Job Description, Responsibilities & Requirements
About the Position
Fuel Cycle Operations Engineer
We are seeking a dedicated Fuel Cycle Operations Engineer to join Helion, a fusion power company based in Everett, WA. In this role, you will commission, operate, test, and evaluate process equipment for Helion’s fusion fuel cycles. You will support Polaris operations and lead testing and evaluation of fuel cycle technologies and processes, including fuel balancing, isotope separation, water detritiation, and helium separation. Following alignment on the fuel cycle technology approach, you will also own commissioning of fuel cycle design units for Orion. You will report directly to the Fuel Cycle Operations Lead at our Everett, WA office.
Responsibilities
- Perform operations supporting Polaris including fueling, exhaust processing, and purification
- Become a Tritium Authorized User to safely lead testing, commissioning, and startup operations involving radioactive materials
- Collaborate with our design teams to validate scalable fuel cycle processes through hands-on R&D activities, including system buildout, experimental testing, and data analysis
- Provide remote and eventual onsite commissioning support for fuel cycle processes in the world’s first fusion power plant, located in Malaga, WA
- Develop maintenance strategies and processes to enable fuel cycle system reliability through the operational lifecycle
Requirements
- Bachelor’s in Chemical/Nuclear/Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent on-the-job experience
- 5+ years of experience in an Engineering or Operations role
- Strong understanding of operation theory including heat and mass balances, fluid flow, instrumentation, controls, safety, and P&IDs/PFDs
- Demonstrated experience designing and leading test campaigns to gather key data, ultimately elucidating fundamental system behavior
- Demonstrated experience commissioning, operating, and troubleshooting issues in an operating plant environment
Nice to Have
- Experience with hydrogen or tritium systems
- Experience with helium isotope separation
- Experience with vacuum and cryogenic processes
- Experience with gas analytics
- Experience with elemental separation
- Experience with related process technologies
We Offer
- Competitive salary range: $114K – $157K
- Comprehensive benefits package including:
- 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
About the Company
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. Our vision is a world with clean, reliable, and affordable energy for everyone.
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 is 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.
Helion is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the interview process, please let us know.