Zap Energy is looking for a Pulsed Power Engineer to join our team in San Diego. The San Diego Zap team is a small, highly experienced pulsed power group, focused on component development for power plant-relevant scale fusion systems. As part of the team, you will work closely and directly with principle pulsed power architects and designers to safely and effectively implement testing, collect test data, and provide results and suggested improvements. Office and labs are in San Diego and San Marcos. This is a full-time, on-location position. Hybrid and remote arrangements are not available for this role.

Responsibilities:

Maintain excellent safety environment and complete all safety training on time.
Design and implement high voltage pulsed power components, test fixtures, and assemblies that are manufacturable, professional, and commercially applicable.
Test high voltage pulsed power components and systems safely and effectively.
Participate in engineering development process including conducting design reviews, and team/project meetings.
Follow established development processes and workflows and use industry best practices.
Participate in Review and Planning (R&P) activities supporting company, team, and personal periodic milestones and goals, and have regular 1:1 discussions with manager.
Communicate effectively using various tools including email, Slack, Confluence, Jira, Microsoft Office.

Qualifications:
Required:

BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Applied Physics or similar
4-7 years experience with Pulsed Power/High Voltage Electronics design and testing
Experienced with high voltage pulsed power systems (20kV+, 100kA+, 10’s ns – 100us’s) and architectures including marx generators, LTD, high energy capacitor banks
Familiar with typical pulsed power components such as spark gap switches, thyristors, capacitors,
Understands pulsed power diagnostics such as rogowskis, high voltage probes, b-dot / magnetic probes
Familiar with 3D FEA modeling tools for Electrostatic, transient dynamic, and circuit modeling
Proficient with Ansys Maxwell 3D
Experienced with high voltage safety equipment and procedures such as safing capacitor banks, discharge and grounding sticks, high voltage energy dump systems
Enjoys working in the lab, has good lab housekeeping habits, comfortable developing, assembling, and using test fixtures for high voltage systems
Knowledgeable in various insulating systems including vacuum, pressurized insulating gas like SF6, breakdown in air, and insulating materials like polymers and ceramics
Experienced with hi-potting and high voltage power supplies
Good communication skills developing project plans and providing status and reporting to management and stakeholders
Strong testing and troubleshooting skills. Competent with typical electronics bench tools such as oscilloscopes, probes, signal generators, power supplies, impedance analyzers
Decent soldering and rework skills

Preferred:

Familiar with PCB development and tools such as Altium or KiCad, PCB manufacturing, and PCB testing
Experience with control systems
Programming in Python, C, or NI Labview
Familiar with power electronics and switch mode power supplies
Experienced using solid modeling tools like Solidworks

Travel:

12%- 25% (Once every 4-8 weeks) to headquarters in Seattle and various other locations for vendor visits, professional conferences, and similar

Benefits of joining Zap Energy - While doing meaningful work is rewarding in itself, we also offer the following programs and benefits for all employees: 

Competitive salary and benefits 
Premium medical / dental / vision insurance 
Flexible vacation and paid company holidays

The estimated salary range for this position is $110-160k. Candidates may be considered for other positions at Zap Energy and actual salary will be based on relevant education, experience, and other qualifications. Range is published in accordance with Washington Equal Pay and Opportunity Act.

Zap Energy is building a low-cost, compact, and scalable fusion energy platform that conﬁnes and compresses plasma without the need for expensive and complex magnetic coils. Zap’s sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch technology provides compelling fusion economics and requires orders of magnitude less capital than conventional approaches. Zap Energy has approximately 150 team members in multiple facilities near Seattle and is backed by leading ﬁnancial and strategic investors.

Zap Energy Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations.

Questions on this position can be sent to [email protected].

About the company

Zap Energy designs and commercializes fusion energy using plasma confinement with a sheared-flow stabilized Z-pinch. The system uses electric currents and magnetic fields to compress plasma until fusion occurs, seeking a more compact and potentially lower-cost path to fusion compared with traditional approaches. The company monetizes through licensing and selling its technology to large energy providers and government entities, supported by patents and ongoing development. Differentiation comes from its specific Z-pinch approach, emphasis on licensing, and focus on bringing a scalable fusion solution to market rather than building full-scale power plants alone. The goal is to provide a clean, abundant energy source by enabling fusion power generation for customers through its technology licensing and partnerships.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series D

Total Funding

$337.8M

Headquarters

Everett, Washington

Founded

2017

Get referred to Zap Energy

See people who can refer or advise you

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

DOE validation on May 19, 2026 strengthens fundraising and customer credibility.
Zap raised about $327 million total, giving it unusual endurance among fusion startups.
Johal said April 29, 2026 fission work should generate revenue within a year.

What critics are saying

April 2026 fission pivot dilutes management focus and confuses investors.
Zap still has no commercial electricity sales; revenue claims target 2027, not 2026.
If fission revenue and fresh capital stall, Zap faces shutdown before fusion commercialization.

What makes Zap Energy unique

Zap Energy’s sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch avoids giant laser and magnet systems.
On April 29, 2026, Zabrina Johal unified fission, fusion, and hybrid nuclear development.
DOE approved Zap’s May 19, 2026 preconceptual pilot-plant milestone for a 50 MW design.

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Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Paid Vacation
Paid Holidays
401(k) Retirement Plan

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-2%

1 year growth

-3%

2 year growth

-2%

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