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Software Engineer, Diagnostics and Controls

Everett, WA

About Helion

We are a fusion power company based in Everett, WA, with the mission to build the world's first fusion power plant, enabling a future with unlimited clean electricity. Our vision is a world with clean, reliable, and affordable energy for everyone. 

Since Helion's founding in 2013, we have raised over $1 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group as well as new investors SoftBank and Lightspeed to propel us forward. Our last prototype, Trenta, completed 10,000 high-power pulses and reached plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius (9 keV). We are now operating Polaris, our next prototype on the path to the world's first fusion power plant. 

This is a pivotal time to join Helion. You will tackle real-world challenges with a team that prizes urgency, rigor, ownership, and a commitment to delivering hard truths – values essential to achieving what no one has before. Together, we will change the future of energy, because the world can't wait.

What You Will Be Doing:

You will help improve, scale, and expand Helion’s in-house control and diagnostics capabilities. You will collaborate with Electrical Engineering and IT to develop intelligent control systems, robust diagnostic infrastructure, and strong data pipelines for Helion’s fusion generators. This is an onsite role that reports directly to the Lead Electrical Engineer at our Everett, WA office.

You Will:

  • Work closely with Science and Engineering Teams
  • Create and maintain graphical user interfaces to log and display real-time health and performance information for fusion machines and testbeds
  • Implement software algorithms that interface with thousands of distributed sensors
  • Own software architecture, code organization, version control best practices, deployment tools, and testing
  • Explore and integrate time series database tools such as InfluxDB and Grafana to support software users
  • Investigate and implement new software solutions to accelerate development
  • Apply engineering first-principles and method-based thinking to complex challenges

Required Skills:

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering
  • 2–5 years of industry experience
  • Proficiency in modern C++ (C++11/14/17/23)
  • Experience with Python, including numpy and numba
  • Experience working with Embedded Linux Distributions
  • Familiarity with software deployment tools such as Docker and Portainer
  • Experience with time series database management
  • Experience building and optimizing data pipelines
  • Proficiency with data visualization tools
  • Experience collaborating with internal stakeholders to deliver effective software solutions
  • Experience working across Hardware, Firmware, and Software disciplines for integration and execution

Desired Skills:

  • Experience with EtherCAT, TwinCAT, and SOEM
  • Experience with Precision Timing Protocol (PTP)
  • Familiarity with SCADA and PLC logic
  • Exposure to tools such as Ansible, Apache Flink, Progress Chef, Perforce, Puppet, Databricks, Datadog, Snowflake, Terraform, or AWS Cloud

#LI-Onsite #LI-KL1

 

Total Compensation and Benefits

Helion's compensation package includes a competitively benchmarked base salary, meaningful equity grants, and comprehensive benefits. Final compensation is determined through a holistic evaluation of your experience, qualifications, and our commitment to internal equity - ensuring fairness and transparency across our teams. We are committed to fostering a fair and equitable environment in every aspect of our operations, including compensation.

This is an exempt salaried role.

Annual Base Pay

$100,000 - $145,000 USD

Benefits

Our total compensation package includes benefits, including but not limited to: 

•    Medical, Dental, and Vision plans for employees and their families 
•    31 Days of PTO (21 vacation days and 10 sick days) 
•    10 Paid holidays, plus company-wide winter break 
•    Up to 5% employer 401(k) match 
•    Short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance 
•    Paid parental leave and support (up to 16 weeks) 
•    Annual wellness stipend  

Helion is an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the interview process, please let us know.

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