Manager, Welding Engineering

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 Materials Department at CFS supports design engineers, supply chain, and manufacturing by selecting materials and processes, unambiguously defining materials and processes, validating and measuring those materials and their properties, and conducting R&D to develop new materials and processes to enable fusion power deployment. The work is undertaken in support of delivering SPARC, the net energy tokamak under construction in Devens, MA, and ultimately in designing the ARC fusion power plant. These devices pose unique materials challenges including neutron fluxes produced by deuterium-tritium fusion, high heat loads, molten salt coolant systems, complex component topologies, high magnetic fields, and high cryogenic mechanical loads. To support this mission, the CFS Materials Department is seeking a Manager for the welding engineers team. This team supports welding process development for both in- and out-of-house superconducting magnet and tokamak assemblies. The welding engineering team works collaboratively across disciplines to develop weld geometry and techniques, weld specifications, and inspection methods needed for CFS components.

This team member will:

• Mentor, coordinate, and line manage a small team of welding, joining, and materials engineers
• Maintain and grow CFS cultural values of integrity, self-critique, impact, and execution while
• supporting and growing team members
• Develop welding and non-destructive test processes and certification plans in compliance
• with appropriate standards and codes
• Translate component/system performance requirements and failure modes into joining
• process requirements and defining appropriate test methods to measure/validate those
• processes
• Develop and qualify Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) and Procedure Qualification Records (PQR) for manual and automated welding procedures
• Provide manufacturability feedback to design engineers for weld geometries and material selection
• Select and commission welding equipment needed to support production and create maintenance plans
• Work with in-house welders and external vendors to weld and inspect large metallic structures and tooling within specified timelines and budgets
• Provide on-demand subject matter expertise for production root cause analyses and corrective action plans related to as-fabricated assemblies
• Influence make vs. buy decisions and work with external vendors to augment internal capabilities
• Collect, organize, and present process/quality data to a broad team
• Plan and establish budgets and schedules for welding R&D
• Represent CFS Materials Engineering in design and manufacturing reviews
• Report on team activities, challenges, and successes

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

• BS in welding engineering (preferred), metallurgy, or a related field and 8 years professional experience, including 3 in management or supervisory roles.
•  Experience with large metallic structures and manufacturing processes related to machining, welding, drilling, and non-destructive test methods
• Experience taking products from R&D into production, including developing welding techniques to transition from manual to automated processes
• High self-motivation and drive to execute quickly with excellent troubleshooting/problem-solving skills
• Proficiency in CAD for tooling design is preferred (NX & Teamcenter is a plus)
• Experience in project management
• Safety practices as they pertain to welding, cutting, and joining processes
• Agile project management and task execution
• Strong problem solving skills, ability to approach new problems with creativity
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientist