Senior Program 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.
We are looking for a talented Program Engineer to join our Program Management Office (PMO), which has responsibility for tracking and supporting the successful implementation of CFS’s SPARC plant. SPARC will be the first machine to operate equipped with high temperature superconducting magnets at an unprecedented high level of power.

This team member will initially provide project management support to the Instrumentation & Control engineering teams within the SPARC project, including:

• Support in developing & maintaining detailed schedules related to design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and operations activities
• Identifying schedule critical paths within assigned systems
• Identifying Key Decisions, Risks, and Inputs from other systems and integrate into schedule
• As needed, supporting in-field work during construction/integration/assembly to monitor activities and report on progress in alignment with Construction Manager needs
• Working with other members of the SPARC team to coordinate and facilitate Design Reviews (CDRs, PDRs, FDRs)

For the overall project, as a member of the Project Management Organization, the Program Engineer also:

• Supports the full SPARC schedule integration
• Supports schedule conflict resolution
• Tracks and reports SPARC progress back to PMO & Head of SPARC
• Facilitates collaboration between the PMO, system leads and other SPARC project team members to create more efficient project methods, efficient project communication, standards and reporting channels between groups
• Leads implementation of strategic process improvement plans and act as a catalyst to resolve diverse objectives and competing priorities within the SPARC team
• Completes other activities as needed to support successful project execution.

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

• Minimum 5 years of experience in engineering or project management working in the field of instrumentation and control; Knowledgeable of the process to engineer, design and construct complex industrial projects.
• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in an engineering field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Possess a thorough understanding of project management, planning, and scheduling methods and techniques.
• Experience working on complex systems and in a wide range of engineering disciplines, including mechanical, electrical and other areas.
• Exceptional planning, organizational, and time management skills.
• Attention to safety.
• Strong interpersonal and technical communication skills.
• Strong leadership abilities; comfortable taking on exciting challenges with minimal supervision. 
• Dynamic and creative: Thrives in a fast-paced environment where several interdependent technologies are being developed simultaneously. Welcomes the opportunity of generating ideas and performing analysis based on inputs and requirements that are subject to change. 
• Team oriented: Comfortable and energized by working in a team with a wide variety of backgrounds and skillsets. You welcome constructive feedback and different perspectives.

Additional preferred experience and/or qualifications:

• Excellent people skills.
• Experience working with Jira, Confluence.
• Experience with scheduling tools such as MS Project, P6 or equivalent.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, in both written and oral settings.
• Self-starter who executes tasks reliably and independently, as part of a collaborate team.
• Strong organizational skills, including the demonstrated flexibility to thrive in a fast-paced, startup company environment.