Senior Nuclear Materials Engineer

Overview

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 over $1 billion from investors to propel us forward. Our last prototype, Trenta, completed 10,000 high-power pulses and reached plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius. We are now operating Polaris, our next prototype on the path to the world's first fusion power plant.

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.

• You will play a key role in developing designs and materials suited for high-radiation environments, providing analysis and guidance to engineers on the behavior and performance of a wide range of materials under radiation exposure. This onsite role, based at our Everett, WA office, reports to the Director of Materials Science and collaborates with cross-functional teams to advance Helion’s mission.
• Advise engineering design decisions based on radiation effects (neutrons) on materials used within the radiation shield vault (e.g., metals in magnet coils, dielectrics for structure, ceramics).
• Partner with neutronics engineers to predict damage, analyze, model, and predict macroscopic effects on material properties including thermal conductivity, electrical resistivity, and mechanical strength. Assess system-level radiation risk.
• Lead testing campaigns to quantify the impact of radiation on material properties.
• Perform literature reviews on radiation effects on materials of interest and distill the information into summaries for non-nuclear engineers.
• Operate in an environment with obstacles and changing requirements, balancing risks without compromising delivery.
• Partner with internal Helion teams, external vendors, national laboratories, and universities to gather required capabilities.
• Develop your network and represent Helion at technical meetings and conferences.

• A professional understanding of radiation effects on materials, typically demonstrated by a degree in nuclear engineering, materials science, physics, or related discipline and 8+ years of hands-on work.
• 8+ years of experience handling radioactive material.
• 4+ years of experience with non-aqueous corrosion and environmentally assisted degradation mechanisms (e.g., stress corrosion cracking, creep, accelerated fatigue).
• 4+ years of experience on neutron interactions leading to material transmutation or helium bubble generation.
• 4+ years of experience performing data analysis with a common coding language (Python, MATLAB, C++), data presentation, technical communication, and writing, including rigorous consideration of uncertainty and statistics.

#LI-TM1 #LI-Onsite

Annual base pay: $160,000 - $200,000 USD. Helion's compensation package includes a base salary, meaningful equity grants, and comprehensive benefits. Final compensation is determined through a holistic evaluation of experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

Benefits include, but are 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 and long-term disability, and life insurance
• Paid parental leave and support (up to 16 weeks)
• Annual wellness stipend

This is an exempt salaried role.

Equal Employment Opportunity:
Helion is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability. If you need accommodation during the interview process, please let us know.