Senior Design Engineer

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 over $1 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group as well as new investors SoftBank and Lightspeed to propel us forward. Our last prototype, Trenta, completed 10,000 high-power pulses and reached plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius (9 keV). We are now operating Polaris, our next prototype on the path to the world's first fusion power plant.

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 support the design, prototyping, and scaling of capacitors used for energy storage in Helion's fusion generators. This role offers the opportunity to collaborate across technical teams to optimize complex electromechanical systems and accelerate Helion's transition from rapid prototyping to generator mass manufacturing. Your work will directly contribute to delivering clean, reliable, low-cost electricity to the world. You will report to the Manager of Capacitor Design and this is an onsite role located at our Everett, WA office.

You Will:

- Support the design of capacitors from initial requirements through prototyping, testing, and scaling for high-volume manufacturing

- Collaborate across engineering teams to align capacitor design with pulsed power circuit needs and overall generator performance goals

- Prototype and test capacitor systems to improve energy density, reduce cost, minimize electrical losses, and enhance manufacturability

- Perform detailed capacitor design analysis and lead qualification testing for upcoming fusion generator builds

- Troubleshoot and resolve capacitor-related issues during integration and testing phases

- Partner with supply chain, manufacturing engineering, and production teams to scale Helion's capacitor output from 10 MJ to 100,000 MJ annually

- Incorporate high-throughput manufacturing methods into capacitor designs to enable efficient mass production

- Contribute to long-term design strategies that reduce supply chain risks and integrate emerging capacitor technologies

Required Skills:

- Bachelor's degree in Engineering

- 8+ years of electromechanical design experience, with a strong track record of rapid execution and solving complex problems

- Experience owning full lifecycle development of electromechanical assemblies

- Hands-on engineering experience in rapid prototyping and iterative design environments

- Experience scaling manufacturing throughput and production rate

- Ability to apply physics-based first principles to evaluate and improve design assumptions

- Strong communication skills and demonstrated success collaborating with supply chain and production teams

- Proven ability to influence across engineering functions and deliver high-impact results

#LI-Onsite #LI-KL1

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.