What You Will Be Doing:You will contribute to the fabrication, scale-up, and deployment of advanced ceramic and CMC components, taking materials from lab-scale development through small-scale prototypes to full-scale functional hardware designed for extreme fusion environments. You will report to the Manager of Nuclear Ceramics, in this onsite role located at our Everett, WA office.
You Will:- Lead high-impact, multi-disciplinary projects focused on ceramic processing, forming, densification, and scale-up for materials operating under fusion generator conditions, including high neutron radiation.
- Drive the translation of ceramic materials from laboratory formulations to prototype parts and full-scale components, ensuring repeatability, performance, and manufacturability at each stage.
- Contribute to the delivery of Helion's inorganic hardware needs, including plasma containment vessels, electrical insulators, resistive components, and structural ceramics, with hands-on ownership of fabrication methods.
- Serve as the internal ceramics fabrication owner, acting as the "go-to" person for scalable ceramic processing routes, scale-up risks, vendor capabilities, and production readiness across the company.
- Navigate an environment with technical obstacles and evolving requirements, balancing fabrication risk, schedule, and performance without compromising delivery.
- Partner with internal Helion teams, external vendors, national laboratories, and universities to develop scalable ceramic fabrication capabilities, qualify processes and suppliers, and close technical gaps.
- Represent Helion in technical discussions, supplier reviews, and conferences related to ceramic processing, prototyping, and scale-up.
Required Skills:- Demonstrated achievement performing bulk and CMCs ceramic process development and fabrication for a material or component used in a commercial product or integral to a large, single-unit system (e.g., engines, turbines, reactors, or large pressure vessels).
- 8+ years of industry experience in ceramics or materials engineering, including delivering projects from lab development through prototype fabrication to full-scale components, including design reviews.
- Proven experience planning and executing ceramic component development efforts guided by milestone schedules, with accountability for hardware delivery.
- Hands-on experience with ceramic powder processing, forming, firing, post-processing, testing, and characterization.
- Experience using ceramic processes to produce large ceramic components and implementation of strategies to reduce scale-up risks.
- Desired but not required: experience with radiation-exposed ceramics or extreme environment testing.
- A strong bias for action, with the ability to learn through rapid prototyping, hands-on fabrication, and iterative scale-up, executing with urgency in high-uncertainty environments.
#LI-Onsite #LI-TM1
BenefitsOur total compensation package includes benefits, including but not limited to:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision plans for employees and their families
- 31 Days of PTO (21 vacation days and 10 sick days)
- 10 Paid holidays, plus company-wide winter break
- Up to 5% employer 401(k) match
- Short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance
- Paid parental leave and support (up to 16 weeks)
- Annual wellness stipend
