Fusion Systems Engineer — R&D Operations

U.S. Fusion Energy; Energy (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision plans

31 Days PTO

10+ Holidays

401(k) match

Disability & life insurance

Parental leave

Wellness stipend

Job summary

Helion, based in Everett, WA, seeks an experienced engineer to operate and advance a pulsed-fusion device for electrical power generation. You will support FRC experiments, manage high-energy systems, and improve machine reliability through rigorous procedures and diagnostics.

Role emphasizes safety, repeatability, and collaboration with engineering, science, and production teams to enhance system performance and throughput.

Qualifications

• B.S. with 4+ years of relevant experience, or M.S. with 2+ years of relevant experience in Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field
• Extensive hands-on experience operating, maintaining, or improving high-vacuum chamber systems or high-voltage capacitor systems
• Experience owning system uptime, reliability, and performance, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis
• Proven experience executing complex experiments or operations with a focus on repeatability, safety, and continuous improvement
• Demonstrated ability to rapidly learn new technologies and take ownership of operational systems

Responsibilities

• Operate and support the day-to-day execution of Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) fusion experiments, ensuring safe and repeatable machine performance
• Control and monitor pulsed power systems, including mega-joule capacitor banks and high-energy infrastructure, with a focus on operational reliability and readiness
• Own system readiness for experiments, including pre-shot setup, system checks, troubleshooting, and analysis
• Identify, diagnose, and resolve issues in high-energy and large-scale vacuum systems to minimize downtime and improve operational efficiency
• Apply plasma physics concepts to support experiment execution and interpret diagnostics for magnetic fields, fusion products, and plasma characteristics
• Drive continuous improvement of machine operations, including refining procedures, improving system robustness, and reducing variability in experimental results
• Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, science, and production teams to improve system performance and operational throughput

Skills

High-vacuum systems

High-voltage capacitor systems

System uptime and reliability

Experiment execution

Troubleshooting

Plasma physics concepts

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring or training others

Rapid learning

Education

B.S. with 4+ years in related field / M.S. with 2+ years

Job description

Helion, based in Everett, WA, seeks an experienced engineer to operate and advance a pulsed-fusion device for electrical power generation. You will support FRC experiments, manage high-energy systems, and improve machine reliability through rigorous procedures and diagnostics.

Role emphasizes safety, repeatability, and collaboration with engineering, science, and production teams to enhance system performance and throughput.