Director of Fusion Plant Operations

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 SoftBank 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.

What You Will Be Doing:

This role carries a dual mandate: accelerating the development of Helion's fusion technology and building the Deployment organization that will operate the world's first commercial fusion power plants.

Today, that means leading innovation across our fusion test platforms, subscale integrated 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 teams, processes, training, culture and standards of excellence required to deploy, commission, test, and operate commercial scale, integrated fusion power plants, 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 the CEO. 

You Will:

• Develop the Deployment team: build the team, training, and processes that will form the backbone for the operators of the world's first fusion power plants

• Define long-term strategy: develop a strategic roadmap for future machine commissioning and testing capabilities. Define a pathway to delivering operating fusion power plants, including the operational infrastructure, training, and safety

• Accelerate fusion development: set the standard for rapid iteration and data-driven development of Helion's fusion generations 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

• Drive cross-functional alignment and knowledge sharing across Operations, Engineering, Production, and Research to enable data-informed design decisions for future generations of fusion machines

Required Skills:

• 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

• Experience commissioning large-scale, complex machines 

• Demonstrated ability to apply first principles thinking and analytical rigor to solve engineering and scientific challenges

• Cross-functional leadership and collaboration skills with experience guiding diverse technical teams

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Benefits

Our total compensation package includes benefits, including but 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 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.