Director of Systems Engineering

About Commonwealth Fusion Systems: 

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is on a mission to deliver the urgent transition to fusion energy.

Combining decades of research, top talent and new technologies, we’re designing and building commercially viable fusion power plants. And working with policymakers and suppliers to build the energy industry of the future. 

We’re in the best position to make it happen. Since 2018, we’ve raised over $2 billion in capital – more than any other fusion energy company in the U.S.

Now we’re looking for more thinkers, doers, builders, and makers to join us. People who’ll bring new perspectives, solve tough problems, and thrive as part of a team. 

If that’s you and this role fits, we want to hear from you.

Fusion power plants are highly integrated systems with critical interfaces and interdependencies across many subsystems. Today, CFS is looking for a leader to strengthen our Systems Engineering capability as we continue to build our Systems Engineering culture.

As Director of Systems Engineering, you will be a central leader of our effort. You will set the vision for Systems Engineering at CFS and build Systems Engineering into a core competency and competitive advantage for the company, ever improving our ability to manage system complexities with speed. In this role, you will be instrumental to our successful demonstration of net fusion energy with SPARC and the subsequent deployment of ARC power plants throughout the world.

This team member will:

• Set, reinforce, and grow the vision for our Systems Engineering capability. Continually explore and solicit feedback internally and externally to understand what works and doesn’t work about different Systems Engineering approaches to determine the right approach for CFS
• Build high-functioning interfaces between Systems Engineering and the rest of the organization, including upstream partners like R&D and Corporate Planning, and downstream partners like Production, Supply Chain, Commercial, and others
• Increase the company’s speed and quality of engineering delivery through clever and novel Systems Engineering people, processes, and tools. Architect, build, and continuously improve CFS Systems Engineering’s core processes and tools
• Build a Systems Engineering team that effectively implements and supports relevant SE process such as: system architecture and modeling, requirements management, interface management, technical risk assessment and management, technical budgets, trade studies, verification and validation, test planning, operational concept development, control architecture development, and more
• Bolster CFS’s safety culture and practices through robust Systems Engineering
• Instill a customer service and stakeholder aligned mindset of Systems Engineering. Build a capability that the rest of the organization proactively pulls in and looks to for support.

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of these requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in relevant field
• 15+ years of experience in relevant engineering roles
• Experience building Systems Engineering capabilities and functions
• Experience developing and deploying Systems Engineering processes and tools
• Experience working with design and/or development of a project in similar size and scope to SPARC
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment where speed is prioritized over perfection
• A broad understanding of the many different systems engineering approaches across different industries, and the ability to determine the right approaches for a specific area

Additional preferred experience and/or qualifications:

• Perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods of time
• Dedication to safety to mitigate hazards that may include heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead, high voltage, and cryogenics
• Willingness to travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally
• #LI-Onsite

At CFS, we excel in fast-paced environments, driven by our values of integrity, execution, impact, and self-critique. As we grow, we’re eager to bring on mission-driven folks who offer diverse perspectives and fresh ways to tackle challenges.

We value diversity deeply and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally, regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law.