Senior Mechanical Engineer - Remote Maintenance

Cfsenergy; Harvard (MA); Remote; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Commonwealth Fusion Systems seeks a Senior Remote Maintenance Engineer to design ARC’s Remote Maintenance System, integrating RHE with robotics and heavy lift equipment across tokamak and plant engineering teams for a highly maintainable fusion power plant.

You will perform proactive R&D, lead cross-disciplinary studies, and help establish maintenance guidelines, enabling reliable, scalable fusion energy delivery.

Qualifications

• At least 7 years of mechanical engineering design, fabrication, testing, operations, integration, and commissioning of complex structures.
• Experience in design of remote handling equipment (RHE) using robotics or remotely operated precision structures.
• Experience leading R&D campaigns for novel technology in remote maintenance fields.
• Familiar with CAD and FEM tools; NX preferred.
• Willingness to travel up to 15% and work nights/weekends/on-call when required.

Responsibilities

• Develop ARC Remote Maintenance System concepts and operations.
• Participate in pre-conceptual design of ARC fusion plant.
• Design radiation-hardened RHE with robotics and remotely operated equipment.
• Perform maintenance assessments to shape ARC for remote maintainability.
• Collaborate with tokamak engineering teams on remote maintainability of joints.
• Conduct high-level multi-disciplinary trade studies across physics, design, and manufacturing.
• Coordinate with external RHE/robotics partners for R&D and transfer of knowledge.
• Establish remote maintenance design guidelines for RHE, tokamak, and plant.

Skills

Self-driven

Analytical thinking

Cross-disciplinary

Safety-conscious

Data-driven decisions

Education

B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Eng

M.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Eng

Tools

NX CAD

ANSYS

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.

Join the power movement as a Senior Mechanical Engineer - Remote Maintenance

CFS is designing ARC as the world’s first commercial fusion power plant with the goal of bringing reliable and clean fusion energy to the grid. Due to device activation and commercial uptime needs, ARC will need periodic, fast, and reliable maintenance to be performed fully remotely. This will require novel solutions and integration in the fields of robotics, remote handling equipment (RHE), plant layout, manufacturing, and tokamak design. ARC’s Remote Maintenance System will thus be a critical aspect of realizing CFS’s mission to deliver the urgent transition to fusion energy.

The Remote Maintenance team is responsible for designing ARC’s Remote Maintenance System. As a Senior Remote Maintenance Engineer on the team, you will develop ARC’s maintenance scheme by designing RHE and collaborating with tokamak and plant engineering teams in the design of a maintainable power plant. You will play a key role in ARC’s pre-conceptual design phase along with other teams and navigate complex multi-disciplinary problems involving physics, neutronics, thermo-fluids, structures, maintenance, manufacturing, assembly, techno-economics, and other disciplines. This role also requires proactive R&D in novel remote maintenance technologies.

• Develop concept of operations for the ARC Remote Maintenance System
• Participate in the pre-conceptual design process of the ARC fusion power plant
• Design ARC’s radiation hardened remote handling equipment (RHE) by incorporating a mix of existing robotic technologies, custom hardware, and remotely operated heavy lift equipment
• Perform maintenance assessments of the tokamak and plant to shape the development of ARC as a remotely maintainable power plant
• Collaborate closely with tokamak engineering teams to assist in designing the ARC tokamak for remote maintainability and finding creative and novel solutions to tokamak joints
• Perform high level multi-disciplinary trade studies of solutions that involve complex trade offs between physics, neutronics, design, maintenance, materials, manufacturing, techno-economics, and other disciplines
• Collaborate with multiple teams and manage projects across different disciplines to help solve tough multi-disciplinary problems
• Identify key R&D needed for the ARC remote maintenance program, and help establish the plans to execute the R&D campaigns internally or with external partners
• Research existing established and cutting edge remote handling solutions to assess their application in the ARC remote maintenance system
• Work with external RHE/robotics organizations and general industry to manage contracted work, collaborate on cutting edge R&D, and transfer knowledge and expertise into CFS
• Establish CFS’s remote maintenance design guidelines for RHE, the Tokamak, and plant
• Structural, Mechanical, or Aerospace Engineering B.S
• At least 7 years of mechanical engineering experience in the design, fabrication, testing, operations, integration, and commissioning of complex mechanical structures (e.g. fusion, fission, aerospace, marine)
• At least 7 years of technical experience in the design of remote handling equipment (RHE) using robotics or remotely operated precision mechanical structures (e.g. remote welding/cutting, manipulation, alignment, rescue, inspections)
• Experience in leading R&D campaigns of novel technology to increase TRL and unlock new design solutions in remote maintenance fields such as remote welding/cutting, inspections, bolting, manipulation, alignment, sensing, mechatronics, rad hard, and cleanliness
• Experience with standard actuation, guidance mechanisms, sensing, and structural mechanisms
• Proficient in structural analysis via both hand calcs and finite element analysis (Ansys preferred)
• Familiar with CAD, (NX preferred)
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, technical staff, executives, and others
• Ability to clearly express and critique ideas
• Safety conscious
• Structural, Mechanical, or Aerospace Engineering M.S
• Experience in the conceptual design of complex systems involving high level, multi-disciplinary trade studies of both RHE and machine design(e.g. tokamak, fission core, sub-sea hardware, aerospace)
• Experience with the implementation of radiation hardened equipment and methods into RHE design
• Experience with mechatronics or applied robotics
• Experience with rescue or decommissioning RHE
• Experience with site layout design of remotely operated facilities
• Experience with activated waste handling (volume reduction, casking)
• Experience with remote cleanliness methods for UHV environments
• Experience with industrial maintenance facility layout
• Familiarity with basics of sensing, high power, controls, and fluid systems
• Familiarity with ultra high vacuum processes
• Experience with fault tree analysis or fault management and recovery for complex integrated systems
• Knowledge of fabrication methods such as welding and machining
• Knowledge of engineering materials basics for metals and composites
• Proficient in CAD (NX preferred)
• Self-driven and autonomous
• Aptitude to use data to drive decisions
• Familiarity and experience with end-to-end processes with an emphasis on creativity and simplicity
• The ability to thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments
• Perform activities such as typing and sitting for extended periods of time
• Dedication to safety to mitigate industrial hazards that may include heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, and cryogenics
• Willingness to travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally. Travel expected up to 15%

#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.