Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Fusion Energy Base; Kearny (NJ); On-site; USD 130,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Thea Energy is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to lead long-term manufacturing roadmaps and capex strategy for HTS magnet production in Kearny, NJ. You will mentor staff, define workflows, and work closely with executives to scale operations from prototype to volume.

You will partner with design and physics teams to ensure manufacturability, drive continuous improvement, and manage equipment projects from selection to qualification, enabling reliable, cost-effective production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing engineering experience in high-tech, regulated, or precision hardware environments.
• Proven track record of taking complex electro-mechanical systems from concept to factory floor.
• Experience managing large-scale custom capital tooling projects and automated workflows.
• Deep knowledge of GD&T, SPC, PFMEA and enterprise software (PLM/MRP/ERP).
• Background in aerospace, fusion, nuclear, medical devices, or high-complexity tech hardware.
• Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Establish the manufacturing architecture, factory layout, and process methodologies for HTS magnet production.
• Collaborate with design and physics leaders to ensure manufacturability and cost-optimization from concept to prototyping.
• Direct the procurement, installation, and qualification of high-value capital equipment and tooling.
• Architect process engineering frameworks, root-cause protocols, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead relationships with suppliers and contract manufacturers to secure critical hardware.
• Mentor Manufacturing Engineers and scale teams with organizational design guidance.
• Own delivery schedules, risk management, and capital expenditure tracking with leadership updates.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Communication

Strategic thinking

Mentoring

Team scaling

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering

Tools

GD&T

SPC

PFMEA

PLM

MRP

ERP

Job description

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Kearny, NJ

Technology – Manufacturing Engineering
Full-time
On-site

About Thea Energy:

Thea Energy is leveraging recent breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster and simpler approach to commercializing fusion energy. The company is reinventing the stellarator using computer-controlled arrays of planar coils thereby replacing the intricate, complex modular magnets required in all other stellarator architectures. Thea Energy is on a mission to create a limitless source of zero emission energy for a sustainable future.

Position Overview:

Thea Energy is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to serve as a technical leader and strategic driver within our operations group. In this role, you will be responsible for defining the long-term manufacturing roadmap, capital equipment strategy, and operational scale-up for our high-temperature superconducting ("HTS") magnet production. Beyond driving complex manufacturing engineering challenges, you will mentor engineering and production staff, develop organizational process workflows, and interface directly with executive leadership. This role is vital to transforming cutting-edge fusion physics into scalable, commercial-grade hardware.

Key Responsibility Areas:

• Establish the manufacturing architecture, factory layout, and process methodologies for HTS magnet production and facility commissioning.
• Partner with design and physics leaders to guarantee design for manufacturability and cost-optimization from initial concepts through prototyping and beyond.
• Direct the design, acquisition, installation, and qualification of high-value capital equipment, custom tooling, and automated manufacturing systems.
• Architect foundational Process Engineering frameworks, root-cause corrective action protocols, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead key technical relationships with major suppliers and contract manufacturers to secure critical hardware and resolve complex supply chain bottlenecks.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to Manufacturing Engineers and technical personnel; assist leadership in team scaling and organizational design.
• Own program delivery schedules, risk mitigations, and capital expenditure tracking, regularly communicating updates to key internal and external stakeholders.

Ideal Experience & Skillsets:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering with 10+ years of progressive manufacturing engineering experience in high-tech, regulated, or precision hardware environments.
• Proven track record of taking complex, first-of-a-kind electro-mechanical systems from concept through factory floor commissioning and volume ramp.
• Expert knowledge of precision mechanical assembly, thermal processing, coil winding, and metal fusion methodologies (soldering, brazing, specialized welding).
• In-depth experience managing large-scale custom capital tooling projects and integrating automated assembly workflows.
• Deep expertise in GD&T, statistical process control (SPC), PFMEA, and modern enterprise software systems (PLM, MRP, ERP).
• Background in aerospace, magnetic confinement fusion, nuclear systems, medical devices, or high-complexity technology hardware.
• Outstanding leadership, project management, and inter-personal communication skills with a history of driving alignment across cross-functional groups.
• Ability to occasionally lift objects up to 50 lbs.

$130,000 - $155,000 a year

Diversity and Inclusion:

Thea Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a company of diverse backgrounds. By creating a diverse environment, we will bring new ideas and approaches to solving some of the world’s hardest (and most important) problems. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, family or marital status, age, disability, veteran’s status, or other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.