Senior Electrical Engineer – Dielectric Materials Development and Analysis

About the role

Helion is 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 its founding in 2013, Helion has raised $1.5 billion from investors including Sam Altman, Mithril, Capricorn Investment Group, Thrive Capital, LightSpeed Venture Capital, SoftBank, and others. Its current prototype, Polaris, has reached record-breaking plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius (13 keV). The company is advancing toward the world's first fusion power plant, Orion.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development, validation, and deployment of advanced ceramic and high-performance dielectric materials for extreme electrical, thermal, mechanical, and radiation environments.
• Provide critical support to work spanning material and component design, prototyping, electrical characterization, qualification, and manufacturing scale‑up.
• Lead high‑impact, multidisciplinary projects to develop and evaluate the electrical performance of advanced ceramic and dielectric materials for high‑voltage operation under fusion‑relevant conditions.
• Define electrical requirements, test methods, and acceptance criteria for insulating and resistive materials used in high‑field magnet systems.
• Design and execute experiments to characterize properties such as dielectric strength, electrical resistivity, permittivity, dielectric loss, and performance under combined electrical, thermal, mechanical, and radiation loading.
• Translate material‑level test results into actionable engineering requirements and design recommendations for Helion’s next‑generation fusion systems.
• Serve as Helion’s subject‑matter expert for dielectric materials and electrical insulation operating in a high‑voltage environment, providing technical guidance across engineering and R&D teams.
• Own projects from initial concept and material selection through prototyping, design reviews, and qualification for production.
• Work effectively amid evolving requirements and technical uncertainty, balancing risk, rigor, and schedule to maintain program delivery.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Extensive understanding of electrically insulating and dielectric materials, typically demonstrated by 5+ years of hands‑on work.
• Hands‑on experience with electrical testing and materials characterization, including the design, execution, and interpretation of experiments.
• Demonstrated success developing or qualifying ceramic or dielectric materials for a commercial product or large, integrated engineering system (e.g., engine, turbine, generator, magnet, or high‑voltage assembly).
• Experience planning and leading R&D programs governed by defined milestones, technical reviews, and delivery schedules.
• Experience communicating material behavior and test results to multidisciplinary engineering teams and translating findings into design decisions.

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

Pay

Compensation range: $164K – $236K