Senior Director of Operations

Cfsenergy; Harvard (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Commonwealth Fusion Systems seeks an experienced Senior Director of Operations to own our manufacturing execution on a 24x7 floor. You will drive safe, fast, high‑quality output while mentoring Production Directors and shaping future leaders in a dynamic FOAK facility.

Responsibilities include near‑term execution, cross‑functional alignment with Engineering, Supply Chain and Quality, plus continuous improvement using Lean/Six Sigma and TPM frameworks. Travel to sites may be required.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in a senior operations or production executive role.
• Proven success leading operations through commissioning, qualification, and hyper-growth ramp-up.
• Exceptional emotional intelligence with the ability to coach teams through high-stress phases.
• Deep practical knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM or similar asset-reliability frameworks.
• Ability to present operational performance metrics to executives and cross‑functional partners.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a highly visible hands-on presence across 24x7 manufacturing operations.
• Lead and mentor a team of Production Directors and shift leaders.
• Design and oversee development frameworks for technical and leadership growth.
• Partner with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality and EHSS for rapid execution.
• Implement lean principles to map value streams, improve flows, reduce costs.

Skills

Floor presence

Executive coaching

Talent development

Psychological safety

Strategic leadership

Project management

Lean manufacturing

Quality assurance

Operational leadership

Emotional intelligence

Root-cause analysis

Resilient leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Tools

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

TPM

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 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.

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

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

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

#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.