Description
Director - Electrical Engineering Systems
Team: Electrical and Control Systems Engineering
Location: Kearny, NJ
Commitment: Full-time
Workplace Type: onsite
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.
Company Benefits:
- Salary range $120,000-$240,000
- Comprehensive health benefits (e.g. medical/dental/vision)
- Employee equity stock options
- 20 days PTO
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.
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.
Diversity and Inclusion:
Thea Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a company of diverse backgrounds. By creating a diverse environment, we will bring new ideas and approaches to solving some of the world’s hardest (and most important) problems. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, family or marital status, age, disability, veteran’s status, or other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations.
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