Senior Executive Assistant

Helion; Everett (WA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision plans

PTO 31 days (21 vacation + 10 sick)

Paid holidays

401(k) match

Disability & life insurance

Parental leave

Wellness stipend

Job summary

Helion, based in Everett, WA, seeks a Senior Executive Assistant to support the Senior Director of Science and a multidisciplinary team of about 125 scientists, engineers, techs, and operations professionals. You will manage high-priority administrative work, prepare board reports, and drive department initiatives in a fast-paced environment.

You will partner with department leadership, identify administrative inefficiencies, and advance onboarding, training tracking, and cross-functional

Qualifications

• 8+ years of executive or administrative support experience.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment with ambiguous priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with ability to synthesize discussions into summaries.

Responsibilities

• Manage calendar, inbox, scheduling, and priorities across senior leaders.
• Coordinate department operating rhythms, meetings, and planning sessions.
• Prepare drafts of communications, memos, briefing documents, and updates.
• Serve as onboarding champion for new hires and improve onboarding.
• Coordinate training records and track overdue requirements.
• Provide admin support to directors including expenses, events, recruitment visits.
• Support new department initiatives and external collaborations like HERCULES.
• Develop and improve administrative processes with AI and automation.

Skills

Executive support experience

Independent working

Communication skills

Calendar management & coordination

MS Office proficiency

Organizational skills

Discretion & confidentiality

Growth mindset

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

About Helion

We are a fusion power company based in Everett, WA, with the mission to build the world's first fusion power plant, enabling a future with unlimited clean electricity. Our vision is a world with clean, reliable, and affordable energy for everyone.

Since Helion's founding in 2013, we have raised $1.5 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group as well as new investors including Thrive Capital, LightSpeed Venture Capital, SoftBank, and others to propel us forward. Our current prototype, Polaris, has reached record-breaking plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius (13 keV). Helion is continuing to iterate and on the path to the world's first fusion power plant, Orion.

This is a pivotal time to join Helion. You will tackle real-world challenges with a team that prizes urgency, rigor, ownership, and a commitment to delivering hard truths – values essential to achieving what no one has before. Together, we will change the future of energy, because the world can't wait.

What You Will Be Doing

We are hiring a Senior Executive Assistant to support the Senior Director of Science and a multidisciplinary organization of approximately 125 scientists, engineers, techs, and operations professionals.

In this role, you will independently manage administrative priorities, prepare reports for the Board and Executive Team, and spearhead new department initiatives. You will work across plasma physics, materials science, fuel cycle, nuclear science, experimental operations, and R&D engineering.

You will be a trusted partner to the department's leadership team, proactively identifying and removing administrative friction so leaders can focus on technical execution, strategic decisions, and developing their teams. This is an onsite role based in Everett, WA, reporting to the Senior Director of Science.

You Will

• Manage calendar, inbox, scheduling, and meeting priorities, independently navigating competing demands and coordinating with senior leaders across Helion.
• Coordinate department operating rhythms, including weekly huddles, leadership meetings, quarterly completed objectives reviews, and strategic planning sessions. Own meeting logistics, agendas, notes, action tracking, and distribution of information.
• Prepare initial drafts of communications, decision memos, briefing documents, presentations, and department updates. Synthesize information from meetings and conversations into concise, actionable materials.
• Serve as a department onboarding champion, helping new hires navigate Helion, reinforcing company values, coordinating introductory check-ins, and identifying opportunities to improve the onboarding experience.
• Coordinate training records and completion tracking, partnering with managers and functional owners to identify overdue requirements and maintain department readiness.
• Provide administrative support to directors and managers, including expense reports, team events, recognition activities, operational campaign meals, recruiting visits, and complex scheduling.
• Support new department initiatives and programs, including external research collaborations such as HERCULES, by coordinating stakeholders, documentation, workflows, and administrative execution until the program can be passed off for long-term ownership.
• Develop and improve administrative processes, documentation systems, dashboards, and communication workflows. Leverage AI tools and automation to eliminate unnecessary work.
• Build strong relationships with leaders, employees, and external partners, maintaining confidentiality and exercising sound judgment in sensitive situations.

Required Skills

• 8+ years of executive or administrative support experience, including direct support for senior leaders in a complex, fast-paced organization.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, navigate ambiguous priorities, and exercise sound judgment in allocating time and attention.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex discussions into clear summaries, meeting notes, and initial drafts.
• Experience managing complex calendars, coordinating multiple stakeholders, and organizing leadership meetings and events. Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.
• Strong organizational skills with a demonstrated ability to track commitments, follow through on details, and improve administrative processes.
• Ability to build trust across organizational levels, handle sensitive information with discretion, and balance responsiveness with competing priorities. Proactive engagement of team members at all levels of the organization.
• Interest in using technology, automation, and AI tools to improve administrative effectiveness.
• A growth mindset. You are interested in learning new skills and taking on new challenges. You are also excellent at delivering direct feedback.

Benefits

Our total compensation package includes benefits, including but not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision plans for employees and their families
• 31 Days of PTO (21 vacation days and 10 sick days)
• 10 Paid holidays, plus company-wide winter break
• Up to 5% employer 401(k) match
• Short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance
• Paid parental leave and support (up to 16 weeks)
• Annual wellness stipend

Helion is an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the interview process, please let us know.

Compensation Range: $167K - $194K