Senior Director of Operations

Lever, Inc.; Harvard (MA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with employer matching

13 Company-wide Holidays

Flexible vacation days

Generous parental leave policy

Team-building activities

Professional growth opportunities

Job summary

Commonwealth Fusion Systems seeks a Senior Director of Operations to own manufacturing execution, lead a 24x7 floor, and drive high-velocity performance on the path to a FOAK fusion facility. The role demands hands-on leadership, strong safety culture, and cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and EHSS.

The candidate should bring senior operations leadership experience, ability to navigate ambiguity, and track record of delivering through commissioning and

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in a senior operations or production executive role.
• Proven success leading operations through commissioning and ramp-up phases.
• Exceptional emotional intelligence with coaching frameworks.
• Outstanding root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to diagnose and solve unprecedented technical issues.
• Track record of keeping teams motivated and safe during novel tech launches.
• Deep knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, or asset-reliability frameworks.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills to present metrics to executives.

Responsibilities

• Active Floor Presence across 24x7 manufacturing operations.
• Strategic Leadership Buffer advocating for team needs.
• Execution Driver embedding safety culture and removing roadblocks.
• Executive Coaching of Production Directors.
• Talent Architecture for shift supervisors and engineers development.
• Culture of Psychological Safety balancing accountability with safety.

Skills

Operational leadership

Executive Coaching

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Total Productive Maintenance

Root-cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

High ambiguity tolerance

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.

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

#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.