R&D Test Engineer - Electrical Power Systems

Commonwealth Fusion Systems LLC; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health, dental, vision

Retirement plan (401k)

Generous leave

Professional growth

Team-based culture

Job summary

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is seeking an R&D Test Engineer to advance HTS magnet testing and high power systems. You will design, build, and verify electrical test infrastructure and contribute to risk retirement for critical components.

Collaborating with manufacturing, R&D, procurement and SPARC teams, you will develop test plans, ensure data reliability, and push for scalable test facilities while maintaining safety and documentation standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or applied physics.
• 5+ years designing/commissioning specialized electrical equipment.
• 2+ years using electrical analysis software (PLECS, LTSPICE, ETAP, Simulink).
• Experience with high-power electronics and test facilities.

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, review, procure and build test equipment for energizing superconducting magnets.
• Contribute to ground-up design of electrical testing infrastructure in new facilities.
• Develop test plans with required data, instrumentation and controls.
• Maintain well-documented requirements and risks for the system under test.
• Identify and mitigate safety hazards; produce safety documentation.
• Manage documentation, schedules and budgets for test campaigns.

Skills

Electrical testing

High-power electronics

EM fundamentals

Troubleshooting

Communication

Safety awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or science

Tools

PLECS

LTSPICE

ETAP

Simulink

AutoCAD

NX

Teamcenter

Altium

Job description

About Commonwealth Fusion Systems:

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is on a mission to deliver the urgent transition to fusion energy.

Combining decades of research, top talent, and new technologies, we’re designing and building commercially viable fusion power plants. And we're working with policymakers, suppliers, and many others to build the energy industry of the future.

We’re in the best position to make it happen. Since 2018, we’ve raised $4 billion of capital, making us the largest and leading fusion company in the world.

Now we’re looking for more thinkers, doers, builders, and makers to join us. People who’ll bring new perspectives, solve tough problems, and thrive as part of a team.

If that’s you and this role fits, we want to hear from you.

Join the power movement as an R&D Test Engineer

The role of a Test Engineer is to seamlessly flex between multiple disciplines and groups to effectively execute tests and projects on aggressive schedules supporting Commonwealth Fusion System’s mission. This engineer will be primarily responsible for testing and retiring risks for CFS’ HTS magnets. They must have a fundamental understanding of mechanical, electrical, materials, fluids and software engineering, or some combination thereof. This role in particular emphasizes electrical power systems used to test HTS magnets. They will be responsible for the design, analysis, build, commissioning and maintenance of high current and high voltage electrical equipment. They must work collaboratively across manufacturing, R&D, procurement, and SPARC teams to achieve their test campaigns. It is also the role of the test engineer to constantly push and challenge the requirements, risks, and test objectives that they are given to help the combined stakeholders come to a consensus on why the planned test is required and what data is deemed essential for the outcome to be achieved.

What you'll do:

• Design, analyze, review, procure and build test equipment for energizing superconducting magnets
• Contribute to ground-up design of electrical testing infrastructure in new testing facilities
• Develop test plans highlighting the test objectives, key data that are needed and the instrumentation and controls necessary to obtain this data. Ensure data is reliable
• Understand, challenge and maintain well-documented requirements and risks for the system or component under test
• Identify and mitigate safety hazards associated with test equipment. Produce safety documentation such as job hazard assessments and test readiness reviews
• Maintain documentation, schedule and budgets for the test campaign. Documentation includes: design reviews, wiring lists, P&IDs, schematics, CAD assemblies, drawings, and operations software
• Troubleshoot and resolve integration and test discrepancies during build, commissioning and operation
• Iterate on designs, equipment and operations for repeat tests to improve test efficiency
• Perform analyses for the system predicting results and develop custom tools to analyze generated data. Compile test results clearly for review
• Lead anomaly investigations and their resolution, and present results to a team of physicists and engineers
• Execute plans for future expansion, including capital equipment and floor layouts, always having a vision for scalability of systems into a larger context. Provide visions for multi-use test infrastructure that can be scaled for multiple applications

What we're looking for:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or science field is required; electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or similar, or applied physics degree
• 5+years experience designing/building/commissioning specialized electrical apparatus or equipment
• 2+ years using electrical analysis software such as PLECS, LTSPICE, ETAP, Simulink or similar
• Aptitude for applying electromagnetic fundamentals to understand system behavior, such as: parasitic inductance/capacitance, EMI coupling, dielectric breakdown, etc
• Familiarity with electrical standards such as building codes (NEC/NFPA 70), personnel safety (OSHA, NFPA 70E), equipment safety standards (IEC, IEEE, etc)
• Experience working with high-power electronics, such as rectifiers, DC/DC converters, inverters, etc
• Experience working with stored energy devices such as batteries and supercapacitors
• Excellent troubleshooting/problem-solving skills with great attention to detail
• Strong desire to improve efficiency and throughput of processes
• Effective at communicating technical topics to both technical and non-technical audiences
• High self-motivation and drive to execute quickly
• A can-do attitude and an eagerness to learn
• Collaboration skills including active listening and facilitating a productive discourse on problems
• Ability to innovate creative solutions to challenging problems
• Willingness to challenge the status quo in search of better, more efficient methods
• Experience with designing and commissioning new test facilities
• Experience with developing and executing test procedures

Bonus points for:

• Experience with thermal or electromagnetic FEA software.
• Experience using NX and Teamcenter to manage CAD assemblies
• Experience with schematic or PCB design software such as AutoCAD, SkyCAD, Altium, etc
• Experience with high field magnet testing traditional or superconducting

Must-have requirements:

• Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs
• Perform activities such as stooping, climbing, typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods of time
• Dedication to safety to mitigate industrial hazards that may include heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, and cryogenics
• Willingness to travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally

$90,000 - $145,000 a year

Salary range for this full-time position + equity + benefits. The actual salary will depend on level, location, qualifications, and experience. The range displayed on each job posting reflects new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Benefits include:

• Competitive compensation with equity
• 13 Company-wide Holidays
• Flexible vacation days
• 10 sick days
• Generous parental leave policy
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with employer matching
• Professional growth opportunities
• Team-building activities

#LI-Onsite

At CFS, we excel in fast-paced environments, driven by our values of integrity, execution, impact, and self-critique. As we grow, we’re eager to bring on mission-driven folks who offer diverse perspectives and fresh ways to tackle challenges.

We value diversity deeply and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally, regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law.

This role requires compliance with U.S. laws concerning the export of controlled or protected technologies or information (collectively, “Export Control Laws”). Any offer of employment will be contingent on the need for compliance with such Export Control Laws.