Senior Manager, Materials and Process Engineering

About Commonwealth Fusion Systems: 

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is on a mission to deliver the urgent transition to fusion energy.

Combining decades of research, top talent and new technologies, we’re designing and building commercially viable fusion power plants. And working with policymakers and suppliers to build the energy industry of the future. 

We’re in the best position to make it happen. Since 2018, we’ve raised over $2 billion in capital – more than any other fusion energy company in the U.S.

Now we’re looking for more thinkers, doers, builders, and makers to join us. People who’ll bring new perspectives, solve tough problems, and thrive as part of a team. 

If that’s you and this role fits, we want to hear from you.

Join the power movement as a Senior Manager, Materials and Process Engineering

The Materials and Processing (M&P) Department at CFS supports design engineers, supply chain, and manufacturing by selecting materials, unambiguously defining materials and processing routes, validating and measuring those materials and their properties, and conducting R&D to develop new materials and processes to enable fusion power deployment. M&P at CFS is organized around three primary thrusts: engineering, test and characterization, and development programs. The work is undertaken in support of delivering SPARC, the net energy tokamak under construction in Devens, MA, and ultimately in designing the ARC fusion power plant. These devices pose unique materials challenges including neutron fluxes produced by deuterium-tritium fusion, high heat loads, molten salt coolant systems, complex component topologies, high magnetic fields, and high mechanical loading in cryogenic conditions.

We are seeking a leader for the engineering thrust within M&P. This leader will be responsible for managing a functional group of multiple engineering discipline teams including but not limited to metals and alloys, welding and joining, composites and polymers, coatings and special processes, and ceramics. These teams serve as a centralized matrix resource across engineering design teams and development projects. This leader will also be responsible for maintaining and maturing the standard engineering practice in M&P including the generation of materials/process specifications, the definition of design materials allowables, maintenance of materials libraries, and more.

This role requires compliance with U.S. laws concerning the export of controlled or protected technologies or information (collectively, “Export Control Laws"). Any offer of employment will be contingent on the need for compliance with such Export Control Laws.

• Lead a multi-disciplinary team of materials and processes engineers. Hiring, training, and managing development plans for domain team leads and individual contributor engineers
• Prioritize and balance workload and assignment of M&P engineers to product teams and projects across CFS
• Develop and maintain appropriate standardized practice and documentation to be used in component design and procurement including but not limited to materials specifications, weld process specifications, nomenclature standards, and engineering drawing release
• Define internal standards for materials design limits and allowables with engineering analysis teams
• Develop and maintain workflows for new material, process, or vendor qualification with the supply chain team
• Set the standards for and guide a team to populate, validate, and maintain a standard materials properties database for fusion component design
• Manage operational budgets for the team
• Develop and coach risk-informed methods for materials and process selection and allowable determination.
• Execute high-impact technical decision making when required
• Interface with key cross functional stakeholders including design, supply chain, structural engineering, systems engineering, and manufacturing to ensure timely resolution to emerging technical challenges
• Manage multiple domain-specialist teams of materials and process engineers
• Educate and train a team in engineering best practices for materials and processing

• Bachelor's degree in materials engineering, welding engineering, nuclear engineering, chemical engineering, or similar
• At least 8 years experience in materials and process engineering with 3 years minimum in leadership roles
• Managed teams outside of one core technical competency
• Experience working with design teams in collaborative materials and process selection under ambiguous requirements
• Experience using project/product management tools and tracking of projects (JIRA preferred)
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Performed engineering resource estimation and maintaining team accountability for deliverables
• Experience making and justifying decisions in fast paced engineering settings
• Strong time management skills
• Self - motivation and autonomy

• Experience in engineering environments with varying degrees of process formalization (start up to established industry)
• Deep technical experience in multiple disciplines of materials and processing
• Took under-defined problems and drove them to a state of completion
• Operated in a flexible, service-oriented matrix engineering team

• Perform activities such as typing or sitting for extended periods of time
• 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
• Willingness to travel (periodic travel up to 15%) or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally

#LI-Hybrid

At CFS, we excel in fast-paced environments, driven by our values of integrity, execution, impact, and self-critique. As we grow, we’re eager to bring on mission-driven folks who offer diverse perspectives and fresh ways to tackle challenges.

We value diversity deeply and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally, regardless 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.