Manager, Plant Control Engineering

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. Since Helion's founding in 2013, we have raised $1.5 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group as well as new investors including Thrive Capital, LightSpeed Venture Capital, SoftBank, and others to propel us forward. Our current prototype, Polaris, has reached record-breaking plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius (13 keV). Helion is continuing to iterate and on the path to the world's first fusion power plant, Orion. 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

You’ll grow and lead a team that bridges physics, electrical design, software engineering, and operations — creating a unified platform that allows fusion machines to operate efficiently, adapt to grid conditions, and evolve toward commercial reliability. You will report to the Senior Manager of Electrical Engineering and this is an onsite role located at our Everett, WA office.

Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related discipline
• 7+ years of engineering experience, including 2+ years in a technical leadership or management role
• Proven experience leading or managing multidisciplinary engineering teams (software, firmware, and electrical)
• Deep technical understanding of real-time or embedded control systems, including firmware and hardware interface design
• Proficiency with software development and deployment in languages such as Python, C/C++, or Rust
• Experience with control system frameworks (e.g., EPICS, ROS, or custom industrial control architectures)
• Familiarity with analog and digital circuit fundamentals, embedded processor design, and hardware bring-up
• Strong background in data acquisition and signal processing — from high-speed transient capture to long-term trend analysis
• Understanding of networked control and telemetry systems, including message buses, data serialization, and fault-tolerant design
• Demonstrated ability to deliver integrated hardware-software systems in complex, high-reliability environments
• Excellent cross-disciplinary communication skills and ability to work across research, hardware, and operations teams

Benefits

• 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

Compensation Range

$200K - $240K