Director of Systems Engineering
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy.
CFS collaborates with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with groundbreaking new high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. Our mission is to deploy these power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. To that end, CFS has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by the world’s leading investors, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. To implement this plan, we are looking to add dedicated people to the team who treat people well, improve our work by adding multifaceted perspectives and new ways of solving problems, have achieved outstanding results through a range of pursuits, and have skills and experience related to this role.
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
CFS team members thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and have demonstrated exceptional results through a range of different pursuits. We all tightly align with our company values of integrity, execution, impact and self-critique. As we grow, we are looking to add talented people who are mission driven and bring diverse perspectives and new ways of solving problems.
At CFS, we deeply value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment. We do not discriminate on the basis 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, ordinance, or regulation.