Startdate
From 01.09.2026 onwards.
What you will be doing here
MAGNOTHERM builds refrigerant-free magnetocaloric cooling systems.
Our STELLAR program scales this technology to superconducting field strengths — and its biggest open questions are experimental, not theoretical: how much does a magnetocaloric regenerator really deliver in a high field, and what losses does cycling it induce? We are building a dedicated high-field test bench to answer exactly that, in partnership with a national research lab’s magnet facility. You lead this work: design and build the bench, run the measurement campaigns, own every error bar, and hand the design team the numbers every product decision rests on. It is a small, focused science team inside a hardware company — and you run it.
What you'll own:
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Bench design & build. Redesign the single-regenerator low- and high-field test bench based on an existing design and build it: mechanical layout, thermal management, sensor placement, and the full instrumentation and data-acquisition chain. Later, upgrade the bench with our own superconducting coil and migrate it to in-house lab infrastructure for extended operation.
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Measurement campaigns. Plan and execute the campaign series: temperature span, specific cooling power across field strengths and operating points, and the loss-under-cycling measurements that address the program’s single largest open uncertainty. You define the test matrix, run the bench, and iterate.
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Precision metrology & uncertainty. Calorimetric measurements at the precision the decision demands: sensor calibration, error budgets, systematic-effect hunting, and honest uncertainty quantification. The full-scale system will be designed against your numbers — the confidence interval matters as much as the mean.
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Model correlation & data handover. Work directly with our simulation team to correlate their models against your measurements, define what gets measured next, and deliver structured, documented datasets the design team can build on. Your data feeds the design baseline continuously, not as a report at the end.
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Team leadership & project management. Lead the bench as its project manager, not just its scientist: plan and schedule the work against the program milestones your data feeds, track budget and material spend, run procurement of bench hardware with our procurement manager, and report progress, risks, and slips into the program’s rhythm of sprints, cross-team reviews, and design reviews — early and honestly. You coordinate the cryogenics and simulation support assigned to you, and own the day-to-day relationship with the partner facility: instrument time, safety procedures, joint operations.
What you would ideally bring to the table
Must-have skills & experience
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PhD or equivalent research experience in experimental physics or a closely related engineering field — you’ve designed, built, and operated a precision measurement setup end to end, not just used one.
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Precision thermal measurement: calorimetry, temperature and heat-flow metrology, thermal-management design of an experiment.
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Instrumentation and DAQ competence: sensor selection and calibration, signal conditioning, acquisition systems, and the software to run them.
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Rigorous uncertainty analysis: error budgets, systematic vs. statistical effects, and the discipline to publish a number with its honest bounds — you can defend an error bar under hostile questioning.
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Hands-on lab craft: you build, wire, troubleshoot, and fix your own experiment, and you’re comfortable working around cryogenic systems and strong magnetic fields.
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Data analysis fluency (Python or similar): from raw channels to documented, reproducible results.
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Project management of experimental work: you’ve planned and delivered a multi-month experimental project or campaign — milestones and schedule, budget and equipment procurement, coordination of contributors and an external facility, and regular status reporting to stakeholders who depend on your dates.
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Working style: independent scientific ownership, pragmatic prioritization (data the design team needs beats data that’s merely interesting), clear documentation.
English language skills (C1+), German language skills (C1+).
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Nice to have
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Magnetism experience and knowledge: high-field magnet systems, superconductivity (low- and especially high-temperature superconductors, LTS/HTS), quench behavior and protection — from research, magnet operation, or magnet engineering.
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Operational experience with superconducting magnets and the cryogenic environments around them — you’ve run one, not just read about them.
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AC-loss (loss under a cycling field) or magnetization-loss measurement experience on superconductors or magnetic materials.
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Campaign experience at a large-scale research facility (magnet lab, beamline, or similar) — you know how to make the most of scheduled instrument time.
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Test-automation and measurement-software depth: LabVIEW, Python-based instrument control, or embedded DAQ.
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Formal project-management exposure — leading a work package in a funded research project, agile/sprint-based teamwork, or PM training on top of lab experience.
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A publication or open-data record that shows how you treat measurement quality.
What makes this role unusual
- Your error bars gate real capital: the program commits its largest build based on what your bench measures — few experimentalist roles connect a measurement campaign this directly to a company-scale decision.
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A science team inside a hardware program: the bench is deliberately not a product module and owes no delivery date to anyone else — its only job is truth, delivered continuously to the design team.
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National-lab partnership: you start on a partner facility’s world-class superconducting magnet infrastructure, then bring the capability in-house on our own coil and lab.
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You lead from day one: a compact setup — you, a cryogenics engineer’s support, simulation help, and a partner facility — with full authority over what gets measured and how.
What you will get from the job
- Flexible hours and 30 days of vacation.
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Compensation aligned with startup standards, with room to grow as the company scales.
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A team that's sharp, interdisciplinary, and doesn't take itself too seriously.
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The chance to pioneer technology that actually helps the planet.
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Ownership, responsibility, and a culture where learning from mistakes is expected.
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A front-row seat as a deep-tech company scales.
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Memes. Good ones. And lots of them.
PS: We are a big fan of cover letters. They don't need to be long, but getting the general idea of who you are and what motivates you helps in the application selection. A portfolio of work you can share externally is also welcome.
About us
We believe in science; we believe in facts. Climate change is speeding up more than ever and we need to do something about it. We are convinced that we need better technologies to overcome this tremendous challenge – or more precisely: this tremendous threat to humanity. We are on a mission to decarbonize the refrigeration industry and reduce its contribution of 7% to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Support us in making our vision a reality – join us!
We are material scientists, chemists, physicists, a lot of engineers as well as product and graphic designers. We are an agile team of bright minds with diverse and international backgrounds. We love hanging out together, we argue about new technologies, politics, the best sport, and food trends. Basically, we are human.
MAGNOTHERM is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are open to all groups of people without regard to age, color, national origin, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristics.
Do I need to meet all the requirements to apply?
Studies by several different sources have shown that, on average, men will apply for a job if they meet 60% of the application requirements. In contrast, women/non-binary people will seek to match a much higher percentage of the requirements before applying.
We encourage everyone to apply and give us a chance to evaluate your skills and experience. We are all learning on the job, and although the listing above has been carefully compiled, we are also open-minded and interested to hear about the value you can bring to the role and MAGNOTHERM.
How can I demonstrate that I have particular needs in the application process?
For people living with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or neurodiversity, adjustments and support can make a decisive difference in the application process. If you need any specific accommodations (tools, time, etc.) and feel comfortable disclosing this, please let us know.
