Experiment & Test Engineer Lead

We are a fusion power company based in Everett, WA, with the mission to build the world's first fusion power plant, enabling a future with unlimited clean electricity. Our vision is a world with clean, reliable, and affordable energy for everyone.

Since Helion's founding in 2013, we have raised over $600 million from investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group to propel us forward. Our last prototype, Trenta, completed 10,000 high-power pulses and reached plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius (9 keV).

Now we are working toward Polaris, which will be the first machine to demonstrate electricity from fusion, making this a great time to join Helion! Bring your skills, experiences, and determination to make a difference in the world. Together, we can make a future with unlimited clean electricity from fusion a reality.

What You Will Be Doing

We are looking for an engineer and manager with experience leading teams and working with experimental plasma and pulsed power systems. As a part-time manager and part-time engineer you will lead a small group and directly contribute to the design, test and operation of experimental FRC plasma and high-power, high voltage pulsed DC systems. These experiments and systems will enable us to bring the most powerful, controlled pulsed-fusion device ever constructed online with the goal of generating electrical power. You will report to our Director of Test Operations at our Everett, WA office.

You Will

• Guide the efforts of a small team designing, building, testing and commissioning high voltage plasma systems
• Install and operate high density plasma devices
• Design or supervise the design, install, and operation of experiment diagnostics to characterize plasma parameters and system performance
• Develop system architectures taking into consideration how the components and systems work together to achieve improved performance of our fusion machines
• Create project roadmaps and work with the engineering, research and Advanced Concepts teams to define experiment and test objectives
• Drive schedule ownership and optimization by team members to accelerate milestones
• Work with control systems, including LabView-based control systems and PXIe-NI chassis-based systems, and solve data collection problems in a fast-pulse EMI environment
• Take ownership of team responsibilities, drive accountability with the team and ensure deadlines and company priorities are achieved
• Create a high-quality work environment and support team members to help them grow, set goals, and accomplish

Required Skills

• B.S. or M.S in aerospace or mechanical engineering, physics, or related field of study, and 6+ experience of relevant experience
• Experience managing small teams of engineers, scientists, technicians or students
• Demonstrated ability and desire to rapidly learn new systems
• Experience in design, fabrication, installation, and test of high voltage electronics
• Test or experiment experience with pinch devices, electric propulsion, accelerators, stellarators, tokomaks, power plant operations, or rocket launches
• Project Schedule management
• Hands-on hardware experience with vacuum systems, high pressure gas flow systems, plasma diagnostics, and data acquisition systems
• Demonstrated experience leading a project from initial definition of objectives through develop and test
• Demonstrated experience taking on complex problems, defining and accomplishing challenging objectives with minimum guidance

The pay range for this position is $135k-180k. This pay range may be inclusive of several career levels and will be narrowed based on several factors, including the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Benefits and Compensation

Our total compensation package includes generous equity and benefits, including but not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision plans for employees and their families
• 31 Days of PTO (21 vacation days and 10 sick days)
• 13 Paid holidays, plus company-wide winter break
• Up to 5% employer 401(k) match
• Short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance
• Paid parental leave and support (up to 16 weeks)
• Annual wellness stipend

NOTE: Underrepresented people are less likely to apply unless they meet 100% of the job's requirements. We believe in hiring people, not checklists, and encourage you to apply even if you do not check all of the boxes. If this job isn't the one, we have many other openings that may be a fit.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. If we reach out to you to begin an interview process, we will also ask if you require any reasonable accommodation at that time.