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Helion is a fusion power company on a mission to build the world's first commercial fusion power plant. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Everett, WA, the company has raised $1.5B from top-tier investors including Sam Altman, SoftBank, and Thrive Capital. Their prototype Polaris has achieved record-breaking plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius, and they are advancing toward their commercial plant, Orion.
You will join as Category Manager for Technical Equipment, reporting to the Director of Supply Chain. This is a strategic sourcing leadership role focused on building and scaling a world-class supply chain for capital equipment critical to fusion energy systems. You will own the full lifecycle of capital equipment sourcing—from custom vacuum systems and power electronics to precision-machined assemblies and specialized manufacturing equipment.
Key responsibilities include:
- Owning the capital equipment category and driving sourcing initiatives in collaboration with engineering, science, and production teams
- Identifying and qualifying new capital equipment vendors while maintaining strong relationships with existing suppliers
- Leading bidding efforts, negotiating complex contracts, and managing vendor agreements including manufacturing service agreements and NDAs
- Developing and executing category strategies aligned with fusion program milestones, balancing cost, lead time, and technical risk
- Managing $100M+ in annual spend across supplier selection, negotiation, contracting, delivery, and qualification
- Leading cross-functional initiatives with engineering, manufacturing, finance, and program teams to translate technical requirements into procurement plans
You bring 10+ years of strategic sourcing, category management, or supply chain experience, with at least 5 years sourcing complex capital equipment or highly engineered systems. You have demonstrated success managing large supplier bases in engineering-driven, R&D-to-production environments, with strong commercial negotiation skills and the ability to manage cost, capacity, lead-time, quality, and supply risks. A bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, engineering, or related field (or equivalent professional experience) is required.
