Build Engineer at Helion (Everett, WA)
Helion· Everett, WA· $138k–$182k·
Role details
Medical, Dental, And Vision Plans · 31 Days Of PTO · 10 Paid Holidays · Up To 5% Employer 401(K) Match · Short Term Disability · Long Term Disability · Life Insurance · Paid Parental Leave
Helion at a glance
Helion is building the world's first fusion power plant to deliver clean, reliable baseload electricity straight from fusion, no steam turbine required.
Helion designs and builds pulsed, field-reversed-configuration fusion machines that fire and compress plasmas to fusion temperatures and then recover the energy directly as electricity, skipping the steam-turbine step used by most other fusion and nuclear designs. Its long-term fuel is deuterium plus helium-3, aimed at smaller, cheaper, factory-buildable plants that supply always-on carbon-free power to the grid.
$1.5B raised · latest: Series G · $465M · 2026 · backed by Thrive Capital, Sam Altman, Dustin Moskovitz (Good Ventures), Reid Hoffman
Summary
The Build Engineer drives the execution of first-of-a-kind fusion generator assemblies, owning manufacturing, assembly, and deployment of subsystems. This role involves collaborating with design and production teams to ensure manufacturability, authoring work instructions, and designing tooling for efficient assembl...
Job description
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 $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. What You Will Be Doing: Helion is hiring a Build Engineer to drive the execution of first-of-a-kind fusion generator assemblies. You will get to own the manufacturing, assembly, and deployment of subsystems for integrated development testbeds and fusion generators. You will work closely with design engineering and production to ensure manufacturability is represented at every stage of the design process. This is an onsite role located at our Everett, WA office. You will:
- Own the build and assembly definition and execution for generator subsystems - may include large structures, moving mechanical assemblies, power transmission, vacuum systems, electromagnets, high-voltage capacitor systems, low-voltage harnessing, or radiation shielding
- Author work instructions for technician teams to support both nominal builds and nonconformance resolution
- Design and manufacture tooling to enable efficient assembly and installation of generator subsystems
- Collaborate with production, integration, and engineering teams to develop prototypes and manufacturing demonstrators
- Drive excellence in configuration management, delivered hardware quality, and pace of execution
- Be an expert in the lifecycle of a part, from purchase to final assembly, to continually improve low-volume (<1000 piece parts) build processes
Required Skills:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field
- 2+ years of professional experience in manufacturing, assembly, or integration of multidisciplinary hardware
- Hands-on experience across multiple engineering disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, and fluids
- Experience working within CAD software to make models and drawings (e.g. NX, Solidworks)
- Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of a build
- Effective technical communication across functional and organizational levels
#LI-Onsite
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.
Why work at Helion
- Culture: “Urgency, rigor, ownership, and hard truths” – a mission‑driven environment focused on solving the hardest problems in fusion engineering.
- Work: Hands‑on with real hardware (capacitors, magnets, plasma diagnostics) across mechanical, electrical, and physics disciplines.
- Location: Based in the Pacific Northwest (Everett & Chelan County) with immediate access to skiing, hiking, and water sports.
- Benefits: Premier medical/vision/dental (fully employer‑paid options), HSA contributions, wellness stipend, 5% 401(k) match, stock options, up to 12 weeks paid parental leave + 4 weeks for birthing parents, 21 vacation days, 10 sick days, 11 holidays + winter break.
- Hybrid/Remote: Not explicitly stated; roles appear to be on‑site in Washington (given the hardware‑focused nature).
- Open Roles: Engineers (mechanical, electrical, simulation, controls), magnet analysts, experimental scientists, technicians, machinists – over 100 positions listed.