Technical Program Manager - HERCULES

U.S. Fusion Energy; Energy (IL); On-site; USD 175,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision plans

31 Days of PTO

5% 401(k) match

Parental leave

Job summary

Helion in Everett, WA is seeking a Technical Project Manager for the Nuclear Science team to lead the HERCULES program, overseeing over $20M in research funding over three years with universities, labs, and enterprise researchers.

You will review proposals, coordinate with internal PIs and business teams, ensure delivery from proposal to funded project, and guide technical work across nuclear, materials, and pulsed power disciplines.

Qualifications

• PhD in science or engineering or equivalent research experience.
• Breadth across nuclear science, materials science, chemical engineering, plasma physics, and pulsed power.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to scientists and executives.
• Experience managing multi-year budgets >$1M and multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead the HERCULES program, totaling over $20M over three years.
• Work on research spanning nuclear science, materials, fuel, and pulsed power, with internal PIs.
• Evaluate proposals, navigate contracts, disperse funds, and guide technical work to deliverables.
• Communicate program progress to leaders and external partners; align with Helion's mission.
• Identify and solve blockers in supply chain, legal, and technical areas to accelerate delivery.
• Manage internal Nuclear Science projects alongside external ones.

Skills

PhD required

Technical breadth

Communication

Project management

Delivery track record

Education

PhD in science or engineering

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.

Location

Everett, WA

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

On-site

Department

Material Science

Compensation

• $175K – $220K

Overview

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

You will be the Technical Project Manager for projects on the Nuclear Science team, including HERCULES – the Helion External Research Collaboration for Universities, Labs, and Enterprise Scientists. Through HERCULES, Helion will fund impactful research at universities, national labs, and research companies, totaling over $20M over three years in a phased approach. As administrator for this program, you will review proposals, work with Helion's business teams and the awardee to go from proposal to funded project, then guide the technical work in partnership with internal PIs through the lifecycle of the project. Your superpower will be technical breadth, ensuring scientific alignment with Helion's objectives. This is an onsite role that reports directly to Director of Nuclear Science at our Everett, WA office.

You Will

• Lead the HERCULES program, totaling over $20M over three years
• Work on the cutting edge of research, contributing to the breadth of Helion's science and R&D spanning nuclear, materials, fuel, and pulsed power science. You will partner with internal PIs across all of Helion's technical teams
• Evaluate proposal submissions, quickly navigate contracts, disperse funds to research partners, guide technical work, and ensure on-track deliverables
• Communicate externally to potential partners to advertise the program, and internally to leaders and executives on progress and impact. You will be the bridge between Helion leadership, PIs, and business units, and those of our partners
• Teach our partners how to move fast and accelerate. You will find their largest blockers – supply chain, legal, and technical and solve them
• Jump in and ensure the delivery of internal Nuclear Science projects in parallel to external projects

Required Skills

• Research Experience: you have a PhD in science or engineering, or equivalent experience delivering impactful research through the scientific lifecycle in an academic or national lab setting
• Technical breadth: as the leader of this program, you have the technical skillset to understand projects spanning nuclear science, materials science, chemical engineering, experimental and computational plasma physics, and electrical engineering (pulsed power). This will be demonstrated by the delivery of multidisciplinary projects and/or publications spanning multiple discipline
• Communication: you can talk to scientists and business executives. You can condense information into short memos, understand key information from technical reports, and communicate business value to leaders and executives. For any project, you can always explain the “why” and how it connects to the organization's mission. This will be demonstrated via presentations at program review meetings and/or program review reports
• Project Management: you have experience managing multi-year budgets totaling over $1M, regularly reporting progress to stakeholders, driving schedule, and accelerating projects. You have managed multiple projects, keeping an eye on both the big picture and the details
• Proven delivery: you have brought a product from technological readiness level (TRL) 3 to TRL 6 on an accelerated timeline

Benefits

• 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: $175K - $220K