R&D Hardware Test & Development Manager at Helion (Everett, WA)
Helion· Everett, WA· $162k–$192k·
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
Manage a diverse team of R&D engineers to support the development, testing, and delivery of fusion energy technologies. Oversee technology test initiatives, drive cross-functional collaboration, and ensure rigorous validation of engineering designs through pulsed HV testing and materials characterization.
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: As the R&D Hardware Test & Development Manager, you will manage a diverse team of R&D engineers with a broad array of technical backgrounds and expertise, whose mission is to collaboratively support the development, testing, and delivery of the technology needed to provide fusion energy to the world. Your team works closely with all other technical organizations including Engineering, Production, Radiation and Nuclear Safety, and Science. R&D Dev Ops engineers drive testing and development initiatives needed to close and validate engineering designs and advance next generation technologies. Projects range from pulsed HV testing of electromagnets to materials characterization in high radiation environments. You will report to our R&D manager, onsite at our Everett, WA office. You Will:
- Oversee the design and execution of technology test and development initiatives, allocating engineering bandwidth and ownership as needed to ensure the team is delivering testing results on time and to sufficient rigor.
- Partner with peer leaders to drive cross-functional development initiatives, setting the standard for effective collaboration and ensuring communication across teams meets a high bar.
- Champion your team's initiatives with senior leaders, clearly articulating their value and securing stakeholder alignment and buy-in.
- Support individual contributors in their career growth, guiding development of both technical and soft skills.
- Proactively identify resource constraints and scale the team through targeted hiring and growth to ensure mission success.
Required Skills:
- B.S. in Physics or Engineering and 8+ years or M.S. with 4+ years of relevant experience
- Minimum 2+ years managing engineers doing technology testing and development
- Experience using first principles thinking to develop test initiatives, perform root cause failure analysis, and solve complex technical problems
- Proven track record of delivering technology testing and development results
- Experienced at driving rapid iterative testing to inform design
- Excellent communication skills that drive effective cross-team collaboration
- Ability to anticipate, strategically plan for and grow a team to meet the needs of future scope
Preferred Skills:
- Technical expertise in one of the following areas: vacuum systems, pressurized systems, high-voltage systems, or pulsed-power technologies
#LI-Onsite #LI-TM1
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.