---
title: 'Embedded Engineer at Xcimer Energy'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/embedded-engineer-xcimer-energy-denver-2hhf7f79xghb'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-01'
---

# Embedded Engineer at Xcimer Energy

- **Company:** Xcimer Energy
- **Location:** Denver, CO
- **Compensation:** $125k–$150k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-01
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/xcimer/8e25fc90-097f-4113-b2ac-ed11fef4eeef

## Job description

Xcimer Energy leverages decades of research on Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) combined with groundbreaking new laser architecture. Our mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. Xcimer has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by leading investors, Xcimer is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. Join us in powering a better world with inertial fusion!

This is a full-time, onsite role based at our headquarters in Denver, CO.

As an Embedded Engineer, you will apply your skills to the design, bring-up, and integration of custom electronics and the firmware that runs on them, for systems that sense, time, control, and protect Xcimer’s laser and pulsed power systems, initially in support of Xcimer’s directed energy program, which is developing multi-kilojoule-class pulsed lasers for air defense applications. Working within the Electrical Engineering department, you will own boards and their firmware from requirements through fabrication, bring-up, test, and deployment, working independently on problems of diverse scope with review at key design milestones. We are looking for our engineers to apply their technical expertise, problem solving skills, and dedication to quality to positively impact the future of energy!

Responsibilities:

- Design, simulate, and lay out mixed-signal printed circuit boards, including schematic capture, component selection, and multi-layer layout in Altium Designer.
- Design, implement, and maintain firmware for microcontroller and FPGA SoC based boards in C/C++, including drivers, board support, communication stacks, and application logic.
- Own assigned boards and their firmware end to end: derive requirements with system owners, produce design documentation, present at design reviews, manage fabrication and assembly, and support installation and commissioning.
- Perform board bring-up and debug at the register and signal level, root-cause hardware and firmware issues together, and close out findings through documented design changes.
- Implement deterministic, real-time control and data acquisition, including interrupt handling, DMA, timing and trigger capture, and RTOS based execution.
- Integrate custom electronics with the broader control system, including PLC and EtherCAT I/O, LabVIEW and Python based data acquisition, and precision timing and trigger networks.
- Develop test procedures, automated test fixtures, hardware-in-the-loop tests, and regression tests, and document verification and acceptance results.
- Solicit feedback from end users such as operators, physicists, and controls engineers, and close the design loop through iterative improvements.
- Lead small projects or work packages, coordinating with controls, mechanical, software, and manufacturing teams, and begin mentoring junior engineers and interns.
- Contribute to Electrical Engineering department standards, including design guides, component libraries, coding standards, shared firmware libraries, and design review practices.

Qualifications:

- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related STEM field; an advanced degree is a plus.
- Experience: Typically 5+ years of relevant experience spanning embedded hardware and firmware development, or a PhD with relevant hands-on embedded experience.
- Solid foundation in:
- Analog and digital circuit design, including mixed-signal PCB design and power supply design
- Embedded C/C++ on bare-metal and RTOS based targets, including peripheral configuration at the register level
- Real-time systems, interrupts, DMA, and deterministic timing
- Signal integrity, grounding, and EMI/EMC fundamentals
- Proficient in debugging hardware and firmware together using JTAG/SWD debuggers, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers.
- Working knowledge of microcontroller families (ARM Cortex-M such as STM32, NXP, or TI) and at least one RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar).
- Working knowledge of common communication interfaces, including SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, and USB.
- Experience with version control (Git) and structured design and code review processes.
- Ability to work independently on problems of diverse scope, with work reviewed at critical milestones, and to communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance if required by future program work; a clearance is not required at the time of hire.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum

Desired:

- Education: Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related STEM field
- Experience designing electronics and firmware for high voltage, pulsed power, or laser environments, including isolation, fiber optic signaling, interlocks, and fault handling.
- Experience with FPGA development (Xilinx/AMD, Intel, or Microchip), HDL, and high-speed ADC/DAC interfaces.
- Experience with embedded Linux (Yocto or Buildroot, device trees, kernel drivers) on ARM SoC platforms.
- Familiarity with industrial control platforms (Beckhoff TwinCAT/EtherCAT, PLCs) and protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus, or EPICS.
- Proficiency in design principles for data acquisition, signal processing, and test automation.
- Experience with precision timing and trigger distribution (PTP, White Rabbit, IRIG).
- Knowledge of DFM/DFT practices and experience working with contract manufacturers.
- Experience mentoring junior engineers or leading small projects.

## Equal Employment Opportunity

Xcimer Energy is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated work force. Xcimer Energy hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Xcimer Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

## Benefits

Xcimer offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employee health, well-being, and long-term success. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage; basic and supplemental life insurance; short- and long-term disability; paid parental leave for employees at the time of birth or adoption; and a 401(k) with a company match of up to 6%. Eligible employees also receive equity, allowing them to share in the company’s long-term success.

Xcimer operates under a flexible Paid Time Off (ATO) approach. Rather than a fixed number of vacation days, employees are trusted to take the time they need to rest and recharge while meeting the expectations of their role and team. In addition, employees receive paid sick time, 13 company-paid holidays, and an annual paid company shutdown. Benefits are available to regular employees, including part-time and fixed-term roles, as well as interns, with eligibility varying by benefit.

## About Xcimer Energy

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Xcimer Energy is building the world’s most powerful excimer lasers to commercialize inertial fusion energy, delivering safe, affordable, and effectively limitless power while also strengthening national security.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A; total funding ~$200M)
- **Headquarters**: Denver, Colorado, United States (with manufacturing operations in Tucson, Arizona)
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Conner Galloway (CEO, CSO) and Alexander Valys (President, CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Fusion energy (inertial confinement fusion), laser systems, national security/defense
- **Target customers**: B2B / B2G (utilities, government, defense contractors, national laboratories)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Transform decades of scientific progress into commercial fusion plants to deliver safe, affordable, and effectively limitless energy—while improving air defense and national security.”

## Products & Services
- **Phoenix (2026)**: Prototype system demonstrating core laser technology and laser architecture in Denver.
- **Anvil (2028)**: 200 kJ, two-sided inertial fusion energy (IFE) excimer beamline demonstrator using Argos laser modules – the largest laser amplifiers in the world.
- **Vulcan (2031)**: Engineering (wall-plug) breakeven demonstration – world’s largest laser, combining many Argos modules to achieve 4 MJ of laser energy on target, upgradeable to 12 MJ.
- **Athena (2035)**: First commercial laser fusion power plant, delivering 400 MW of electricity to the grid.
- **National Security Applications**: Nuclear Weapons Effects Testing (NWET), stockpile stewardship, and directed energy systems.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available
- **Key Metric**: Total funding – “nearly $200 million” per FAQ page; “more than $150M raised” per media page (conflicting reports, both cited)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Hedosophia, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Prelude Ventures, Emerson Collective, Starlight Ventures, Wireframe Ventures, Leitmotif Ventures, Gigascale Capital. Also partners with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Naval Research Laboratory, MIT, University of Rochester, General Atomics, Westinghouse.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount of 109 employees (+45.6% YoY), plans to double the team over the next year, 32 open positions across 5 departments, largest laser fusion award from U.S. Department of Energy’s Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Excimer laser architecture (KrF)**: 30x lower cost per joule than the solid-state lasers used at NIF; technology is commercially proven in semiconductor lithography.
- **Scientifically validated approach**: Only fusion method that has achieved scientific breakeven in the laboratory (NIF ignition).
- **Aggressive but grounded roadmap**: Wall-plug breakeven by 2031, grid power by 2035 – one of the fastest timelines in the industry.
- **Dual-use technology**: Fusion energy platform also serves critical national security applications, opening additional funding and partnership avenues.

## Strategic Focus
- Complete Phoenix and Anvil milestones to de-risk laser architecture.
- Hire and scale the team (targeting double the current headcount).
- Secure site for Vulcan and prepare for engineering breakeven demonstration.
- Advance commercial fusion power plant (Athena) design and regulatory pathways.
- Expand defense and government partnerships.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture highlights**: Values precision, creativity, collaboration, and questioning assumptions. Team includes top talent from fusion, energy, defense, aerospace, semiconductor lithography, and academia.
- **Work environment**: Primarily onsite in Denver, CO (engineering roles); flexible work environment, dog-friendly office, free lunch Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- **Notable perks**: Competitive wages, equity compensation plan, comprehensive health/dental/vision insurance, 401k with employer match, up to 12 weeks paid parental leave, 13 paid holidays, generous sick leave and vacation, relocation package, professional growth opportunities.
- **Internship program**: Highly competitive, hands-on experience in fusion science and engineering; strong track record of converting interns to full-time hires.

## Sources
1. [xcimer.energy/company](https://xcimer.energy/company/)
2. [xcimer.energy/careers](https://xcimer.energy/careers/)
3. [xcimer.energy/faq](https://xcimer.energy/faq/)
4. [xcimer.energy/media](https://xcimer.energy/media/)
5. [linkedin.com/company/xcimer-energy-corporation](https://linkedin.com/company/xcimer-energy-corporation)

## Other roles at Xcimer Energy

- [Control Systems Architect – IFE](https://feeny.ai/job/control-systems-architect-ife-xcimer-energy-denver-rfv016czw9ck) — Denver, CO
- [Program Planning and Controls (PP&C) Specialist – Directed Energy](https://feeny.ai/job/program-planning-and-controls-pp-c-specialist-directed-energy-xcimer-energy-p37a7xc2dc0r) — Denver, CO
- [Program Planning and Controls Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/program-planning-and-controls-specialist-xcimer-energy-denver-bfjc9xneeqdp) — Denver, CO
- [Technical Project Manager – Laser System](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-project-manager-laser-system-xcimer-energy-denver-z5f14htmepbk) — Denver, CO
- [Electrical Engineer - Integration](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-engineer-integration-xcimer-energy-denver-rmb2qg0qn2e8) — Denver, CO
- [Control Systems Engineer II - Applied Science](https://feeny.ai/job/control-systems-engineer-ii-applied-science-xcimer-energy-denver-608rze5jqjty) — Denver, CO
- [Control Systems Project Lead – Applied Science](https://feeny.ai/job/control-systems-project-lead-applied-science-xcimer-energy-denver-027smxrj7v18) — Denver, CO
- [Technical Project Manager, DOE Partnerships](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-project-manager-doe-partnerships-xcimer-energy-denver-xwgkazejj5zx) — Denver, CO
- [Head of PMO](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-pmo-xcimer-energy-denver-hk1pnnn08vzv) — Denver, CO
- [IFE Program Director](https://feeny.ai/job/ife-program-director-xcimer-energy-denver-qfbnt01bb2aq) — Denver, CO