A high-agency, operational leader who bridges external partners and funding agencies with internal R&D, legal, and financial teams, to drive program execution. In this role, you will take ownership of the federal award program lifecycle after technical scoping. This includes preparing submission documents, leading contract negotiations (Statements of Work, terms and conditions, sub-award structures, and amendments), establishing operational governance, managing high-level schedules in coordination with the R&D Program Leads and Technical Program Managers, coordinating project accounting with Finance, and delivering flawless program execution from contract execution to final closeout.
What you'll do:
- Take direct ownership of contract negotiations for key government-funded programs
- Work with CFS’ Legal, Procurement, and Global Affairs teams to draft, negotiate, and finalize Government Agreements, Statements of Work (SOWs), required contractual plans, sub-awards, and collaborator contracts
- Own the end-to-end operational execution of complex multi-partner programs
- Maintain master schedules, establish critical-path program management milestones, track progress against commitments, and resolve operational friction before it impacts timelines
- Coordinate with Legal and R&D teams to process post-award scope adjustments, Statement of Work (SOW) amendments, budget realignments, and performance modifications
- Translate federal (FAR/DEAR) and institutional compliance requirements into clear operational guidance and processes for execution teams
- Collaborate closely with Project Accounting to monitor program burn rates, track company cost-share/matching funds, review and approve sub-recipient invoices, and prepare audit-ready documentation for financial reviews
- Act as the operational nexus for federally funded programs, connecting R&D Technical PMs, Legal, Finance, Supply Chain, and external program officers (e.g., DOE, National Labs, Universities)
- Facilitate seamless handoffs from technical scoping to formal contract execution
- Organize executive progress updates and site visits as required for successful execution of federally funded programs
- Produce clear, actionable reporting dashboards for CFS leadership and external sponsors and partners
Lead Contract & Agreement Negotiations:
Drive Flawless Program Execution & Schedule Discipline:
Manage Contractual Change Control & Compliance:
Partner with Finance on Budget & Sub-Recipient Operations:
Unite Cross-Functional Leads & External Partners:
Lead Partner Communication & Executive Governance:
What we're looking for:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Public Administration, Law/Contracts, or a related field
- At least 7+ years of experience leading program execution and contract negotiations for complex, multi-stakeholder technical programs ($10M+/year)
- Proven track record negotiating SOWs, university sub-awards, or government grants/contracts with clear ownership of contract execution
- Demonstrated experience coordinating project accounting, milestone tracking, and cross-functional teams (Legal, Finance, Engineering, R&D
- You bring rigorous program management discipline
- You manage multi-million-dollar programs with precision, tracking milestones, identifying critical-path bottlenecks, and implementing immediate risk mitigation strategies
- While you do not need to generate deep physics or engineering models, you possess strong technical literacy
- You can read complex technical SOWs, understand engineering deliverables, and translate them into enforceable contract milestones
- You have proven experience negotiating complex technical agreements, Statements of Work (SOWs), sub-awards, and contract amendments with universities, national labs, government sponsors, or corporate partners
- You know how to align legal terms, business objectives, and execution
- You excel at translating intricate technical advancements into polished, executive-ready updates
- Working alongside R&D leads, you synthesize deep scientific milestones into clear progress dashboards, high-impact decks, and audit-ready reporting for government sponsors and external governance bodies
- You possess relentless agency and drive
- You proactively eliminate organizational friction, resolve partner ambiguities, and drive alignment across cross-functional teams without waiting for direction
- You are obsessive about contract compliance, milestone verification, budget reconciliation, and audit readiness
- You ensure no detail falls through the cracks
Flawless Execution Leader:
Technically Capable Business Operator:
Contract & Agreement Negotiator:
Cross-Functional Translator & Information Architect:
Self-Starting Dynamo & Problem Solver:
Mastery of Governance & Details:
Bonus points for:
- Master of Business Administration (MBA, MS, or JD) or equivalent advanced degree
- Experience in deep-tech, energy, advanced manufacturing, aerospace or microelectronics environments
- Familiarity with federal grant compliance (FAR/DEAR, DOE/ARPA-E post-award execution)
- Proficiency in project management tools (Jira, Confluence, MS Project)
Must-have requirements:
- Perform activities such as typing, standing, and sitting, for extended periods of time
- Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call - this position requires occasional travel for partner meetings, government site visits, and industry reviews
- Work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Public Administration, Law/Contracts, or a related field
- At least 7 years of experience leading program execution and contract negotiations for complex, multi-stakeholder technical programs valued at $10M or more annually
- Experience negotiating Statements of Work, university sub-awards, government grants or contracts, and contract amendments
- Experience coordinating project accounting, milestone tracking, and cross-functional teams including Legal, Finance, Engineering, and R&D
- Strong program management discipline, including critical-path tracking and risk mitigation
- Technical literacy sufficient to understand technical SOWs, engineering deliverables, and contract milestones
- Experience translating technical progress into executive updates, dashboards, presentations, and audit-ready reports
- Advanced degree such as MBA, MS, or JD
- Experience in deep-tech, energy, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, or microelectronics
- Familiarity with FAR/DEAR and DOE/ARPA-E post-award execution
- Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, or MS Project
- Willingness to occasionally travel and work nights, weekends, or on-call when required
- Ability to work in a facility with industrial hazards, including high voltage, strong magnets, pressure systems, and cryogenics
Commonwealth Fusion Systems Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Commonwealth Fusion Systems and has not been reviewed or approved by Commonwealth Fusion Systems.
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Healthcare Strength — Health insurance is a core part of the package, with broad medical coverage presented as competitive for a growing tech and engineering employer. This is consistently listed alongside other cornerstone benefits.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) program with employer match is prominently included in compensation descriptions, signaling support for long-term savings. This appears across roles, including technical and production postings.
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Parental & Family Support — Generous parental leave is cited as a notable element of the offering. It sits alongside paid leave options that many candidates prioritize.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems Insights
What We Do
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy. CFS is collaborating with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with new groundbreaking high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. CFS is now building SPARC, the world's first commercially relevant, net energy fusion demonstration device. SPARC will pave the way for the first fusion power plant, ARC, that will produce power on the grid. The ultimate mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. CFS has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by the world’s leading investors, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. If you are interested in joining our team, check out cfs.energy/careers for more information.
