People Business Partner (f/m/d)

About Focused Energy

Focused Energy is building the future of clean energy through laser-driven inertial fusion. Backed by our $240M Series A — the largest fully secured Series A in the global fusion industry — we are scaling rapidly across multiple geographies.

Based in Germany and the US, we have brought together the top scientific and engineering minds using proven technologies to unlock fusion power at commercial scale. Focused Energy is working to realize game-changing scientific innovation that promises to deliver a clean, sustainable and abundant source of power globally.

Location: Role is Hybrid and can be based in Berlin or Darmstadt, Germany.

Your Role

We're hiring a People Business Partner to sit at the intersection of business strategy and people decisions. This isn't a generalist role bolted onto an HR department. You'll be embedded with technical and operational leaders, translating workforce challenges into actionable solutions across performance, development, organizational design, and team effectiveness.

You're joining at a pivotal moment. We're rolling out a company-wide leveling and career framework, launching our first structured performance cycle, and building the infrastructure that will carry us from Series A through commercialization. You won't inherit playbooks — you'll co-create them.

What You'll Do

Strategic Partnering Work directly with senior leaders across Engineering, Physics, and Operations to understand business priorities and connect them to people strategy. Serve as a trusted advisor on organizational design, team structure, and leadership capability — not a policy relay point.

Performance and Development Co-own the rollout and ongoing evolution of our performance review process and career framework. Coach managers on setting clear expectations, giving direct feedback, and having the conversations that actually move people forward.

Employee Relations and Culture Navigate complex employee relations situations with sound judgment, balancing empathy with accountability. Support a culture where feedback is normal, not an event, and where people feel both challenged and respected.

Change and Org Effectiveness Help leaders manage through the growing pains of a scaling deep-tech company. Facilitate calibration sessions, support restructuring conversations, and bring a diagnostic lens to engagement and retention patterns.

Data-Informed Decision Making Use people data (attrition trends, engagement signals, compensation benchmarks) to inform recommendations rather than gut feel. You don't need to be a data scientist, but you should be comfortable building a case with numbers.

Compliance and Risk Awareness Maintain solid working knowledge of German labor law (BetrVG, TzBfG, AGG), with an appreciation for the nuances of operating across multiple jurisdictions. Know when to flag, when to advise, and when to bring in counsel.

Who You Are

• 10+ years of progressive HR/People experience, with at least 5 years in a true business partnering capacity (not a renamed generalist seat)

• Experience in a scaling tech, deep-tech, or engineering-heavy environment. You've seen what happens when headcount doubles and organizational maturity hasn't caught up yet

• Strong command of German labor law; multi-country exposure is a meaningful plus

• Demonstrated ability to coach leaders through ambiguity — performance conversations, org changes, team friction — without defaulting to process for process's sake

• Comfort operating in a function that's still being built. You can hold the tension between "we need structure" and "we need to move"

• Fluent in German and English (both are daily working languages)

What Sets You Apart

• You've partnered with technical leaders (engineering, S&T, science) and earned credibility in those environments

• You've been part of standing up or significantly evolving a performance management or leveling framework

• You have a point of view on what great people partnering looks like — and it's grounded in outcomes, not activity

• You're drawn to mission-driven companies and want your work to connect to something larger than the next quarter

Why This Role

• A front-row seat to one of the most ambitious clean energy ventures in the world

• The chance to shape how a global, science-driven company grows its people infrastructure from the ground up

• A leadership team that treats People as a strategic function, not a support desk

• Competitive compensation, equity participation, and benefits reflective of the talent bar we hold

What We Offer

• Innovative Technology & Mission: Be part of a cutting-edge company working on groundbreaking research in clean energy and scientific discovery.

• Career Development: We invest in our people. This is an opportunity to join an early, growing company at the forefront of new technology, where you’ll have the opportunity to develop and grow your career.

• Collaborative Culture: Work with great people in a dynamic, international environment with top-tier scientists, engineers and professionals passionate about solving global challenges.

• Ownership: Take ownership from day 1 and drive impact by making decisions, solving challenges and shaping the future of our company.

• Your Success is our Success: We offer a competitive salary and company ownership in the form of stock options, giving you a direct stake in our success and ownership in what we build together.

• Vacation Days: We support your work-life-balance by granting you 30 days of vacation per year.

• Snacks and Drinks: Our office fridges are never empty. Enjoy our healthy snacks and drinks. Our Darmstadt office even offers a canteen with delicious lunch options daily.

• Retirement Plan: If you decide for a private pension plan, we will finance 20% on top of your monthly contributions, plus loyalty incentives.

• Events: We organize regular events to foster team bonding, encourage collaboration, and build a strong, supportive company culture. Connect with colleagues across departments, share ideas, and have fun together, both in and outside of the workplace.

• Mobility with NAVIT: We partner with NAVIT to support your flexible commuting needs—whether it’s a public transportation ticket, taxi rides or car-sharing you choose what fits your lifestyle.

• Fitness with Wellhub: We care about your health. Get access to a wide range of gyms, fitness studios and wellness services across Europe through our partnership with Wellhub.

Focused Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Focused Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, benefits.