Principal Process Engineer, Fuel Cycle

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 $1.5 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricron 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’ll Be Doing

You will be at the forefront of designing the world’s first continuous fusion fuel cycle – an opportunity to redefine the future of clean energy for the modern world. This role operates at the intersection of process design, system integration, and program strategy, owning the performance, scalability, and operability of the fuel cycle across its full lifecycle. You'll work collaboratively with Engineering, Science, R&D, Operations, and Leadership, serving as a technical authority focused on setting design direction, resolving first-of-a-kind engineering challenges, and delivering critical systems for an integrated, closed-loop fuel cycle. You will report to the Fuel Cycle Manager and work onsite at our Everett, WA office.

Required Skills

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred
• 12+ years of experience in chemical process design, translating process concepts into first-of-a-kind hardware
• Deep technical expertise in transport phenomena (mass, heat, and momentum), thermodynamics, and reaction engineering applied to complex process systems
• Decomposition of complex problems into fundamental physical principles, process objectives, and operational constraints to develop solutions grounded in first-principles reasoning
• Demonstrated ownership of large-scale integrated systems, defining requirements and driving clarity in ambiguous problem spaces
• Demonstrated accountability leading multi-disciplinary efforts and making system-level decisions with significant program impact
• Accountable as the technical authority for a technology domain, with expertise in relevant-to-fusion fuel cycle engineering, such as isotope separation, impurity separation, tritium handling, cryogenic systems, or vacuum systems

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

$214K - $255K