Director SPARC Plant Operations

Commonwealth Fusion Systems•Devens, MA

70d•$250,000 - $350,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is looking for a manager of the SPARC Plant Operations team who will have the mandate to ensure ongoing operations of the SPARC plant. This includes ensuring that trained staff is available for daily operations as well as for handling outages, conducting preventive maintenance, ensuring all consumables required to run the plant are stocked and available, and carrying out continuous improvement (Kaizen) projects.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in an engineering field or equivalent experience
10+ years experience in the operations of large process facilities, such as power plants, scientific facilities, or process manufacturing facilities
Experience operating large process systems, such as a power plant, chemicals, oil/gas, cryogenics, or others
Experience managing salaried and hourly staff
Strong people management skills of both small and large teams
Leadership, team-building, and mentoring skills for both engineers and technicians
Demonstration of the ability to build trust with front line employees and identify issues first hand
Executes long-term departmental strategy using sound judgment to align tactical initiatives with overall organizational goals
Ensures cross-functional alignment through proven, effective communication with diverse stakeholders and executive leadership
Ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment
Strong attention to safety and the creation of a safety culture
Perform activities such as typing or sitting for extended periods of time
Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call
Work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics

Nice To Haves

Operational experience with first-of-a-kind facilities or other new technology
Experience commissioning a new facility from scratch

Responsibilities

Recruit, hire, and onboard a high-performing team of plant operators, technicians, and support staff
Develop and implement comprehensive training programs, including initial qualification, continuing training, and specialized skill development
Develop and manage shift schedules, on-call rotations, and vacation planning to ensure 24/7 operational coverage and readiness
Foster a strong, positive, and safety-first culture within the operations team
Oversee all daily pre-operational checks and plant startup/shutdown procedures
Manage all operational consumables (e.g., gases, cryogens, chemicals, diesel fuel, etc.)
Develop and maintain plant operations manuals, procedures, and emergency response protocols
Develop and execute a comprehensive plant maintenance strategy, incorporating preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance
Plan and manage the schedule for all maintenance windows, minimizing downtime and maximizing plant availability
Oversee the execution of all maintenance activities, ensuring work is performed safely, to a high standard, and documented correctly
Track key reliability metrics to understand overall performance
Champion a culture of continuous improvement by actively identifying opportunities to enhance safety, reduce operational costs, and increase plant efficiency and reliability
Lead cross-functional teams to execute continuous improvement projects using Root Cause Analysis and other similar methodologies
Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for plant operations and use data-driven insights to guide improvement initiatives