Position Overview:Thea Energy is seeking an experienced and motivated Program Controls Lead to own the integrated master schedule for our fusion development program. This is a highly visible, individual contributor role within the Program Management team. You will turn uncertain, evolving plans across engineering, procurement, manufacturing, and integration into a schedule that leadership trusts, and you will flag early when plan and reality diverge. This role acts as a force multiplier by giving the organization a clear view of the critical path, risks, and trade-offs.
Key Responsibility Areas:- Build, maintain, and own the integrated master schedule across engineering, procurement, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning workstreams.
- Develop schedule logic, milestones, and interdependencies with technical leads, and challenge durations and assumptions constructively.
- Identify and communicate the critical path, near-critical paths, and key schedule drivers.
- Run schedule risk analyses and turn the results into mitigation options and decision-ready recommendations.
- Track progress, forecast completion, and report variances and trends to leadership and stakeholders on a regular cadence.
- Manage baselines and schedule change control, and integrate vendor and long-lead procurement schedules into the IMS.
- Partner with Program Managers and integrate cost control and risk management to keep schedule, budget, and risk data consistent across the program.
Ideal Experience & Skillsets:- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical field.
- 5+ years leading building and owning integrated master schedules (IMS) for large, complex hardware or capital programs in fusion, nuclear, aerospace, defense, or large-scale construction.
- Expert-level proficiency in Smartsheet, Primavera P6, or Microsoft Project, including resource-loaded, logic-driven schedules, critical path analysis, and baseline and variance management.
- Demonstrated experience with schedule risk analysis (e.g., Monte Carlo) and turning results into mitigation options and clear recommendations.
- Ability to work deeply with technical teams (physics, magnet engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, supply chain) to build credible logic and challenge durations and assumptions constructively.
- Experience scheduling first-of-a-kind or R&D-heavy work with uncertain durations, iterative design, and long-lead custom hardware, without forcing false precision.
- Working knowledge of program controls practices, including earned value management (EVM), cost and schedule integration, and change control.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to distill complex schedules into clear drivers, risks, and decisions for leadership audiences.
- Comfortable operating in a fast-moving startup environment, with high ownership and ambiguity.
Company Benefits:- Salary range: $130,000 - $180,000
- Comprehensive health benefits (e.g. medical/dental/vision)
- Employee equity stock options
- 20 days PTO
It's not necessary to meet all of the skillsets outlined above. Please feel free to send us a note and tell us why you would still be a great fit for this role or Thea Energy.
