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:
You will lead Helion's compensation strategy, with a focus on evolving our equity programs and building scalable compensation structures across our technical, corporate, and manufacturing teams. You will partner directly with executive leadership to shape how we attract, reward, and retain employees as we grow, combining company-wide strategic ownership with hands-on program design and execution. This is an individual contributor role with full end-to-end ownership of compensation strategy across the company. This onsite role is based in our Seattle, WA office and reports to our Senior Director of Talent and People Operations.
You Will:
Build competitive salary, hourly pay, and incentive structures that reward performance and scale with the business
Own and evolve Helion's equity strategy, including plan design, grant guidelines, and evaluation of future award structures
Design and own compensation structures across diverse employee populations, including technical, business, and manufacturing teams
Own executive compensation strategy and programs
Advise executive leadership on compensation strategies and trade-offs, supporting Board-level discussions as needed
Lead compensation cycles, promotions, equity grants, and offer reviews with Talent and People Business Partners
Partner with Finance on compensation budgets, equity forecasting, and governance
Develop clear compensation and equity education that helps employees understand their compensation and equips leaders to communicate effectively
Required Skills:
10+ years of compensation experience, including building and scaling programs in startup or high-growth environments, with deep expertise in pre-IPO equity and stock-based compensation
Experience designing and managing executive compensation programs, as well as compensation structures and incentives for a large hourly workforce
Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, including market benchmarking, equity forecasting, and scenario analysis
Hands-on experience with best-in-class compensation systems and platforms, with the judgment to build internal tools and processes where off-the-shelf solutions fall short
Comfort leveraging data and AI-powered tools to scale analysis and improve decision speed
Proven ability to advise executives, challenge assumptions, and communicate complex compensation recommendations clearly
Demonstrated ability to turn ambiguous compensation needs into practical programs, balancing long-term strategy with hands-on execution
#LI-Onsite #LI-MM1
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.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of compensation experience, including building and scaling compensation programs in startup or high-growth environments
- Deep expertise in pre-IPO equity and stock-based compensation
- Experience designing compensation structures and incentives for a large hourly workforce
- Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, including market benchmarking, equity forecasting, and scenario analysis
- Hands-on experience with best-in-class compensation systems and platforms, with the judgment to build internal tools and processes where needed
- Comfort leveraging data and AI-powered tools to scale analysis and improve decision speed
- Ability to advise executives, challenge assumptions, and communicate complex compensation recommendations clearly
- Ability to turn ambiguous compensation needs into practical programs while balancing long-term strategy with hands-on execution
Helion Energy Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Helion Energy and has not been reviewed or approved by Helion Energy.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Compensation is considered competitive for many roles, with employer materials emphasizing competitively benchmarked pay. Total rewards commonly include salary plus equity and benefits that align with market expectations.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage includes medical, dental, and vision with options for fully employer‑paid premiums, HSA support, and core protections like life and disability. This breadth signals robust medical benefits for a growth‑stage company.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is broadly offered through stock options for all employees, positioning ownership as a meaningful part of total rewards. Employer communications consistently highlight equity participation as a differentiator.
Helion Energy Insights
What We Do
Helion is a fusion power company based in Everett, WA, with the mission to enable a future with unlimited clean energy. Our vision is a world with clean, reliable, and affordable electricity for everyone. Currently, we are scaling up our latest fusion prototype to make our vision a reality. We’re hiring brilliant scientists, engineers, and builders passionate about developing world-changing technologies. If that sounds like you, check out our open positions.
