Electrical Systems Engineer

Helion Energy; Everett, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision plans

31 Days of PTO

Up to 5% 401(k) match

Disability and life insurance

Parental leave

Wellness stipend

Job summary

Helion Energy, based in Everett, WA, is seeking an Electrical Systems Engineer to define electrical hardware powering our next‑generation fusion machines. You will work at the architecture level to ensure subsystems function as a coherent platform and support verification and hardware bring-up.

This role blends architecture development with hands‑on hardware work. You will collaborate with electrical, controls, mechanical, and test teams to meet project goals and ensure reliable operation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years in electrical systems engineering, integration, test, or hardware development.
• Experience shaping system/subsystem architecture and interfaces.
• Ability to define and manage technical requirements and ICDs.
• Ability to read schematics, wiring diagrams, and interconnect docs.
• Hands-on hardware bring-up with lab tools (oscilloscopes, DMMs, analyzers).
• Experience with cross-disciplinary teams (electrical, controls, mechanical, test).
• Strong documentation and communication of requirements, interfaces, design decisions.
• Experience working with suppliers to define requirements and review deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Define electrical subsystems and ensure they meet machine requirements.
• Develop and maintain ICDs defining electrical, controls, and mechanical interfaces.
• Support verification planning and test activities with clear methods.
• Perform hardware bring-up and diagnose issues across electrical, controls, and interfaces.
• Collaborate with electrical, controls, mechanical, and test teams for correct integration.
• Support integration of new hardware during development and commissioning.
• Document requirements, interfaces, and design decisions throughout the process.

Skills

Electrical systems engineering

System architecture

Requirements management

ICDs

Schematic reading

Hardware bring-up

Cross-functional teamwork

Technical communication

Supplier management

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Oscilloscopes

DMMs

Logic analyzers

Spectrum analyzers

Job description

About Helion

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 $1.5 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group as well as new investors including Thrive Capital, LightSpeed Venture Capital, SoftBank, and others to propel us forward. Our current prototype, Polaris, has reached record-breaking plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius (13 keV). Helion is continuing to iterate and on the path to the world's first fusion power plant, Orion.

This is a pivotal time to join Helion. You will tackle real-world challenges with a team that prizes urgency, rigor, ownership, and a commitment to delivering hard truths – values essential to achieving what no one has before. Together, we will change the future of energy, because the world can't wait.

What You Will Be Doing:

As an Electrical Systems Engineer, you will help define the electrical hardware that powers and controls our next-generation fusion machines. You will work at the architecture level to ensure electrical subsystems, including power distribution, controls interfaces, sensors, and communication networks, function together as a coherent and reliable platform. In this role, you will contribute to architectural decisions, define requirements and interfaces, and support verification and hardware bring-up. You will work closely with engineering, test, and commissioning teams to translate technical objectives into implementable designs and ensure those designs perform as intended during testing and deployment. This role blends architecture development, requirements ownership, and hands-on hardware work, and is well suited for engineers who enjoy working across disciplines while remaining closely connected to the physical system.

You Will:

• Contribute to the architecture and design of electrical subsystems, ensuring alignment with overall machine requirements and operational goals.
• Define, maintain, and manage system and subsystem requirements, ensuring clear traceability from top-level objectives to implemented hardware.
• Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) that define electrical, controls, and mechanical interfaces between subsystems and suppliers.
• Support verification planning and execution, ensuring requirements have clear verification methods and participating in testing activities.
• Work hands-on during hardware bring-up and prototyping, helping diagnose and resolve issues across electrical hardware, controls systems, and subsystem interfaces.
• Collaborate closely with electrical, controls, mechanical, and test teams to ensure designs function correctly within the overall machine.
• Support integration of new hardware and subsystems during development and commissioning.
• Contribute to system documentation and engineering processes, including requirements management, design reviews, and integration planning.

Required Skills:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in electrical systems engineering, integration, test, or hardware development.
• Experience contributing to system or subsystem architecture, including defining electrical subsystems and their interactions.
• Experience developing and managing technical requirements and Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and interconnect documentation.
• Hands-on experience with hardware bring-up, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis using standard lab instrumentation such as oscilloscopes, DMMs, and logic or spectrum analyzers.
• Experience working with cross-disciplinary engineering teams including electrical, controls, mechanical, and test.
• Strong technical documentation and communication skills, including the ability to clearly capture requirements, interfaces, and design decisions.
• Experience working with hardware suppliers or external partners to define technical requirements and review deliverables.

Desired Skills:

• Experience in aerospace, automotive, robotics, energy systems, or other safety-critical, high-reliability industries.
• Familiarity with large-scale electrical hardware systems, including power distribution, sensing, and controls integration.
• Knowledge of high-voltage or high-current electrical systems, including grounding, protection, and EMI/EMC considerations.
• Experience with requirements management and PLM tools such as Flow, Jama, DOORS, Teamcenter, or Confluence.
• Exposure to system safety and reliability methods, including FMEA, FMECA, or fault analysis.
• Experience supporting or executing system-level integration testing, including instrumentation, automation, and data analysis.
• Familiarity with electrical interconnect systems and harness manufacturing standards such as IPC/WHMA-A-620 or related industry practices.
• Comfort operating in fast-paced development environments where both engineering rigor and development speed are required.
• Demonstrated ownership of hardware development efforts from concept through deployment, including coordination with suppliers and cross-disciplinary teams.

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Benefits

Our total compensation package includes 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)
• 10 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

Helion is an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the interview process, please let us know.