Director of Risk and Opportunity at Type One Energy Group, Inc. – Knoxville, Tennessee

Join us in our mission to commercialize fusion energy ⚡️

About Type One Energy

Type One Energy Group is mission-driven to provide sustainable, affordable fusion power to the world. Established in 2019 and venture-backed in 2023, the company is led by a team of globally recognized fusion scientists with a strong track record of building state-of-the-art stellarator fusion machines, together with veteran business leaders experienced in scaling companies and commercializing energy technologies.

If you are searching for the best new ideas and share our vision, join us as a "Director of Risk & Opportunity" This is what you need to know:

Location: Knoxville, TN

Salary: Highly Competitive Plus Benefits

Contract: Permanent, full time

Reporting to: Senior VP of Program Management

Your role in the mission:

The Director of Risk & Opportunity will serve as a key organizational leader responsible for defining, implementing, and maturing the enterprise-wide and program-level risk and opportunity management framework for Type One Energy. Operating as a central function within the Program Management Office (PMO), this individual will architect and manage the processes, systems, and governance structures that enable the company to effectively identify, assess, quantify, prioritize, track, and mitigate risks across all major programs—including Fusion Direct, Infinity1, and Infinity2.

The Director will ensure that risk is translated into financial impact, enabling leadership to understand cost exposure, required reserves, and trade-offs required to deliver Infinity One on budget and on schedule. This role is critical in safeguarding the company’s capital efficiency strategy by proactively identifying, quantifying, and mitigating risks that could impact total project cost and delivery timelines

In addition to leading the risk and opportunities approach, this role will include leading the “Design to Coat” initiatives across Fusion Direct to include Infinity1 and Infinity2. In this role, the design‑to‑cost leader will drive cost‑optimized product development by embedding cost‑focused thinking into engineering, design, supply chain, and program management processes.

This role ensures products meet customer requirements at the lowest total cost, while maintaining performance, safety, and quality standards. This role will partner cross‑functionally to develop cost models, lead value engineering initiatives, and influence early‑stage design decisions that shape product cost and competitiveness.

Risk & Opportunity Framework Development

• Own and lead the risk and opportunity management function across Type One Energy, with primary focus on Infinity One program execution and construction.
• Lead the development of a fully integrated cost risk framework
• Establish risk management as a core decision-making discipline, embedded across engineering, construction, procurement, and program leadership
• Serve as the central authority on programmatic risk posture, advising executive leadership on exposure, mitigation strategies, and trade-offs
• Drive cost-risk trade-off analysis, enabling leadership to make informed decisions on design, procurement, and construction strategies.
• Oversee the risk workflow including identification, analysis, quantification (qualitative and quantitative), prioritization, mitigation planning, and closure.

Program-Level Risk Management

• Facilitate working sessions with engineering, procurement, manufacturing, and operations teams to identify technical, schedule, cost, and integration risks.
• Develop risk registers for major programs, ensuring clear traceability to program baselines and milestones.
• Support Earned Value Management (EVM) performance analysis by correlating risk exposure with cost/schedule performance.
• Conduct periodic risk reviews, readiness assessments, and risk health checks with program leadership.

Quantitative Analysis & Modeling

• Lead the development and execution of quantitative risk analyses (QRA) including Monte Carlo simulations for schedule and cost impacts.
• Integrate results into baseline development, Estimate at Completion (EAC) models, and decision-making processes.
• Provide data-backed recommendations to inform mitigation strategies and management reserves.

Opportunity Management

• Establish a structured opportunity management process to identify potential improvements in cost, schedule, performance, or design.
• Work with engineering and operations leadership to evaluate opportunity feasibility, value, and implementation paths.
• Track opportunity benefit realization and incorporate outcomes into program plans and performance reporting.

Governance, Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain risk governance processes aligned with contract, regulatory, and quality requirements.
• Support major phase gate reviews, baseline reviews, and independent project assessments.
• Drive continuous improvement of risk and opportunity management processes, tools, and cultural adoption across the company.

Design to Cost Initiatives

• Develop and lead the organization's Design‑to‑Cost strategy across programs and product lines.
• Drive early‑phase cost planning during concept and architecture definition.
• Provide executive‑level visibility to cost risks, opportunities, and trade‑offs.

• Partner with Engineering, Product Management, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to integrate cost targets into requirements and design gates.

• Identify key cost drivers and recommend actionable design changes or sourcing strategies.
• Track and validate cost‑reduction performance against program targets.

• Lead cost‑driven design reviews at key development milestones.

What you’ll need:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, business, finance, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in risk management within complex engineering, R&D, aerospace, defense, or energy environments.
• Demonstrated experience developing and managing risk registers, QRAs, and mitigation planning.
• Demonstrated experience in construction-phase risk management and large program delivery
• Strong understanding of project management, EVM, baselining, and systems engineering concepts.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in risk analysis tools (e.g., @RISK, Primavera Risk Analysis, Safran Risk).

Preferred

• Experience in fusion energy, nuclear, or advanced energy systems.
• Experience supporting PMO maturity efforts or process development.
• Familiarity with DOE project management structures and risk requirements.
• Certification in risk management (RMP, PMI-RMP) or project management (PMP)

We offer:

In addition to a basic salary and yearly bonus, you will also get…

• A hybrid work policy
• Stock options
• Relocation allowance
• Insurance plans
• Retirement options
• And many more great voluntary benefits

Type One Energy applies proven advanced manufacturing methods, modern computational physics and high-field superconducting magnets to develop its optimized stellarator fusion energy system. Our FusionDirect development program pursues the lowest-risk, shortest-schedule path to a fusion power plant over the coming decade, using a partner-intensive and capital-efficient strategy.

Type One Energy is committed to community engagement in the development and deployment of its clean energy technology. For more information, visit www.typeoneenergy.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Type One Energy is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity, searching for the best new ideas and remaining open to unique perspectives. Therefore, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment independent of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age, or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.