Fusion Plasma Operations Engineer - Pulsed-Power

U.S. Fusion Energy; Zap (ND); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Zap Energy is seeking a Plasma Device Operations Engineer to oversee daily shot execution on FuZE devices, ensuring machine readiness and real-time data quality across campaigns. You will work with diagnostics, controls, and plasma physics teams to configure machines for each run and verify data integrity.

You will monitor plasma formation, maintain logs and configuration records, and support interlock and safety procedures.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related field.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience operating experimental physics, pulsed-power, or high-voltage laboratory equipment.
• Demonstrated comfort working around high-voltage (>1 kV) systems and pulsed-power hardware with strict safety procedures.
• Experience with data acquisition systems and familiarity with digitizer configuration, triggering, and first-order data review.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, timing diagrams, and oscilloscope/digitizer waveforms.
• Strong written communication skills for maintaining run logs, procedures, and machine status documentation.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate device operation across engineering disciplines to align subsystems before each shot campaign and experimental run day.
• Lead pre-shot coordination to confirm machine configuration, diagnostic readiness, gas and timing parameters, and run plan objectives with all stakeholders.
• Maintain and communicate the master run schedule, balancing competing requests from physics campaigns, hardware maintenance windows, and engineering development work.
• Track action items and blockers across teams that affect machine availability, and drive them to resolution with a clear owner and deadline.
• Coordinate access and activities during machine downtime, ensuring maintenance, installation, and calibration tasks are sequenced safely and efficiently without conflicts.

Skills

High-voltage handling

Pulsed-power systems

Data acquisition

Troubleshooting

Reading schematics

Python scripting

Education

B.S./M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics

Tools

MDSplus

D-TACQ digitizers

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

Siemens PLC

Oscilloscope

EtherCAT

Job description

Zap Energy is seeking a Plasma Device Operations Engineer to oversee daily shot execution on FuZE devices, ensuring machine readiness and real-time data quality across campaigns. You will work with diagnostics, controls, and plasma physics teams to configure machines for each run and verify data integrity.

You will monitor plasma formation, maintain logs and configuration records, and support interlock and safety procedures.