Helion is building the world's first fusion power plant to deliver clean, reliable, and abundant electricity to the grid. Backed by Lightspeed, Peak XV and SoftBank VF.
About the role
You will lead Helion’s Materials Interactions and Diagnostics team with a strong focus on developing and deploying critical capabilities that enable the design, testing, and monitoring of materials for extreme environments. You will oversee the delivery of key R&D tools and guide a team of subject matter experts to meet Helion’s materials innovation goals. This onsite position is based in our Everett, WA office and reports to the Director of Materials Science.
What they're looking for
- 10+ years of materials-related industry experience and 3+ years of management experience
- Master's or PhD in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering or related fields
- Proven experience leading R&D organizations delivering complex, high-impact technologies in demanding environments
- Deep expertise in materials characterization, degradation mechanisms, and lifetime prediction, including high temperature, and stress-driven phenomena
- Experience with multiphysics modeling (e.g., Matlab, COMSOL, Python), with the ability to integrate modeling into decision-making frameworks
- Expertise in NDT and in-situ diagnostics, with a track record of advancing monitoring capabilities for critical systems
More about this role
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 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.
You will lead Helion’s Materials Interactions and Diagnostics team with a strong focus on developing and deploying critical capabilities that enable the design,...
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