---
title: 'Head of Government Affairs at Fuse'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-government-affairs-fuse-washington-19z8bhwga0xj'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-15'
---

# Head of Government Affairs at Fuse

- **Company:** Fuse
- **Location:** Washington, DC
- **Compensation:** $220k–$300k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-08-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-15
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/fuse/f6cea3f7-e6e2-4ed1-905c-3d16722f0585

## Job description

## About Fuse

We are building one of the most potentially consequential companies of the century. Our mission is to accelerate the world's transition to fusion energy while safeguarding humankind. This is not a normal company. This is not a normal job. We are committed for the long term to win.

## About the Role

You'll be responsible for Fuse's mission in Washington. Fuse sits at the intersection of national security and deeptech hardware, and decisions on the Hill and inside the Pentagon shape how fast we can scale. Your job is to turn policy and funding priorities into enacted language, appropriated dollars, and durable relationships — and bring Washington's signals back to leadership before they become obvious.

## What We Value

- Obsess about the details — sloppy work costs us later, so do it right the first time.
- Care — pick up the trash. Do things no one asks you to do. Go the extra mile because you care.
- Act with urgency — every hour matters more than it feels like it does.
- Be responsible for the outcome, not just the task; if it is not working, it remains your problem until it is fixed.
- Assume good intent — disagree openly, then commit fully once a call is made.

Core Responsibilities

- Build & execute the strategy: design and drive Fuse's government affairs strategy across business lines and fiscal years, aligned to company goals and revenue targets.
- Move the money: plan and execute campaigns across defense and energy & water authorizations and appropriations that translate directly into funded programs, from start to finish.
- Carry the flag: represent Fuse before Members of Congress and their staff, committee and leadership staff, and senior executive branch officials.
- Work both Congress and agencies: beyond Congress, build and deepen relationships inside the Pentagon and other government agencies (with support from other Fuse team members already working with government agencies) so Fuse's capabilities are understood where programs and budgets take shape.
- Lead the team: direct outside lobbyists and consultants, set priorities, and hold the full effort accountable to outcomes rather than activity.
- Integrate with the business: work directly with founders and business leadership to spot policy and funding opportunities, advise on legislative strategy, and coordinate with communications, legal, and business development on execution.
- Set the agenda: anticipate policy debates that touch pulsed power, radiation effects, nuclear deterrence, and fusion energy, and position Fuse to shape them rather than react.
- Build the shop: hire, develop, and lead the government affairs team as Fuse grows, including mentoring the Government Affairs teammate who runs the daily cycle.
- Host the mission: lead high-level government visits to our facilities in San Leandro and Albuquerque, where the hardware does the talking.

## Minimum Qualifications

- Top-tier mindset: low-ego, takes full responsibility for outcomes, mission-before-credit; comfortable operating in ambiguity.
- A recognized leader in Washington: you carry a strong reputation on the Hill and in the building, and the people who matter take your calls.
- Both angles of the mission: you have served as a congressional staffer on a relevant committee (defense appropriations, armed services, or energy & water) AND worked inside a high-growth startup. You understand what it takes to move the government and what it takes to build a company, and you can translate between the two.
- A record of wins: you have moved language into the NDAA, secured appropriations, or delivered comparable legislative outcomes, and you can walk us through exactly how you did it.
- Budget fluent: deep command of how the federal budget gets built, how authorizations and appropriations interact, and how to time engagement across the full cycle.
- Strategic operator: you see around corners, set the agenda, and drive outcomes without waiting for direction.
- Sharp communicator: persuasive in the room and precise on paper, whether the audience is a Member, a four-star, or a founder.
- Willing to travel on short notice when the mission calls, including nights/weekends and whatever the mission demands.
- Ethics and judgment: every interaction reflects on Fuse. You protect the brand and play the long game.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience building a corporate Political Action Committee.
- Direct experience with nuclear deterrence, radiation effects, fusion energy policy, and with DoE and NNSA processes.

Additional Requirements

- This position may require individual lobbyist registration under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
- Must currently possess, or be eligible to obtain and maintain, a U.S. security clearance.
- US Person status is required.
- This is not a remote position and will require relocation if not already local to Fuse's Washington, DC facility.
- Position occasionally requires the ability to work extended hours and weekends when needed.
- Position may require some business travel to other Fuse facilities.

## Benefits

- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Relocation assistance for roles that require it.
- Flexible time off. Take what you need, no accrual tracking.
- 2 weeks of paid time off built into the end of each year (subject to team and business needs).
- Supportive leave of absence policies.
- Paid leave for new parents.

ITAR Requirements To conform to U.S. Government technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

## Equal Opportunity

Fuse is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Fuse is governed on the basis of merit, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, ancestry, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.

## About Fuse

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Fuse is a fusion energy and defense company developing magnetized-liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) technology to deliver clean, on-demand power while providing radiation testing services for national security customers.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: San Leandro, California, United States (operates "Fuseville" facility)
- **Founded**: 2018 (per CB Insights) or 2019 (per Wikipedia); founder J.C. Btaiche started the company at age 19
- **Founders**: J.C. Btaiche

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Fusion energy, defense, nuclear effects testing, pulsed power engineering
- **Target customers**: U.S. government (Air Force, NNSA, national labs), defense contractors, eventually commercial energy utilities
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "Accelerating the World’s Transition to Fusion Energy" — building the fastest practical path to abundant, clean, safe, on-demand energy

## Products & Services
- **TITAN**: A 1 TW Impedance-Matched Marx Generator (IMG) — the essential MagLIF pulser building block. World’s first high-energy, high-power IMG, demonstrated in 2024 with results published in *Nature Scientific Reports*.
- **Z-Star**: A 15 TW MagLIF generator designed to iterate on and solve system engineering challenges (targeting 2027).
- **Apeiron I**: A pilot fusion plant design aiming to demonstrate a MagLIF hybrid plant core (targeting 203x).
- **FAETON I**: Neutron-producing fusion generator (over 1 trillion neutrons generated).
- **Radiation Testing Services (HEART)**: Hardened Electronics And Radiation Testing — providing short-burst radiation testing for government and commercial hardware resilience.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Over $200 million as of September 2024 (per Bloomberg News)
- **Total Funding**: $32 million raised (Series A)
- **Key Metric**: 100+ employees; 2 patents filed; 53 employees as of 2024 (Wikipedia)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Bracket Capital, Tamarack Global, Buckley Ventures. Government partners: U.S. Air Force, National Nuclear Security Administration, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory.
- **Growth Signals**: Awarded USAF contract (Feb 2024); published in *Nature Scientific Reports* (July 2024); former NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty joined board; building Z-Star and Apeiron I platforms; operating a radiation facility covered by *Wired*.

## Competitive Advantages
- **MagLIF approach**: Integrates proven fusion technologies (magnetic and inertial) — demonstrated feasible by Sandia National Lab (2018, 2022). Fuse’s focus on engineering efficiency and affordability aims to solve repetition rate and cost barriers.
- **Rapid iteration**: Delivered two neutron-producing fusion generators and the world’s first IMG pulser in under three years, on time and on a lean budget.
- **Dual-use revenue model**: Generates revenue now through nuclear effects testing for defense customers while developing long-term fusion power — de-risking the path to commercial fusion.
- **Deep government relationships**: Contracts with USAF, NNSA, and CRADAs with Sandia and Los Alamos. Advisory board includes former Under Secretary of Energy, former CIA COO, former NSA Deputy Director, and senior military officers.
- **Patents**: 2 filed patents protecting core technology.

## Strategic Focus
- **Immediate**: Scale the pulsed power driver technology (Z-Star) and continue delivering radiation testing services to defense and intelligence customers.
- **Medium-term**: Demonstrate a MagLIF hybrid plant core with Apeiron I.
- **Long-term**: Deploy commercial fusion power plants, achieving 90% energy efficiency and enabling clean, on-demand energy at scale.
- **Talent**: Aggressively hiring for plasma physics, electrical engineering, pulse power, mechanical engineering, and experimental physics roles.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as "misfits, tinkerers, skeptics, doers" — drawn to impossible problems. Values include frugality, speed, hands-on experimentation, and deep technical conviction. "Fuse is not a comfortable environment" — no bean bag chairs; many live, eat, and work at the facility.
- **Work environment**: "Fuseville" — a shipping-container communal living facility adjacent to the lab. Bed-to-reactor commute under 60 seconds. Sleep pods available. You'll likely build your own desk. "We really skimp on furniture."
- **Compensation**: Low salaries — "you should be willing to work for free. While you will receive a minimum base so that you can survive, money and lifestyle is not the motivator." Significant stock option upside if fusion succeeds. "Fair wages. Long hours. High voltage. Success far from guaranteed."
- **Benefits**: Competitive healthcare plan. High-end computer setup and cloud computing resources. "Everyone on the team has skin in the game."
- **Who should apply**: Self-motivated, deeply internally driven, humble yet brilliant, fusion geeks who built Polywells in high school, boundary-pushers who "get shit done." Must be comfortable with deferred gratification and high risk.
- **Remote/hybrid policy**: Not explicitly stated, but the "Fuseville" on-site living model suggests heavy in-person presence is expected. "Commuting makes your blood boil" is a stated value.
- **Notable perks**: Working on one of humanity’s hardest problems alongside top 1% talent; national security impact; potential enormous financial reward via stock options; "glory in case of ignition."

## Sources
1. [f.energy](https://www.f.energy/)
2. [f.energy - About](https://www.f.energy/about-fuse-energy)
3. [f.energy - Join Us](https://www.f.energy/join-us)
4. [CB Insights](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/fuse-energy-technologies)
5. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuse_Energy_Technologies_Corporation)
6. [Jobs page](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/fuse)

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