Manager, Manufacturing Engineering

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:

We are hiring a Manager of Manufacturing Engineering to lead the build and testing of prototype designs for Helion's fusion generators. In this role, you will solve a wide range of high-impact challenges that directly affect the performance and scalability of our technology. You'll be responsible for hiring and mentoring top engineering talent, developing innovative manufacturing processes, and accelerating Helion's pace of innovation. Your leadership will shape how we design and operate prototype production lines-setting the standard for delivering clean, low-cost, and reliable electricity to the world. Key responsibilities include building a world-class team, driving complex projects, modeling technical excellence, and establishing best practices in production. This is an onsite role reporting to the Director of Capacitor Manufacturing at our Everett, WA office.

You Will:

• Lead and mentor a high-performing team of manufacturing engineers and technical writers, fostering growth and technical excellence, including high-volume recruiting, hiring, and team scaling efforts

• Oversee complex engineering projects, including fusion prototype upgrades and development of new fusion test beds aligned with Helion's technical milestones

• Manage large-scale initiatives by optimizing staffing, schedules, and cross-functional collaboration-ensuring a high-urgency execution culture

• Drive improvements in manufacturability and production rate by leading design changes to capacitor modules and sub-assemblies in support of mass manufacturing goals

• Direct the design of low-volume production lines, work instructions, and tooling solutions, while implementing digital tools to enhance efficiency-laying the groundwork to scale into high-volume manufacturing operations

Required Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering with 5+ years of engineering experience and at least 2 years in a management or leadership role

• Proven track record of developing engineers and leaders, with a focus on career growth and team capability building

• Experience leading complex engineering projects, including full ownership of schedules, deliverables, and cross-functional coordination

• Background in new product introduction and the design and launch of new production processes or manufacturing lines

• Strong hands-on foundation across multiple engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, fluids) and experience solving problems using first-principles and structured thinking

#LI-ONSITE #LI-SA1

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.