Senior Engineering Technician, Operations Support

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 work alongside engineers and scientists to transform ideas into prototypes, prototypes into experiments, and experiments into the next generation of Helion fusion machines. This isn't a routine technician role. It's a hands-on engineering role for people who enjoy solving complex technical challenges, building first-of-a-kind hardware, and working in a fast-paced R&D environment where every day presents new opportunities to build, test, troubleshoot, maintain, and improve cutting-edge fusion systems. One day, you might be troubleshooting high-voltage pulsed power hardware or repairing machine subsystems. Next, you could be fabricating a prototype, integrating new diagnostics, supporting machine upgrades, or reconfiguring a test bay to enable the next phase of development for Helion fusion machines.

Required Skills

• 5+ years of hands-on experience building, integrating, testing, operating, or maintaining complex electromechanical, industrial, or experimental hardware systems
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex electrical, mechanical, and instrumentation systems where root causes are not immediately apparent
• Experience developing, integrating, or supporting first-of-a-kind hardware in an R&D, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, semiconductor, robotics, or similar technical environment
• Strong hands-on fabrication and prototyping skills, including mechanical assembly, machining, fixture design, and rapid hardware iteration
• Proficiency with electrical assembly, wiring harnesses, cable fabrication, soldering, PCB assembly, and signal routing
• Experience using electrical test equipment such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and data acquisition equipment
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, engineering drawings, wiring diagrams, and technical documentation
• Ability to work safely around high-energy electrical or industrial systems while following established safety procedures
• Strong communication, organization, and documentation skills with the ability to clearly communicate technical issues and maintain accurate build and test records

Preferred Skills

• Experience supporting vacuum systems, including rough vacuum, high vacuum, or ultra-high vacuum (UHV) equipment, vacuum hardware, leak detection, and vacuum instrumentation
• Experience with pulsed power systems, power electronics, or high-energy experimental equipment
• Experience supporting experimental test infrastructure, laboratory environments, or prototype development programs
• Experience working in semiconductor, aerospace, plasma physics, or other advanced technology development environments

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