Director of Engineering, R&D
Listed on 2025-12-03
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Engineering
Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineer
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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.
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 over $1 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group and new investors Soft Bank and Lightspeed to propel us forward. Our last prototype, Trenta, completed 10,000 high-power pulses and reached plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius (9 keV). Now, we're turning up operations for Polaris, working towards delivering the world's first fusion power plant.
More than ever, it's a pivotal time to join us and have the opportunity to solve real challenges to create a better energy future. You will see first-hand how we value urgency, rigor, ownership, and hard truths, knowing it will take each to do what no one has before. Joining us, you will push the boundaries of what's possible and transform humanity for the better - because the world can't wait.
What You Will Be Doing:
Helion is hiring a Director of Research and Development to lead the team innovation across our fusion generators, subscale plasma devices, vacuum testing, circuit development and other research projects required to meet our goal of delivering fusion energy to the grid by 2028. In this critical leadership role, you will define and drive the pace at which Helion builds, tests, and learns from each generation of fusion technology.
Building the processes, culture and standards of excellence required to achieve these goals, your work will directly accelerate our ability to deliver affordable, clean electricity to the world.
This position sits at the intersection of science, engineering, and operations, and reports directly to our CEO.
You Will:
- Accelerate Fusion Development:
Set the standard for rapid iteration and data-driven development of Helion's fusion generators and plasma systems - Lead and Grow a World-Class Team:
Manage a cross-disciplinary team of experimental scientists and engineers focused on fast paced experimentation - Shape Operation Campaigns:
Partner with Helion's Science and Engineering teams to execute high-impact experimental programs in plasma physics and generator operations. Overseeing the team responsible for implementing several multimillion-dollar research and engineering project simultaneously - Maximize Uptime:
Improve operational efficiency, reliability, and turnaround time of fusion generator tests through process optimization, tooling development, and coordination with engineering teams - Promote Data Transparency:
Ensure seamless data flow between Operations, Engineering, Production, and Research teams to enable informed design decisions for future generations of fusion machines - Define Long-Term Strategy:
Develop a strategic roadmap for future machine design, production, and testing capabilities. Define pathway to delivering and operating fusion power plants, including the operational infrastructure, training and safety
- Master's degree in engineering or physics
- 10+ years of experience in R&D and operational leadership within engineering environments
- 7+ years managing large, technically challenging programs with full schedule and resource ownership
- 5+ years of experience managing technical teams, including managing managers
- Expertise in experimental design and data collection for complex multi-physics systems
- Demonstrated ability to apply first-principles thinking and analytical rigor to solve engineering and scientific challenges
- Cross-functional leadership and collaboration skills with…
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