Senior Director of Operations

Fusion Energy Base; Harvard (MA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

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

Job summary

Commonwealth Fusion Systems seeks a Senior Director of Operations to own and elevate manufacturing execution for its FOAK fusion facility in Devens, MA.

You will lead 24x7 operations, drive continuous improvement, and partner with Engineering, Quality, and EHSS to deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced environment. Strong leadership, problem-solving, and real-world manufacturing experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in a senior operations or production executive role managing multi-layered teams.
• Proven success leading operations through commissioning, qualification, and hyper-growth ramp-up phases.
• Strong ability to translate rapid engineering iterations into actionable execution.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a hands-on presence across 24x7 manufacturing operations for seamless daily execution.
• Mentor and empower senior Production Directors and development of leadership frameworks.
• Partner with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and EHSS to align strategy and drive rapid execution.
• Scope, plan, and manage manufacturing initiatives from inception through commissioning and delivery.
• Implement lean practices to map value streams, improve process flows, and cut costs.
• Oversee quality assurance to ensure outputs meet stringent standards and customer requirements.

Skills

Operations leadership

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma

TPM

Executive communication

Problem solving

Job description

Senior Director of OperationsDevens, MACorporate Operations – Operations - Manufacturing /Full-time /On-site

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.

Join the power movement as Senior Director of Operations Are you an experienced operational leader who leads by example and genuinely thrives on the manufacturing floor? We are seeking a dynamic, hands-on Senior Director of Operations to own our manufacturing execution. In this role, you will be the driving force on the floor, building magnets for a First‑of‑a‑Kind (FOAK) fusion facility. If you are energized by solving unprecedented technical challenges, establishing brand‑new operational standards, and translating rapid engineering iterations into crisp, confident execution, this is your next milestone.

What you'll do:

• Operational Leadership & High-Velocity Execution:
  • Active Floor Presence: Maintain a highly visible, hands‑on presence across our 24x7 manufacturing operations to support teams and ensure seamless daily execution
  • Strategic Leadership Buffer: Act as a steadying force for the plant and advocate for team needs
  • Execution Driver: Anchor operations in a deeply embedded safety culture. Actively help team remove roadblocks and move faster
• Leadership Multiplication & Team Development:
  • Executive Coaching: Manage, mentor, and empower a team of Production Directors
  • Talent Architecture: Design and oversee technical and leadership development frameworks to ensure shift supervisors, line leads, and engineers can operate in a fast‑paced environment with high uncertainty
  • Culture of Psychological Safety: Cultivate an environment that balances high accountability with the psychological safety required to surface and solve first‑time failures collectively
• Cross-Functional Strategy & Project Management:
  • Strategic Alignment: Partner closely with peers in Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and EHSS to ensure rapid execution
  • Project Lifecycle Mastery: Scope, plan, and execute new manufacturing initiatives, managing them from inception through commissioning to timely completion within budget constraints
• Continuous Improvement & Quality Excellence:
  • Iterative Lean Culture: Implement lean manufacturing principles to rapidly map new value streams, optimize process flows, improve efficiency, and reduce operational costs
  • Rigorous Quality Assurance: Oversee all manufacturing operations to guarantee that every output meets or exceeds the company's stringent quality standards and customer requirements

What we’re looking for:

• Pioneering Operational Leadership:
  • Extensive experience in a senior operations or production executive role (e.g., Senior Director of Production, Director of Operations) managing multi-layered teams
  • Proven success leading operations through commissioning, qualification, and hyper‑growth ramp‑up phases
• High Ambiguity Tolerance & EQ:
  • Exceptional emotional intelligence with a demonstrated ability to transition a team through high‑stress, ambiguous operational phases using supportive, clear coaching frameworks
• First-Principles Problem Solving:
  • Outstanding root‑cause analysis skills
  • Ability to diagnose and solve unprecedented technical and mechanical issues from scratch
• Resilient Leadership:
  • A track record of keeping teams motivated, focused, and safe during the inevitable trial‑and‑error phases of launching a novel technology
• Continuous Improvement Expertise:
  • Deep practical knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), or other asset‑reliability frameworks
• Executive Communication & Acumen:
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills to collaborate cross‑functionally and present operational performance metrics effectively to executive stakeholders

Must-have Requirements:

This role typically involves working in both office and manufacturing environments May require travel to various manufacturing sites and supplier locations Perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods of time Work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics $220,000 - $350,000 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

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.