Fast Software and Control Systems Team Leader

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy. 

CFS is collaborating with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with new groundbreaking high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. 

The mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. 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. 

If you are interested in joining our team, check out cfs.energy/careers for more information.

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy.

CFS is collaborating with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with new groundbreaking high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. The mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. 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 execute this plan, we are looking to add talented people to the team who are mission-driven and treat people well, improve our team by adding diverse perspectives and new ways of solving problems, have demonstrated exceptional results through a range of different pursuits, and have skill sets and experience that relate to this role.

SPARC has a wide variety of instrumentation and control (I&C) systems across the tokamak and supporting plant systems necessary for operation. The SPARC I&C team seeks an exceptional leader to manage development of fast real-time control and data systems for the SPARC tokamak. SPARC senses thousands of physical measurements while controlling MA of current to superconducting magnets and MW of RF power to the plasma. These closed-loop systems must control at rates substantially greater than 1 kHz and must sample some parameters in the MHz range. These systems must interface with the SPARC plasma control system, data system and other plant I&C systems running on industrial control platforms.

As leader of the fast software and control systems team you will first build a team of outstanding engineers. Your direct reports will include software, data acquisition and control system engineers. As your team grows, you will need to create standard platforms for fast control and data acquisition. You will collect functional requirements from plant and tokamak engineers, operations engineers, and plasma physicists and produce measurement and control solutions to meet these requirements.

You will work with simulation and test engineers to integrate your software into software testbeds, hardware testbeds, and the SPARC tokamak. The culmination of your team’s work will control SPARC through first plasma, fusion operations, and the first time a controlled fusion reaction produces more energy than it consumes.

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.