Senior R&D Engineer

Commonwealth Fusion Systems•Devens, MA

1d•$134,000 - $205,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is developing commercially viable fusion power plants and is hiring a Senior R&D Engineer for its NINT Magnet R&D team. The team tests and retires risks for CFS’s non-insulated-non-twisted (NINT) high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. Work includes development test campaigns for next-generation NINT magnet technology and root-cause-corrective-action efforts to resolve issues with SPARC NINT magnets in production, integration, and commissioning. The role leads multidisciplinary tests and projects on aggressive schedules. It requires a fundamental understanding of mechanical, electrical, materials, fluids, and systems engineering, or a combination of these disciplines. The engineer is expected to challenge requirements, risks, and test objectives, and to align stakeholders on the rationale for each test and the data needed to achieve its goals. The position involves developing HTS magnet designs and subsystems, building R&D samples and test equipment, performing analyses, supporting SPARC coil production and commissioning, collaborating on instrumentation and data acquisition, and maintaining test-campaign documentation, schedules, and budgets. It also includes developing data-analysis tools and presenting trade studies, design reviews, test readiness reviews, and results.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or science field.
At least 7 years of experience as an R&D engineer or test engineer designing, building, and commissioning complex electromechanical systems.
Experience working on multidisciplinary engineering projects, ideally as a technical leader.
Excellent fundamental knowledge of mechanical systems, including static structures and heat transfer.
Experience selecting and using instrumentation and control components such as thermocouples, voltage and current sensors, oscilloscopes, pressure transducers, strain gauges, heaters, flow meters, fittings, and valves.
Experience developing and executing test procedures.
Proficiency in CAD design using Siemens NX or equivalent software.
Familiarity with electromagnetic fundamentals, including voltage, current, resistance, Ohm’s law, AC/DC, the right-hand rule, and solenoids.
Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
Experience developing and presenting comprehensive trade studies comparing technical approaches.
Data reduction and analysis skills for generating anticipated results and processing test data.
Ability to communicate technical topics effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
High self-motivation and drive to execute quickly.
Collaboration skills, including active listening and facilitating productive discussion of problems.
Willingness to challenge the status quo to find better and more efficient methods.
Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 pounds.
Ability to perform activities such as typing, climbing, standing, stooping, or sitting for extended periods.
Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights, weekends, or on-call.
Ability to work in a facility with industrial hazards, including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead, high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics.
Must comply with U.S. laws concerning export-controlled or protected technologies or information; any employment offer is contingent on compliance.

Nice To Haves

Degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering or a similar field, or applied physics.
Experience with modeling and analysis software, especially ANSYS, COMSOL, or PLECS.
Experience writing Python or MATLAB data tools for processing and analyzing data.
Experience designing and using high-voltage and high-current power equipment, including power supplies, water-cooled cables, and insulation.
Experience debugging electronics hardware and test software.
Experience designing and commissioning new test facilities.
Experience designing fluid systems, including P&IDs, component selection, and ASME design codes.
Experience designing cryogenic equipment for liquid nitrogen and supercritical helium, including vacuum-jacketed equipment, cryocoolers, phase separators, and cold traps.
Experience designing and using high-vacuum equipment, including roughing pumps, turbopumps, ion gauges, and residual gas analyzers.
Experience developing or improving manufacturing processes and handing them off to production teams.

Responsibilities

Develop HTS magnet designs and associated subsystems, including R&D test samples, manufacturing processes, and test operations.
Design, build, and commission test equipment for R&D test campaigns.
Perform structural, electrical, and/or thermal analyses to support R&D sample design and predict test results.
Develop expertise in HTS magnet testing and in designing and building R&D HTS magnets and associated power-delivery, cryogenic-cooling, and structural subsystems.
Support production, integration, and commissioning of SPARC NINT coils when issues require HTS magnet build and test expertise.
Understand, challenge, and document requirements and risks for systems or components under test, and align stakeholders on test rationale and essential data.
Collaborate with instrumentation and controls engineers to develop instrumentation and data-acquisition systems.
Maintain test-campaign documentation, schedules, and budgets, including design reviews, wiring lists, P&IDs, schematics, CAD assemblies, drawings, bills of materials, data-acquisition systems, and operations software.
Develop custom tools to analyze data and compile test results into presentations for review.
Prepare and deliver presentations on trade studies, design reviews, test readiness reviews, and test data reviews to engineering and physics teams.