About the job
About Helion
Helion is a pioneering fusion power company located in Everett, WA, dedicated to realizing the world's first fusion power plant. Our mission is to pave the way for a future filled with limitless clean electricity, ensuring energy that is reliable, affordable, and accessible to everyone.
Founded in 2013, Helion has successfully attracted over $1 billion in investments from notable backers including Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group, along with recent contributions from SoftBank and Lightspeed. Our latest prototype, Trenta, has achieved impressive milestones, completing 10,000 high-power pulses and reaching plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius (9 keV). Currently, we are advancing our efforts with Polaris, our next prototype, driving us closer to the world's first fusion power facility.
Joining Helion at this crucial juncture means engaging with a team that values urgency, rigor, ownership, and the courage to confront hard truths—qualities essential for groundbreaking achievements in energy. Together, we can transform the energy landscape where the world cannot afford to wait.
Your Role:
As the Senior Total Rewards Manager, you will be responsible for shaping and advancing Helion’s total rewards function. This includes the development of scalable and competitive cash, equity, and benefits programs tailored to support our rapidly evolving, technically sophisticated organization. You will lead both the strategic and operational aspects of total rewards, managing daily operations while influencing long-term compensation philosophies and design.
You will spearhead compensation and equity planning cycles, enhance our equity strategy, and ensure employees are well-informed about our total rewards framework through effective education and communication. This position is based onsite and will report directly to the Director of People and Talent Operations in Everett, WA.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead the total rewards strategy for Helion, focusing on compensation, equity programs, and benefits, in close collaboration with HR, Finance, and Legal teams.
Oversee and manage company-wide compensation initiatives, including annual salary reviews, promotions, performance-based adjustments, and offer audits.
Develop and refine Helion’s equity compensation strategy, encompassing equity plan design, management of burn rates, grant guidelines, and administration.
Ensure adherence to relevant employment, pay equity, and benefits regulations for both exempt and non-exempt employees.
Create and implement comprehensive education programs regarding compensation and equity to enhance employee understanding and engagement.

