Director of Research and Development

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. Our vision is a world with clean, reliable, and affordable energy for everyone.

Since Helion's founding in 2013, we have raised over $1 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group and new investors SoftBank and Lightspeed to propel us forward. Our last prototype, Trenta, completed 10,000 high-power pulses and reached plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius (9 keV). Now, we're turning up operations for Polaris, working towards delivering the world's first fusion power plant.

More than ever, it's a pivotal time to join us and have the opportunity to solve real challenges to create a better energy future. You will see first-hand how we value urgency, rigor, ownership, and hard truths, knowing it will take each to do what no one has before. Joining us, you will push the boundaries of what's possible and transform humanity for the better - because the world can't wait.

What You Will Be Doing:

Helion is hiring a Director of Research and Development to lead the team innovation across our fusion generators, subscale plasma devices, vacuum testing, circuit development and other research projects required to meet our goal of delivering fusion energy to the grid by 2028. In this critical leadership role, you will define and drive the pace at which Helion builds, tests, and learns from each generation of fusion technology. Building the processes, culture and standards of excellence required to achieve these goals, your work will directly accelerate our ability to deliver affordable, clean electricity to the world.

This position sits at the intersection of science, engineering, and operations, and reports directly to our CEO.

You Will:

• Accelerate Fusion Development: Set the standard for rapid iteration and data-driven development of Helion's fusion generators and plasma systems
• Lead and Grow a World-Class Team: Manage a cross-disciplinary team of experimental scientists and engineers focused on fast paced experimentation
• Shape Operation Campaigns: Partner with Helion's Science and Engineering teams to execute high-impact experimental programs in plasma physics and generator operations. Overseeing the team responsible for implementing several multimillion-dollar research and engineering project simultaneously
• Maximize Uptime: Improve operational efficiency, reliability, and turnaround time of fusion generator tests through process optimization, tooling development, and coordination with engineering teams
• Promote Data Transparency: Ensure seamless data flow between Operations, Engineering, Production, and Research teams to enable informed design decisions for future generations of fusion machines
• Define Long-Term Strategy: Develop a strategic roadmap for future machine design, production, and testing capabilities. Define pathway to delivering and operating fusion power plants, including the operational infrastructure, training and safety
  
  

Required Skills:

• Master's degree in engineering or physics
• 10 years of experience in R&D and operational leadership within engineering environments
• 7 years managing large, technically challenging programs with full schedule and resource ownership
• 5 years of experience managing technical teams, including managing managers
• Expertise in experimental design and data collection for complex multi-physics systems
• Demonstrated ability to apply first-principles thinking and analytical rigor to solve engineering and scientific challenges
• Cross-functional leadership and collaboration skills with experience guiding diverse technical teams
  
  

Total Compensation And Benefits

Helion's compensation package includes a competitively benchmarked base salary, meaningful equity grants, and comprehensive benefits. Final compensation is determined through a holistic evaluation of your experience, qualifications, and our commitment to internal equity - ensuring fairness and transparency across our teams. We are committed to fostering a fair and equitable environment in every aspect of our operations, including compensation.

This is an exempt salaried role.

Annual Base Pay

$213,000 - $266,000 USD

Benefits

Our total compensation package includes benefits, including but not limited to:

• 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
  
  

NOTE: Underrepresented people are less likely to apply unless they meet 100% of the job's requirements. We believe in hiring people, not checklists, and encourage you to apply even if you do not check all of the boxes. If this job isn't the one, we have many other openings that may be a fit.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. If we reach out to you to begin an interview process, we will also ask if you require any reasonable accommodation at that time.