Director - Control, Instrumentation, and Diagnostics; CID) Systems

Thea Energy is leveraging recent breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster and simpler approach to commercializing fusion energy. The company is reinventing the stellarator using computer-controlled arrays of planar coils thereby replacing the intricate, complex modular magnets required in all other stellarator architectures. Thea Energy is on a mission to create a limitless source of zero emission energy for a sustainable future.

• Lead and mentor a multi-disciplinary organization spanning control systems, instrumentation, diagnostics acquisition, embedded software, and real time integration, including hiring, performance management, career development, and team structure
• Establish engineering operating rhythm: planning, prioritization, technical reviews, staffing plans, and decision-making processes
• Set technical direction and ensure consistent engineering quality across requirements, architecture, implementation, verification, and documentation
• Own the Eos CID architecture, including functional, physical, communications, timing, and data flow boundaries across fast DAQ, supervisory control, PLC automation, safety interlocks, and diagnostics acquisition
• Lead technology selection for real time control, SCADA, networking, timing, and data management, and ensure consistency across integration protocols and data interfaces
• Own the technical interface to external vendors and collaborators providing controls hardware, diagnostics hardware, and instrumentation deliverables, including technical specifications, design reviews, and acceptance participation.
• Oversee development and integration of the Eos control system across major subsystems, ensuring deterministic behavior, fault handling, and operational sequencing
• Own Safety and Interlock System philosophy, including safety class logic where required, participation in hazard analyses, and alignment to functional safety practices and standards.
• Own instrumentation architecture across the facility: sensor selection, signal types, isolation strategy, signal conditioning, grounding, shielding, and segregation practices for noisy, high power environments.
• Oversee diagnostic acquisition architecture end to end, from front end sensors and conditioning through digitizers, FPGA processing, data streaming, and archiving in support of plasma operations and feedback control.
• Partner with systems engineering to translate device requirements into CID requirements, interface definitions, and verification plans.
• Run evidence based technical gates and design reviews, with clear entry and exit criteria and configuration control.
• Own delivery artifacts such as requirements, interface control documents, design packages, test plans, and acceptance evidence to support procurement, installation, and commissioning
• Maintain a strong safety culture including machine protection thinking, hazard analysis inputs, and design choices that support safe installation and operations
• Provide hands on leadership in lab and field environments, coordinating with technicians and test teams for build, wiring, installation support, and debug

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Controls, Computer Science, Physics, or equivalent
• 10 or more years of relevant experience spanning two or more of the following: integrated control systems, industrial automation, fast data acquisition, instrumentation systems engineering, diagnostics acquisition, real time embedded software
• 5 or more years of engineering management experience leading multi team organizations, including hiring and performance leadership.
• Demonstrated experience owning complex system development from architecture through…