Heating Systems Lead

U.S. Fusion Energy; Illinois; On-site; USD 150,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health benefits

Employee equity stock options

20 days PTO

Job summary

Thea Energy is seeking a Heating Systems Lead to oversee the design, development, implementation, and operation of plasma heating systems for the company’s flagship fusion systems.

This senior role requires deep technical expertise in magnetic confinement fusion heating, proven leadership of multidisciplinary teams, and the ability to collaborate with physics, systems, and engineering groups to accelerate deployment.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in RF, microwave, or related technologies, with a focus on high-power systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing complex projects.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, high-autonomy startup environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers, scientists, and technicians in the design, construction, testing, and operation of plasma heating systems. Manage the budget, vendor relations, and procurement of highly specialized hardware.
• Oversee multiple plasma heating system projects ensuring technical excellence and timely delivery.
• Serve as a technical advisor for plasma heating programs, providing guidance on system architecture, diagnostics, fusion absorption, and operation.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and best practices in heating system design and safety.
• Define a comprehensive system roadmap for the Eos device and future power plants, ensuring heating system capabilities align with core physics, engineering, and power plant requirements.
• Own the conceptual, preliminary, and final engineering designs of heating systems. Ensure these systems integrate seamlessly into the spatial constraints of our planar coil stellarator.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for diagnostics partnerships with national laboratories, academic institutions, and vendors to accelerate deployment.

Skills

RF & Microwave

High-power systems

Leadership

Project management

Education

PhD in Electrical Engineering

Master’s in Electrical Engineering

Job description

Heating Systems Lead

Kearny, NJ

Technology – Engineering

Full-time

On-site

About Thea Energy

Thea Energy is leveraging recent breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster and simpler approach to commercializing fusion energy. The company is reinventing the stellarator using computer-controlled arrays of planar coils thereby replacing the intricate, complex modular magnets required in all other stellarator architectures. Thea Energy is on a mission to create a limitless source of zero emission energy for a sustainable future.

Position Overview

As Heating Systems Lead, you will oversee the design, development, implementation, and operation of plasma heating systems for Thea Energy’s flagship fusion systems.

This is a high-impact, senior-level role requiring deep technical expertise in magnetic confinement fusion heating, excellent team-building capabilities, and a collaborative mindset to interface with our core fusion physics, systems, and engineering teams.

Key Responsibility Areas

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers, scientists, and technicians in the design, construction, testing, and operation of plasma heating systems. Manage the budget, vendor relations, and procurement of highly specialized hardware.
• Oversee multiple plasma heating system projects ensuring technical excellence and timely delivery.
• Serve as a technical advisor for plasma heating programs, providing guidance on system architecture, diagnostics, fusion absorption, and operation.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and best practices in heating system design and safety.
• Define a comprehensive system roadmap for the Eos device and future power plants, ensuring heating system capabilities align with core physics, engineering, and power plant requirements.
• Own the conceptual, preliminary, and final engineering designs of heating systems. Ensure these systems integrate seamlessly into the spatial constraints of our planar coil stellarator.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for diagnostics partnerships with national laboratories, academic institutions, and vendors to accelerate deployment.

Ideal Experience & Skillsets

• Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in RF, microwave, or related technologies, with a focus on high-power systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing complex projects.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, high-autonomy startup environment where prioritizing first-of-a-kind problem solving is the norm.

Company Benefits

• Salary range $150,000-$240,000
• Comprehensive health benefits (e.g. medical/dental/vision)
• Employee equity stock options
• 20 days PTO

Diversity And Inclusion

Thea Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a company of diverse backgrounds. By creating a diverse environment, we will bring new ideas and approaches to solving some of the world’s hardest (and most important) problems. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, family or marital status, age, disability, veteran’s status, or other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.