--- title: 'Manufacturing Engineer III at Thea Energy' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-engineer-iii-thea-energy-kearny-0me7sfh4k2y0' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-14' --- # Manufacturing Engineer III at Thea Energy - **Company:** Thea Energy - **Location:** Kearny, NJ - **Compensation:** $115k–$140k - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-29 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/thea.energy/a7dc58b2-64d8-4a38-a1d0-9322c5271ce9 ## Job description About Thea Energy: Thea Energy is leveraging recent breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster and simpler approach to commercializing fusion energy. The company is reinventing the stellarator using computer-controlled arrays of planar coils thereby replacing the intricate, complex modular magnets required in all other stellarator architectures. Thea Energy is on a mission to create a limitless source of zero emission energy for a sustainable future. Position Overview: Thea Energy is seeking a seasoned Manufacturing Engineer III to join our rapidly growing team. In this role, you will lead the development, validation, and scale-up of advanced manufacturing processes, complex tooling, and specialized equipment required to build and test high-temperature superconducting ("HTS") magnets. As a senior technical contributor, you will play a key role in establishing the frameworks for manufacturing development as we develop and prototype our stellarator systems. Key Responsibility Areas: - Lead the development and standardization of manufacturing documentation for HTS magnets, including complex assembly procedures, work instructions, and rigorous quality inspection criteria. - Own the end-to-end design, procurement, build, and commissioning of custom magnet manufacturing tooling, fixtures, and automated assembly equipment. - Serve as the primary manufacturing liaison to the Magnet Engineering team, driving design for manufacturability, process FMEAs, and iterative design improvements from prototype to production. - Architect and manage manufacturing BOMs, routings, and inventory workflows within PLM and MRP systems to ensure seamless execution. - Author technical specifications, evaluate supplier capabilities, and partner with key vendors to procure high-precision hardware and capital equipment. - Define technician roles, establish training programs, and mentor junior engineers and technical staff. - Track, report, and take ownership of manufacturing milestones, schedule adherence, and budget constraints across primary magnet initiatives. Ideal Experience & Skillsets: - Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering (or related field) with 7+ years of hands-on manufacturing engineering experience. - Extensive experience building complex electro-mechanical assemblies and introducing first-of-a-kind hardware processes into full-scale production. - Proven background in advanced joining and metal fusion processes, including high-precision soldering, brazing, electron beam, or TIG welding. - Demonstrated success scaling low-volume development projects into continuous production environments utilizing PLM, MRP, and ERP software platforms. - Deep expertise in drafting and interpreting engineering drawings with comprehensive Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5. - Experience in magnetic confinement fusion, aerospace, medical devices, defense, or high-reliability advanced manufacturing sectors. - Strong analytical capabilities, proactive leadership, and excellent communication skills. - Ability to occasionally lift objects up to 50 lbs. ## #LI-RD1 Company Benefits - Salary Range $115,000-$140,000 - Comprehensive health benefits (e.g. medical/dental/vision) - Employee equity stock options - 20 days PTO It’s not necessary to meet all of the skillsets outlined above. Please feel free to send us a note and tell us why you would still be a great fit for this role or Thea Energy. Diversity and Inclusion: Thea Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a company of diverse backgrounds. By creating a diverse environment, we will bring new ideas and approaches to solving some of the world’s hardest (and most important) problems. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, family or marital status, age, disability, veteran’s status, or other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations. ## About Thea Energy ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Thea Energy is developing a simplified, economical stellarator fusion energy system using arrays of mass-manufacturable planar magnets and dynamic software controls. - **Entity Type**: Private (Startup; founded in 2022) - **Headquarters**: Kearny, New Jersey, USA - **Founded**: 2022 - **Founders**: Founded with technology developed at Princeton University (specific founder names not publicly listed on main site). ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Fusion Energy / Clean Energy / Climate Tech - **Target customers**: Utilities, grid operators, industrial energy users, and governments seeking baseload, zero-emission power generation. - **Mission**: "To create a limitless source of zero emission energy for the future of humanity." [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/) ## Products & Services - **Eos (Neutron Source Stellarator)**: A near-term commercial neutron source designed to achieve world-leading fusion performance and de-risk their first fusion power plant. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/) - **Helios (Fusion Power Plant)**: The company’s first planned full-scale fusion power plant, intended for commercial electricity generation. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/) - **Software-Defined Magnetics Platform**: The core technology differentiator—replacing complex, expensive 3D magnet coils with arrays of simpler, mass-manufacturable planar magnets controlled by a sophisticated software stack. This transfers hardware complexity into the digital realm. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/) ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Total Funding**: Not publicly disclosed. - **Key Metric**: Private startup; notable for its technological breakthrough rather than public revenue. The company has active job postings (41 roles listed on Indeed) and is in a high-growth hiring phase. [indeed.com](https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Thea-Energy/about) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Announced a collaboration with **NVIDIA**, **Synopsys Inc**, **Argonne National Laboratory**, and **Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)** to build the first digital twin of a stellarator fusion power plant using AI physics and engineering. [indeed.com](https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Thea-Energy/about) - **Growth Signals**: Rapidly growing team; active hiring across engineering, supply chain, finance, and marketing roles; partnership with major tech and national lab players; progression from a science project (Eos) toward a commercial power plant (Helios). ## Competitive Advantages - **Planar Magnet Arrays**: Replaces the prohibitively complex and expensive 3D coils of traditional stellarators with simple, mass-manufacturable planar magnets. This radically reduces cost and manufacturing complexity. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/) - **Software-First Approach**: Transfers the geometric complexity from hardware to a dynamic software control system, leveraging decades of progress in computing and controls to simplify the physical build. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/) - **Stellarator Advantage**: The stellarator is the only magnetic confinement system that creates all required fields with superconducting coils, enabling steady-state operation (no plasma disruptions), which is a key advantage over tokamaks. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/) ## Strategic Focus - **Commercialization of Eos**: Achieving near-term fusion performance and commercial operation with their neutron source stellarator. - **De-risking Helios**: Using Eos as a stepping stone to validate technology and reduce risk for their first full-scale fusion power plant. - **Digital Twin Development**: Leveraging AI and simulation (with NVIDIA, Synopsys, Argonne, PPPL) to accelerate design, operation, and optimization of their fusion systems. - **Scaling the Organization**: Building out a multi-disciplinary team spanning fusion science, engineering, supply chain, and business functions. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven Work**: Opportunity to work on one of the biggest challenges facing humanity—creating limitless, zero-emission energy. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/careers/) - **Culture**: Described as dynamic, flexible, and adaptive, balancing strong individual autonomy with a collective team spirit. Employees are empowered to take ownership of their career growth. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/careers/) - **Diversity & Inclusion**: Explicitly committed to building a diverse workplace and encourages applications even if candidates don't meet every listed requirement. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/careers/) - **Work Model**: Roles are listed as **On-site** in Kearny, NJ (for most technical and corporate roles) and some internships. [jobs.lever.co/thea.energy](https://jobs.lever.co/thea.energy) - **Benefits**: Competitive salaries, health benefits (medical/dental/vision), employee equity, 20 days PTO, paid holidays and sick time, paid parental leave, 401k, life and disability insurance, and office perks. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/careers/) ## Sources 1. [thea.energy](https://thea.energy/) 2. [thea.energy/about-us](https://thea.energy/about-us/) 3. [thea.energy/careers](https://thea.energy/careers/) 4. [jobs.lever.co/thea.energy](https://jobs.lever.co/thea.energy) 5. [indeed.com](https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Thea-Energy/about) ## Other roles at Thea Energy - [FEA Engineer III](https://feeny.ai/job/fea-engineer-iii-thea-energy-kearny-bmctb2x060zd) — Kearny, NJ - [Senior FEA Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-fea-engineer-thea-energy-kearny-xcmsm1bk4pw5) — Kearny, NJ - [Mechanical Engineer III](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-iii-thea-energy-kearny-paan6y8jt8vg) — Kearny, NJ - [Senior Tooling Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-tooling-engineer-thea-energy-kearny-qjg46020hba3) — Kearny, NJ - [Senior Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-thea-energy-kearny-eew4ecp169fb) — Kearny, NJ - [Director - Commercial Development](https://feeny.ai/job/director-commercial-development-thea-energy-kearny-prhd7yaxgbhz) — Kearny, NJ - [Office Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/office-manager-thea-energy-kearny-2p7hmrqgy3vs) — Kearny, NJ - [Senior Machinist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-machinist-thea-energy-kearny-f779yd7bkrk5) — Kearny, NJ - [Senior Manufacturing Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manufacturing-engineer-thea-energy-kearny-ehqt3p3hffke) — Kearny, NJ - [Principal HTS Magnet Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-hts-magnet-engineer-thea-energy-kearny-ev47n4kqr6s4) — Kearny, NJ