Head of Nuclear Engineering

over 1 year ago
Full time role
Devens, MA, US... more
Devens, MA, US... more

Job Description

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.

The Head of Nuclear Engineering will lead a world-class team of Nuclear Engineers working on the cutting edge of Fusion Neutronics. This team tracks, studies, and engineers the cascade of high energy neutrons, photons, and charged particles generated from DD and DT fusion.

The Head of Nuclear Engineering is responsible for effectively leading and managing the day to day nuclear engineering program which includes the delivery of radiation transport analyses to support the design, construction, licensing, and operation of the SPARC and ARC fusion devices.

The engineers in the SPARC and ARC Nuclear Engineering teams are high performing, technically adept and capable - constantly pushing the boundaries of the hardware and software used in fusion neutronics. We are looking for a leader who can navigate between the areas of leadership, understanding of complex analytical work, and engineering trade offs.


This team member will:

  • Grow, manage, and lead the teams responsible for radiation transport analysis and radiation shielding design for the SPARC and ARC devices.
  • Work with a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers to support the engineering design and operation of the SPARC tokamak and the design of the ARC fusion power plant, from conceptual to final engineering design
  • Proactively collaborate and communicate with engineering system owners to prioritize and align analyses with SPARC and ARC design schedules and ensure on-time completion of both devices. 
  • Supervise the development of analytical and computational solutions for a range of technical challenges to support all nuclear engineering needs
  • Oversee the methods development, software management, and verification and validation processes for the SPARC and ARC Nuclear Engineering Teams. 
  • Be accountable for the quality and accuracy of the previously mentioned work, reports, and presentations.
  • Comply with CFS design control processes, including but not limited to - Documenting analyses in written files; Arranging for check and review of analysis files; Upholding high standards of good-faith collaboration and teamwork
  • Direct Reports are Nuclear Engineers at various levels (i.e. Associate, Engineer, Senior, Principal/Lead)
  • Manages contractors as needed
  • Build organizational capability by recruiting and retaining outstanding talent and providing mentoring, training (internal and external), and other opportunities for professional growth and development. 

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of these requirements:

  • A PhD is beneficial but not required
  • 10 years of work experience in nuclear engineering or similar technical field
  • 5+ Years of progressive experience leading technically focused Design and/or Engineering teams
  • Strong analytical skills and understanding of first principles of engineering
  • Experience managing a distributed team
  • Experience planning technical efforts, including schedules, metrics, and budgets
  • Experience with both deterministic and Monte Carlo methods of neutron/photon transport
  • Experience with common nuclear engineering software, such as MCNP and/or OpenMC
  • Ability to operate in a hybrid in-person environment in Devens, MA
  • Desired, but not required - Familiarity with programming languages such as Python, Matlab, etc
  • Desired, but not required - Familiarity with Linux, Windows, and High Performance Computing

Additional preferred experience and/or qualifications:

  • Strong interpersonal and technical communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community as well as foster a cooperative work environment.
  • A proven ability to motivate and catalyze teams into action through influence rather than by command
  • Ability to think strategically and see the big picture
  • Aptitude for learning new technologies and concepts
  • Ability to translate customer and business needs to technical solutions
  • Comfortable working with uncertainty
  • Ability to perform activities such as sitting for extended periods of time
  • Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call.
  • #LI-Hybrid

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.

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