High Voltage Engineer

About Avalanche Energy

Avalanche Energy is a Washington-based startup building compact, deployable fusion systems through rapid hardware iteration. Rather than pursuing fusion as a single grid-scale outcome, Avalanche develops transportable fusion machines designed to be built, tested, and operated on short cycles, turning real hardware into steady progress. This approach enables near-term applications that demand extreme energy density and endurance—starting with fusion neutron production for radioisotope power and other defense and space uses—while advancing the underlying fusion platform. Backed by U.S. government programs and a team experienced in delivering complex systems, Avalanche is focused on building fusion that runs in the real world, not just on paper.

Avalanche might be a fit for you if:

Avalanche Energy is seeking a lab-focused High Voltage Engineer to be the lead conductor for the High Voltage Test Cell operation supporting fusion hardware development. The role involves designing, building, operating, and maintaining high-voltage systems, working closely with scientists and engineers to develop HV subsystems, insulation techniques, and test methods across solids, liquids, gases, and vacuum.

Responsibilities:

- Own high-voltage projects end-to-end from concept through design, build, test, iteration, and documentation.

- Operate the High Voltage Test Cell safely, including setup, readiness checks, execution, and post-test analysis.

- Design and assemble DC and/or pulsed HV test circuits, instrumentation hookups, and measurement approaches for breakdown studies.

- Run long-duration tests, maintain disciplined logs, and preserve data quality and repeatability across runs.

- Troubleshoot flashover, arcing, conditioning behavior, contamination effects, partial discharge indications, and test setup artifacts.

- Use FEM and CAD tools to support electrostatic field assessment, insulation geometry iteration, and packaging decisions, while coordinating with internal teams, vendors, and collaborators.

- Write small Python scripts for experiment support and improve procedures, checklists, documentation, labeling, and build standards.

Required Qualifications:

- B.S. or higher degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related field.

- Hands-on mindset with demonstrated ability to take a project from 0 to 100 with minimal oversight.

- Fundamental understanding of breakdown mechanisms in solids, liquids, gases, and vacuum, plus basic familiarity with HV testing circuits and lab best practices.

- Working familiarity with COMSOL or equivalent FEM tools, SolidWorks or equivalent 3D CAD, and Python for experiment support.

- Comfort running long-duration tests, maintaining disciplined experimental records, and communicating clearly with internal and external stakeholders.

- Team first behavior and flexibility for test windows or lab operations that may fall outside normal business hours.

Bonus Qualifications:

- 1+ years of experience working with systems above 50 kV DC.

- Strong proficiency in COMSOL Multiphysics or equivalent for field stress and insulation geometry iteration.

- Prior experience in experimental hardware environments with evolving requirements.

- Knowledge of high-voltage transient analysis and familiarity with high-speed imaging.

Additional Considerations:

onsite/remote? site? travel demand? citizenship? Schedule/shift?

- Location: onsite

- Travel: occasionally

- Schedule: 9 am-5 pm, with flexibility to finish certain milestones on time.