Fuel Cycle Operations Engineer

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 as well as 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). We are now operating Polaris, our next prototype on the path to the world's first fusion power plant.

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.

What You Will Be Doing

We are hiring a Fuel Cycle Operations Engineer to 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.

You Will

• 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
  
  

Required Skills

• Bachelor’s in Chemical/Nuclear/Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent on the job experience
• 5 years of experience in an Engineering or Operations roles
• 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 operating plant environment
  
  

Preferred Skills

• Experience with hydrogen or tritium systems, helium isotope separation, vacuum and cryogenic processes, gas analytics, elemental separation, and/or related process technologies
  
  

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
  
  

Helion is an equal opportunity employer and value 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.

Compensation Range: $114K - $157K