Program Controls Lead

Thea Energy Inc.; Kearny (NJ); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range: $130,000 - $180,000

Health benefits (medical/dental/vision

Employee equity stock options

20 days PTO

Job summary

Thea Energy Inc. is seeking an experienced Program Controls Lead to own the integrated master schedule for our fusion development program in the United States.

You will turn evolving plans into a clear, auditable schedule, flagging divergences for leadership and guiding decision-making. You will work with engineering, procurement, manufacturing, and integration teams to establish baselines, track progress, and run risk analyses, delivering actionable mitigation options and ensuring cost data

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or related technical field.
• 5+ years leading IMS for large, complex hardware or capital programs in fusion, nuclear, aerospace, defense, or large-scale construction.
• Expert-level proficiency in Smartsheet, Primavera P6, or Microsoft Project with resource-loaded, logic-driven schedules.
• Experience with schedule risk analysis (e.g., Monte Carlo) and mitigation recommendations.
• Ability to work with physics, magnet engineering, mechanical eng, manufacturing, supply chain to build credible logic.
• Experience scheduling first-of-a-kind or R&D-heavy work with uncertain durations.
• Working knowledge of earned value management (EVM), cost and schedule integration, change control.
• Excellent communication and ability to distill schedules for leadership.
• Comfortable in a fast-moving startup environment with high ownership and ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Build, maintain, and own the integrated master schedule across engineering, procurement, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning workstreams.
• Develop schedule logic, milestones, and interdependencies with technical leads, and challenge durations and assumptions.
• Identify and communicate the critical path, near-critical paths, and key schedule drivers.
• Run schedule risk analyses and turn the results into mitigation options and decision-ready recommendations.
• Track progress, forecast completion, and report variances and trends to leadership and stakeholders on a regular cadence.
• Manage baselines and schedule change control, and integrate vendor and long-lead procurement schedules into the IMS.
• Partner with Program Managers and integrate cost control and risk management to keep schedule, budget, and risk data consistent across the program.

Skills

IMS scheduling

Primavera P6

Microsoft Project

Smartsheet

Schedule risk analysis

Cost & schedule integration

EVM knowledge

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/related field

Tools

Smartsheet

Primavera P6

Microsoft Project

Job description

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:

Thea Energy is seeking an experienced and motivated Program Controls Lead to own the integrated master schedule for our fusion development program. This is a highly visible, individual contributor role within the Program Management team. You will turn uncertain, evolving plans across engineering, procurement, manufacturing, and integration into a schedule that leadership trusts, and you will flag early when plan and reality diverge. This role acts as a force multiplier by giving the organization a clear view of the critical path, risks, and trade-offs.

Key Responsibility Areas:

• Build, maintain, and own the integrated master schedule across engineering, procurement, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning workstreams.
• Develop schedule logic, milestones, and interdependencies with technical leads, and challenge durations and assumptions constructively.
• Identify and communicate the critical path, near-critical paths, and key schedule drivers.
• Run schedule risk analyses and turn the results into mitigation options and decision-ready recommendations.
• Track progress, forecast completion, and report variances and trends to leadership and stakeholders on a regular cadence.
• Manage baselines and schedule change control, and integrate vendor and long-lead procurement schedules into the IMS.
• Partner with Program Managers and integrate cost control and risk management to keep schedule, budget, and risk data consistent across the program.

Ideal Experience & Skillsets:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years leading building and owning integrated master schedules (IMS) for large, complex hardware or capital programs in fusion, nuclear, aerospace, defense, or large-scale construction.
• Expert-level proficiency in Smartsheet, Primavera P6, or Microsoft Project, including resource-loaded, logic-driven schedules, critical path analysis, and baseline and variance management.
• Demonstrated experience with schedule risk analysis (e.g., Monte Carlo) and turning results into mitigation options and clear recommendations.
• Ability to work deeply with technical teams (physics, magnet engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, supply chain) to build credible logic and challenge durations and assumptions constructively.
• Experience scheduling first-of-a-kind or R&D-heavy work with uncertain durations, iterative design, and long-lead custom hardware, without forcing false precision.
• Working knowledge of program controls practices, including earned value management (EVM), cost and schedule integration, and change control.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to distill complex schedules into clear drivers, risks, and decisions for leadership audiences.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving startup environment, with high ownership and ambiguity.

Company Benefits:

• Salary range: $130,000 - $180,000
• 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.