Director, CID Systems - Fusion Control & Diagnostics (Equity & PTO)

U.S. Fusion Energy; Illinois; On-site; USD 185,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range $185,000-$280,000

Comprehensive health benefits

Employee equity stock options

20 days PTO

Job summary

Thea Energy in New Jersey seeks a Director to lead CID Systems, steering control, instrumentation, and diagnostics for fusion devices. You will mentor a cross-disciplinary team, drive architecture choices, ensure deterministic operation, and maintain rigorous safety and verification practices.

Responsibilities include setting engineering rhythm, coordinating with vendors, and translating device requirements into CID specifications, with a focus on scalable, safe, and high-fidelity data

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Controls, Computer Science, Physics, or equivalent.
• 10+ years in control systems, industrial automation, fast data acquisition, instrumentation, or diagnostics.
• 5+ years of engineering management leading multi team organizations.
• Experience owning complex CID system development from architecture through prototype validation and integration.
• Strong foundation in safety and high reliability engineering practices, including interlocks and fail-safe design.
• Experience delivering CID systems for fusion devices or other large scientific facilities.
• Experience with FPGA-based acquisition and low latency streaming for real-time feedback.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor CID teams across control systems, instrumentation, diagnostics.
• Establish operating rhythm: planning, prioritization, technical reviews, staffing plans, decisions.
• Set technical direction and ensure quality across requirements, architecture, implementation, verification, and docs.
• Own CID architecture across fast DAQ, supervisory control, PLC automation, safety interlocks, and data flow.
• Lead tech selection for real-time control, networking, timing, and data management across interfaces.
• Own interface to external vendors for controls hardware and instrumentation deliverables.
• Oversee development and integration of CID systems across subsystems for deterministic behavior.
• Own safety philosophy, hazard analyses, and alignment to functional safety standards.
• Coordinate CID requirements translation with systems engineering and verification plans.
• Run gates and design reviews with entry/exit criteria and configuration control.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Real-time control

Safety and reliability

FPGA-based acquisition

EPICS/TANGO/OPC UA

LabView integration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering

Tools

LabVIEW

EPICS

TANGO

OPC UA

DDS

Modbus

PLC programming

Job description

Thea Energy in New Jersey seeks a Director to lead CID Systems, steering control, instrumentation, and diagnostics for fusion devices. You will mentor a cross-disciplinary team, drive architecture choices, ensure deterministic operation, and maintain rigorous safety and verification practices.

Responsibilities include setting engineering rhythm, coordinating with vendors, and translating device requirements into CID specifications, with a focus on scalable, safe, and high-fidelity data