R&D Test Engineer - Electrical Power Systems

Commonwealth Fusion Systems•Devens, MA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is developing commercially viable fusion power plants to support the transition to fusion energy. The R&D Test Engineer will work across disciplines and teams to execute test campaigns and projects on aggressive schedules, primarily testing CFS high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets and retiring associated risks. The role emphasizes electrical power systems used to test HTS magnets, including the design, analysis, construction, commissioning, and maintenance of high-current and high-voltage equipment. The engineer will collaborate with manufacturing, R&D, procurement, and SPARC teams. They will develop and execute test plans, establish the data and instrumentation needed to achieve test objectives, maintain safety and technical documentation, troubleshoot equipment and test discrepancies, and communicate results. The role also includes leading anomaly investigations, improving equipment and operations for repeat tests, and planning scalable test infrastructure and facility expansion.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in an engineering or science field; electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or similar, or applied physics.
At least 5 years of experience designing, building, and commissioning specialized electrical apparatus or equipment.
At least 2 years of experience using electrical analysis software such as PLECS, LTspice, ETAP, Simulink, or similar.
Aptitude for applying electromagnetic fundamentals to understand system behavior, including parasitic inductance and capacitance, EMI coupling, and dielectric breakdown.
Familiarity with electrical standards, including building codes (NEC/NFPA 70), personnel safety (OSHA, NFPA 70E), and equipment safety standards (IEC, IEEE, etc.).
Experience working with high-power electronics such as rectifiers, DC/DC converters, and inverters.
Experience working with stored-energy devices such as batteries and supercapacitors.
Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills with strong attention to detail.
Ability to communicate technical topics effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
High self-motivation and drive to execute quickly.
A can-do attitude and eagerness to learn.
Collaboration skills, including active listening and facilitating productive discussion of problems.
Ability to innovate creative solutions to challenging problems.
Willingness to challenge the status quo to find better, more efficient methods.
Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
Ability to perform activities such as stooping, climbing, typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods.
Dedication to safety and mitigating industrial hazards that may include heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, and cryogenics.
Willingness to travel or work required nights, weekends, or on-call occasionally.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing and commissioning new test facilities.
Experience developing and executing test procedures.
Experience with thermal or electromagnetic FEA software.
Experience using NX and Teamcenter to manage CAD assemblies.
Experience with schematic or PCB design software such as AutoCAD, SkyCAD, or Altium.
Experience with traditional or superconducting high-field magnet testing.

Responsibilities

Design, analyze, review, procure, and build test equipment for energizing superconducting magnets.
Contribute to the ground-up design of electrical testing infrastructure in new testing facilities.
Develop test plans that define objectives, required data, instrumentation, and controls; ensure data is reliable.
Understand, challenge, and maintain documented requirements and risks for systems or components under test.
Identify and mitigate safety hazards associated with test equipment, and produce safety documentation such as job hazard assessments and test readiness reviews.
Maintain test campaign documentation, schedules, and budgets, including design reviews, wiring lists, P&IDs, schematics, CAD assemblies, drawings, and operations software.
Troubleshoot and resolve integration and test discrepancies during build, commissioning, and operation.
Iterate on designs, equipment, and operations to improve test efficiency for repeat tests.
Perform analyses to predict system results and develop custom tools to analyze generated data.
Compile test results for review and present them clearly.
Lead anomaly investigations and their resolution, and present results to physicists and engineers.
Execute plans for future expansion, including capital equipment and floor layouts, with scalability in mind.
Develop visions for multi-use test infrastructure that can scale across multiple applications.
Collaborate across manufacturing, R&D, procurement, and SPARC teams to achieve test campaigns.