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Commonwealth Fusion Systems is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer with a mechanical background to support the design, integration, and operation of subsystems for the SPARC and ARC tokamak fusion power plants. This is a cross-disciplinary role requiring collaboration across mechanical, electrical, instrumentation & control, and industrial domains.
Key Responsibilities:
- Elicit, decompose, and establish traceability of system requirements in a requirements database
- Support requirements-driven architecture trade studies and coordinate interface definition and control between systems
- Conduct trade studies to drive technical decision-making and present proposals to management
- Perform risk assessments using failure modes analysis software and methods; develop and implement risk mitigation plans
- Manage changes affecting the system technical baseline for impact to scope, schedule, cost, performance, and interfacing systems
- Support design review content development and review other design reviews for technical maturity, consistency, and accuracy
- Develop test plans and document evidence against requirements verification and validation
- Develop requirement/risk-informed testing and commissioning plans
The ideal candidate is comfortable learning new technical topics and proactively applying that knowledge to ensure successful tokamak system development. Experience with superconducting and non-superconducting magnet systems, complex mechanical systems with thermal/structural/electrical requirements, or similar electromechanical systems is particularly valuable.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Physics, or related field
- 7+ years of experience in Systems Engineering or related engineering roles
- Experience developing large, integrated, and complex systems, preferably in fusion, energy, aerospace, defense, or transportation
- General knowledge of mechanical, electrical, I&C, and industrial concepts with ability to learn and apply new technical concepts
- Strong foundational knowledge of mechanical systems
- General knowledge of electrical engineering concepts
- Strong interpersonal and technical communication skills; ability to proactively engage with diverse stakeholders
- Experience in creative, proactive problem-solving environments with multiple stakeholders
- Ability to perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods
- Dedication to safety (hazards include heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead, high voltage, cryogenics)
- Willingness to travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally for off-site testing
Bonus Experience:
- Superconducting magnet-based systems development
- Hands-on integration and testing with V&V lifecycle methods
- Tokamak and fusion plant engineering concepts
- High/ultra-high vacuum, materials science, electrical insulation design for high voltage, thermo-structural analysis
- Multi-objective design optimization for complex system architecture
- Model-Based Systems Engineering (SysML tools)
- Technology roadmapping for first-of-a-kind systems
