About the job
About Helion
Helion is a pioneering fusion power company located in Everett, WA, dedicated to the ambitious goal of constructing the world’s first fusion power plant, which will usher in an era of limitless clean energy. Our vision is to provide clean, dependable, and affordable energy for all.
Founded in 2013, Helion has secured over $1 billion in funding from esteemed investors including Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group, alongside new partnerships with SoftBank and Lightspeed, enabling our forward momentum. Our latest prototype, Trenta, successfully executed 10,000 high-power pulses, achieving plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius (9 keV). Currently, we are advancing our next prototype, Polaris, as we work toward realizing the world's inaugural fusion power plant.
Joining Helion at this crucial juncture means engaging in real-world challenges alongside a team that values urgency, rigor, accountability, and a commitment to truth—values essential for achieving unprecedented goals. Together, we will revolutionize the energy landscape, as the world cannot afford to wait.
Your Role:
As the R&D Manager for Control Systems, you will oversee the team responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining our control and data acquisition systems. These systems play a critical role in managing high-voltage electrical test bays, plasma technology development machines, production manufacturing end-of-line testing, and various sizes of FRC plasma machines.
Your leadership will be instrumental in shaping the control systems for our pioneering power plant, Orion, with a focus on fostering collaboration with the Engineering department. You will report directly to the R&D Manager at our Everett, WA office.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead a team of controls engineers to ensure timely and successful delivery of diverse control and data acquisition systems across the organization.
Cultivate and maintain effective cross-team collaborations, particularly concerning the buildout of the Orion machine.
Anticipate and address potential technical and personnel challenges proactively.
Support individual career development through effective leadership.
Recruit and expand the team as necessary to fulfill its objectives.
Advocate for the team’s needs to other managers and higher leadership.
Collaborate with the team to establish, implement, and sustain coding standards and documentation practices.

