Senior System Engineer
About The Position
Avalanche Energy is hiring a Senior Systems Engineer for its PMO and Systems Engineering team. This hands-on individual contributor role focuses on systems engineering and technical program integration across the company’s fusion development programs. The engineer will work with plasma physicists and mechanical, electrical/electronic data acquisition, nuclear, and test-infrastructure engineers to turn scientific objectives into executable technical work, including when problems are incomplete, uncertain, or poorly structured. The role moves between system-level thinking and detailed execution. Work may include defining experiment objectives, tracing interfaces among devices, diagnostics, facilities, and control systems, preparing technical reviews, and translating developing architectures into requirements and integrated device roadmaps. The position serves as a systems engineer and technical integrator across the Orbitron Science Program and FusionWERX infrastructure build-out, and reports to the Head of PMO and Systems Engineering. The position is onsite in Tukwila, Washington, with periodic travel to the FusionWERX facility in Richland, Washington. Estimated travel is 10–20%.
Requirements
- At least 5 years of systems engineering experience in multidisciplinary hardware or technology development.
- Experience applying core systems engineering practices, including requirements, interfaces, architecture, verification and validation, and technical risk management.
- Experience integrating across multiple technical disciplines and resolving system-level dependencies, interfaces, and tradeoffs.
- Track record of turning incomplete or evolving technical problems into structured requirements, decisions, and executable development work.
- Experience personally producing systems engineering deliverables and working at both the system level and detailed execution level.
- Experience leading technical reviews, trade studies, or cross-functional engineering discussions and clearly communicating outcomes to technical and program leadership.
- Ability to adapt systems engineering methods to the maturity and needs of a program.
- Project management experience, including schedule development, milestone tracking, and risk and issue management.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in a startup, R&D, or rapidly scaling organization where technical processes and ways of working are still evolving.
- Experience in plasma physics, applied physics, nuclear engineering, radiation systems, or another science-intensive technical domain.
- Experience supporting government-funded development programs, including work with DOE, DoD, DARPA, or NASA.
- Experience in aerospace, advanced propulsion, energy, or other complex multidisciplinary hardware development environments.
- Familiarity with regulated technical environments, including radiation safety, nuclear regulation, or export control requirements such as EAR/ITAR.
Responsibilities
- Lead systems engineering and technical integration for new Orbitron devices and major test capabilities, from early concept through commissioning.
- Translate scientific and experimental needs into system requirements, architecture, interfaces, development plans, and verification approaches across hardware, diagnostics, controls, high voltage, and test infrastructure.
- Coordinate scientific and engineering disciplines, leading technical reviews and trade studies, resolving interfaces, and supporting system-level decisions to deliver integrated test capabilities.
- Lead systems definition and technical integration for FusionWERX, including concept of operations, facility requirements, interfaces, and technical scope.
- Coordinate facility engineering, neutronics, radiation safety, regulatory, operations, and experimental systems stakeholders to identify and resolve cross-disciplinary requirements and interfaces.
- Lead system-level trade studies and technical definition activities, including coordinating external consultants, to translate evolving operational needs into an executable facility design.
- Develop schedules, track milestones, and manage project risks and issues.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision benefits, with the company paying 100% of premiums.
- 10 paid holidays and a company-wide December holiday break.
- Generous paid vacation and sick time.
- Weekly employer-provided team meals, a well-stocked kitchen, and employee events on and off-site.
- Opportunity for equity.
- Small, tight-knit team with low barriers to action and exposure to a wide variety of problems for hands-on professional growth.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
