Director - Electrical Engineering Systems

Job description

**About Thea Energy:** Thea Energy is leveraging recent breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster and simpler approach to commercializing fusion energy. The company is reinventing the stellarator using computer-controlled arrays of planar coils thereby replacing the intricate, complex modular magnets required in all other stellarator architectures. Thea Energy is on a mission to create a limitless source of zero emission energy for a sustainable future. **Position Overview:** Thea Energy is seeking a Director - Electrical Engineering Systems to lead electrical system design and execution for the Company’s upcoming Eos integrated stellarator. This leader will manage and grow three tightly coupled engineering groups: - Electrical Distribution (facility and plant electrical architecture and integration) - Power Electronics (development of high-power converters and HTS magnet power supplies) - Electronics Systems Engineering (embedded control and instrumentation electronics, including custom PCBAs) This role will own the end-to-end delivery of electrical systems from architecture and requirements through detailed design, prototyping, vendor engagement, test, installation support, and commissioning readiness. The Director will serve as a key cross-functional partner to systems engineering, controls and software, mechanical engineering, safety, and program management, ensuring electrical designs are buildable, testable, safe, and integrated. As part of a rapidly growing team, you’ll be part of the organizational build-up of a leading fusion energy company. This role will have a high degree of autonomy and must be able to move quickly. The Thea Energy team is comprised of self-motivated, creative, and fun individuals with an excitement for solving complex problems. ### Key Responsibility Areas: - Lead and mentor a multi-disciplinary organization spanning power systems, power electronics, and embedded electronics, including hiring, performance management, career development, and team structure. - Establish engineering operating rhythm: planning, prioritization, technical reviews, staffing plans, and decision-making processes. - Set technical direction and ensure consistent engineering quality across requirements, architecture, implementation, verification, and documentation. - Own the plant-level electrical architecture, including utility interface, substation and distribution design, grounding and protection philosophy, and power quality and reliability strategy. - Guide system modeling and simulation efforts including load flow, short-circuit, and transient studies, and ensure models remain consistent with evolving load envelopes and operating modes. - Lead integration strategy for compensation and storage assets such as STATCOM for load shaping, ride-through capability, and power recovery as applicable. - Own the technical interface to external engineering, procurement, and construction partners and utilities, including technical specifications, design reviews, and factory and site acceptance participation. - Oversee development of high-power converters and magnet power supplies, including topology selection, protection concepts, thermal strategy, and integration with embedded controls. - Develop test strategy and execution: prototype bring-up, staged-load validation, failure mode exploration, parameter tuning, and readiness evidence for integration. - Own hardware architecture for embedded control and instrumentation electronics that interface power conversion hardware, diagnostics, and control firmware. - Lead electromagnetic compatibility and noise mitigation strategy across boards, cabinets, and system integration boundaries. - Partner with systems engineering to translate device requirements into electrical requirements, interface definitions, and verification plans. - Run evidence-based technical gates and design reviews, with clear entry and exit criteria and configuration control. - Own delivery artifacts such as requirements, interface definitions, design packages, test plans, and acceptance evidence to support procurement, installation, and commissioning. - Maintain a strong safety culture including electrical safety, hazard analysis inputs, and design choices that support safe installation and operations. - Provide hands-on leadership in lab and field environments, coordinating with technicians and test teams for build, wiring, installation support, and debug. ### Ideal Experience & Skillsets: - Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering or equivalent. - 10 or more years of relevant experience spanning two or more of the following: power systems, substation and distribution, power electronics, embedded electronics, controls hardware, industrial electrical infrastructure. - 5 or more years of engineering management experience leading multi-team organizations, including hiring and performance leadership. - Demonstrated experience owning complex system development from architecture through prototype validation and integration. - Strong foundation in electrical safety, high voltage and high-power engineering practices, and engineering standards and documentation discipline. - Strong cross-functional communication skills and experience driving technical decisions across physics, mechanical, controls software, safety, and program teams. - Experience delivering electrical systems for fusion, accelerator facilities, advanced nuclear, large industrial plants, or other high power research facilities. - Experience with utility interconnection processes, protection coordination, and power quality mitigation. - Experience with battery energy storage systems, static compensators, and dynamic load environments. - Experience establishing verification and validation processes and configuration control for hardware programs. - Familiarity with electromagnetic compatibility practices for high power switching environments and mixed-signal instrumentation. - Power system analysis: ETAP, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, PSCAD, SKM, CYME. - Power electronics simulation and design: PLECS, LTspice, Simulink, Altium or OrCAD. - Electronics design and lab: Altium or OrCAD, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power analyzers, electronic loads. ### Requirements: - Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs. - Ability to perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods of time. - Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call. - Ability to work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics. #LI-RD1 ### Company Benefits: - Salary range $185,000-$280,000 - Comprehensive health benefits (e.g. medical/dental/vision) - Employee equity stock options - 20 days PTO