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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 $1.5 billion from leading investors including Sam Altman, SoftBank, and Thrive Capital. Helion's prototype, Polaris, has achieved record-breaking plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius, and the company is advancing toward Orion, its planned commercial fusion power plant.
As an R&D Test Engineer, you will be a core member of the Research and Development team responsible for operating and advancing Helion's pulsed-fusion device. You will play a critical role in the safe, reliable, and repeatable operation of high-energy fusion systems.
Key Responsibilities:
- Operate and support day-to-day execution of Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) fusion experiments, ensuring safe and repeatable machine performance
- Control and monitor pulsed power systems, including mega-joule capacitor banks and high-energy infrastructure, with focus on operational reliability and readiness
- Own system readiness for experiments, including pre-shot setup, system checks, troubleshooting, and analysis
- Identify, diagnose, and resolve issues in high-energy and large-scale vacuum systems to minimize downtime and improve operational efficiency
- Apply plasma physics concepts to support experiment execution and interpret diagnostics for magnetic fields, fusion products, and plasma characteristics
- Drive continuous improvement of machine operations, including refining procedures, improving system robustness, and reducing variability in experimental results
- Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, science, and production teams to improve system performance and operational throughput
Requirements:
- B.S. degree with 4+ years of relevant experience, or M.S. degree with 2+ years of relevant experience in Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field
- Extensive hands-on experience operating, maintaining, or improving high-vacuum chamber systems or high-voltage capacitor systems
- Experience owning system uptime, reliability, and performance, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis
- Proven experience executing complex experiments or operations with a focus on repeatability, safety, and continuous improvement
- Demonstrated ability to rapidly learn new technologies and take ownership of operational systems
- Strong problem-solving skills and ability to respond effectively to real-time issues with minimal supervision
- Proven ability to collaborate effectively within a team and contribute to a high-performance operational environment
- Experience mentoring or training others in system operation is a plus
