, translating requirements under the EAR, ITAR, CUI requirements, 10 CFR Part 810, and DOE/NNSA regulations into practical guidance for controlled technologies, software, technical data, and collaborative research activities.
- Ensure compliance with applicable federal regulations and contractual requirements governing CRADAs, SPPs, and other government-funded programs, national laboratory partnerships, and other government contracts and agreements
- Advise teams on export classifications, licensing requirements, technology controls, deemed exports, and other compliance considerations.
- Develop practical processes for managing controlled technical information and access by U.S. and non-U.S. persons.
- Conduct export jurisdiction and classification analyses, including ECCN and determinations, and maintain appropriate documentation.
- Partner closely with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Talent, IT, Security, and company leadership to integrate trade compliance into business and technical processes.
- Support compliance considerations associated with government-funded programs, national laboratory partnerships, and other government agreements.
- Advise on trade compliance requirements within contracts, supplier relationships, technology transfers, and international activities.
- Conduct risk assessments, internal reviews, training, and investigations and develop corrective actions where appropriate.
- Monitor changes to applicable export control and regulatory requirements and translate them into practical guidance for the organization.
- Build scalable compliance processes that support Inertia's continued growth without creating unnecessary barriers to execution.

## WHAT YOU BRING TO INERTIA:

- 10+ years of experience in export controls, trade compliance, or a closely related regulatory field.
- Deep working knowledge of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), .
- Experience independently analyzing complex export control questions and providing practical guidance to technical and business teams.
- Experience with export classifications, licensing, deemed exports, technology control plans, restricted-party considerations, and compliance program development.
- Experience working in a highly technical environment such as aerospace, defense, energy, nuclear, advanced manufacturing, national laboratories, or another regulated technology industry.
- Ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into clear, workable processes for engineers and other non-legal stakeholders.
- Strong judgment and the ability to balance compliance requirements with the practical needs of a fast-moving organization.
- Ability to operate independently, identify risks proactively, and build programs and processes with limited existing infrastructure.
- Comfort working in a startup environment where responsibilities may evolve as the company grows.

Bonus Points:

- Experience working within the DOE, NNSA, national laboratory, nuclear energy, or fusion energy ecosystem.
- Experience supporting government contracts or agreements and familiarity with requirements such as DFARS.
- Legal experience beyond trade compliance, particularly in commercial contracts, corporate matters, government contracting, or other areas relevant to a growing technology company.
- Experience establishing or scaling a trade compliance program within a startup or rapidly growing organization.

## SALARY & BENEFITS:

- The base salary range for this role is $150,000- $250,000 The pay range provided is an estimated base range for this role. Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and education.
- We offer market-competitive compensation and an excellent benefits program, including Medical, Dental, and Vision plans, company-paid holidays, matching 401k, and more!

About Inertia:

Inertia is taking the most direct, scientifically-proven path to commercializing fusion, leveraging the only successful achievement of fusion ignition, using a process that was pioneered at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). With groundbreaking innovation, transformative technology, and multi-year investment, Inertia is committed to commercializing fusion energy in the next decade.

## About Inertia

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Inertia is a commercial fusion energy company developing laser-based inertial fusion power plants based on proven physics from the National Ignition Facility.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A – raised $450M in February 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Livermore, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Jeff Lawson (CEO), Mike Dunne (Co-Founder, CTO & SVP Fusion Power), Annie Kritcher (Co-Founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Renewable energy, fusion power generation
- **Target customers**: Utility-scale electricity providers and grid operators (B2B, enterprise)
- **Mission**: Create limitless clean energy by commercializing the only proven approach to fusion – laser-driven inertial fusion – and delivering gigawatt-scale, dispatchable power.

## Products & Services
- **Fusion Power Plant**: A grid-scale, 1.5GW baseload plant that uses a 10MJ laser firing ten times per second at mass-produced fuel targets, generating electricity via steam turbines. First plant expected in the 2030s.
- **Fusion Fuel Targets**: Peppercorn-sized capsules of fusion fuel mass-manufactured for less than $1 each, enabling continuous, low-cost operation.
- **Modular Laser System**: The world’s most powerful laser (by average power), built from thousands of modular, replaceable beamlines (shipping-container-sized), 20x more efficient than NIF and 1/10th the footprint.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company)
- **Total Funding**: $450M (Series A, February 2026) from leading venture investors
- **Key Metric**: 23 employees as of mid-2026; 16 active job postings; monthly headcount growth of +46.4% [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/inertia-fusion)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Backed by a group of leading visionaries and investors (names not disclosed in public materials). Public-private partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) signed April 2026 [inertia.com](https://inertia.com/press/)
- **Growth Signals**: Proven physics (first net-energy-gain fusion experiment at NIF in 2022); $450M Series A; partnership with LLNL to commercialize fusion; rapid hiring across engineering, laser science, and manufacturing roles.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proven physics basis**: Only company commercializing the laser-driven inertial fusion approach that has already achieved net-positive ignition (NIF 2022, repeated multiple times). Avoids scientific risk.
- **Modular laser architecture**: Thousands of identical, manufacturable laser units allow rapid scaling, redundancy, and cost reduction through mass production.
- **Low-cost fuel targets**: Mass-manufacturing targets for under $1 each eliminates the hand-crafted, expensive targets used in research labs.
- **Integrated power plant design**: Leverages existing turbine and grid infrastructure; breeds its own fuel and recycles components.

## Strategic Focus
- **Immediate priorities**: Build the world’s first assembly line for fusion fuel targets; construct the prototype modular laser beamline in Livermore; complete an integrated, fully consistent power plant design.
- **Next phase**: Scale both laser and target production into a gigawatt, utility-scale fusion power plant during the 2030s, demonstrating end-to-end energy generation.
- **Long-term**: Drive down cost for subsequent commercial facilities, targeting grid-scale, zero-emission baseload power.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: "Building big" to solve climate change with limitless clean energy. The team emphasizes engineering over scientific risk, using known physics to commercialize rapidly.
- **Early-stage impact**: Small team (~23 employees) means each hire can have outsized influence across laser physics, target manufacturing, plant design, and business operations.
- **Work environment**: On-site in Livermore, CA (facilities for laser and target prototyping). Roles span mechanical engineering, controls, laser science, manufacturing, and content/storytelling.
- **Notable perks/benefits**: Not explicitly detailed, but the company offers competitive compensation in a high-growth, venture-backed startup. Open positions include senior engineers, scientists, and a Head of Content & Storytelling [inertia.com](https://inertia.com/jobs/).
- **Leadership**: Founded by proven entrepreneurs (Jeff Lawson, former Twilio CEO) and world-class fusion scientists (Mike Dunne led the US government fusion power plant program; Annie Kritcher designed the first net-positive ignition experiment).

## Sources
1. [inertia.com – Homepage](https://www.inertia.com/)
2. [inertia.com – Founders Message](https://inertia.com/press/founders-message/)
3. [inertia.com – Press Releases](https://inertia.com/press/)
4. [linkedin.com – Inertia Fusion](https://www.linkedin.com/company/inertia-fusion)
5. [inertia.com – Jobs Page](https://inertia.com/jobs/)

## Other roles at Inertia

- [Facilities Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/facilities-technician-inertia-livermore-kewb6gs52rav) — Livermore
- [VP, Finance](https://feeny.ai/job/vp-finance-inertia-livermore-8kdtp92993xg) — Livermore
- [Desktop Support Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/desktop-support-technician-inertia-livermore-cdb8b5m1zm47) — Livermore
- [Optics Manufacturing Development Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/optics-manufacturing-development-engineer-inertia-livermore-sats46ed86kk) — Livermore
- [Project Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/project-manager-inertia-livermore-qwrhbaa67b5d) — Livermore
- [Senior Mechanical Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-design-engineer-inertia-livermore-bey7f6xvm1p4) — Livermore
- [Mechanical Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-technician-inertia-livermore-qmf2aas8y4kn) — Livermore
- [Senior Mechanical Engineer - Fusion Engine Design and Analysis](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-fusion-engine-design-and-analysis-inertia-livermore-1z56gm4hyd60) — Livermore