R&D Manager – Controls Systems

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 as well as 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). 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 manage the control systems team in the R&D department. This team is responsible for delivering and maintaining control and data acquisition systems. These systems are used to control HV electrical test bays, control plasma technology development machines, control Production Manufacturing end‑of‑line testing, and control FRC plasma machines of varying sizes. This team will be one of the primary contributors to the control system of our first power plant, Orion, and managing the development collaboration with the Engineering department will be a primary focus.

You will report to the R&D Manager and this is an onsite role located at our Everett office.

• Effectively lead controls engineers in the timely and successful delivery of a variety of control and data acquisition systems used across the organization
• Develop and maintain effective, and productive cross‑team collaborations, specifically those related to the build‑out of the Orion machine
• Proactively identify and mitigate future technical, and personnel blockers
• Foster individual contributor career growth through effective leadership
• Recruit and grow the team as needed to succeed in its mission
• Effectively advocate for the team to other managers and up the leadership chain
• Work with the team to develop, define, implement, and maintain code development and documentation practices that support future growth

• Minimum 2+ years managing controls engineers in a scaling environment
• Experience developing control systems for large‑scale, complex systems
• Demonstrated technical proficiency with LabVIEW and NI hardware in control system applications, including PXI, cRIO, RT, and FPGA
• Experience incorporating PLCs into LabVIEW and NI based control systems
• Experience incorporating text‑based code (e.g. C, Matlab) into LabVIEW and NI based control systems

Helion’s compensation package includes a competitively benchmarked base salary, meaningful equity grants, and comprehensive benefits. Final compensation is determined through a holistic evaluation of your experience, qualifications, and our commitment to internal equity – ensuring fairness and transparency across our teams. We are committed to fostering a fair and equitable environment in every aspect of our operations, including compensation. This is an exempt salaried role.

Annual Base Pay $180,000—$200,000 USD.

• 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.

Helion