Senior R&D Test Engineer

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 role of a Senior Test Engineer is to seamlessly flex between multiple disciplines and groups to effectively execute tests and projects on aggressive schedules supporting Commonwealth Fusion System’s mission. This engineer will be primarily responsible for testing and retiring risks for CFS’s HTS magnets. They must have a fundamental understanding of mechanical, electrical, materials, fluids and software engineering, or some combination thereof. They will be responsible for the design, build, and commissioning of equipment and/or software in support of development, qualification and production test objectives. They will also be responsible for leading multidisciplinary teams of engineers and technicians to deliver test campaigns successfully. They must work collaboratively across manufacturing, R&D, procurement, and the SPARC team to achieve these goals. It is also the role of the test engineer to constantly push and challenge the requirements, risks, and test objectives that they are given to help the combined stakeholders come to a consensus on why the planned test is required and what data is deemed essential for the outcome to be achieved.

This team member will:

• Perform as a technical expert, a project lead and people leader as necessary to meet the unique project demands
• Mentor and develop team of test and instrumentation and control engineers
• Understand, challenge and maintain well documented requirements and risks for the system or component under test
• Develop test plans highlighting the test objectives, key data that is needed and the instrumentation and controls necessary to obtain this data- Ensure data is reliable
• Design, analyze, review, procure and build test equipment including structures, fluid systems, mechanical systems and electrical systems
• Collaborate with I&C engineers to develop the necessary I&C and data acquisition system
• Maintain documentation, schedule and a budget for the test campaign - Documentation includes: design reviews, wiring lists, P&IDs, schematics, CAD assemblies, drawings, data acquisition systems, and operations software
• Develop test procedures and processes to execute safe test operations
• Troubleshoot and resolve integration and test discrepancies during build, commissioning and operation
• Iterate on designs, equipment and operations for repeat tests to improve test efficiency
• Perform analyses for the system predicting results and develop custom tools to analyze generated data - Compile test results clearly for review
• Lead anomaly investigations and their resolution, and present results to a team of physicists and engineers
• Execute plans for future expansion, including capital equipment and floor layouts, always having a vision for scalability of systems into a larger context
• Provide visions for multi-use test infrastructure that can be scaled for multiple applications

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

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or science field is required; electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or similar, or applied physics degree preferred
• 5+ years' experience as a test engineer on complex electromechanical systems
• 5+ years’ experience with selecting and utilizing instrumentation and control components such as thermocouples, voltage taps, pressure transducers, strain gauges, heaters, flow meters, and solenoid valves
• 5+ years’ experience testing, troubleshooting, and debugging electronics hardware and test software
• Demonstrated ability to lead a complicated multidisciplinary project/project team from conception to completion
• Familiarity with electromagnetic fundamentals – voltage, current, resistance, Ohm’s Law, AC/DC, right-hand rule, solenoids, etc.
• Excellent troubleshooting/pro