Full-Time

Principal Chemical Engineer

Updated on 12/24/2024

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

501-1,000 employees

Develops and commercializes fusion energy systems

Energy

Compensation Overview

$150k - $250kAnnually

Senior, Expert

Devens, MA, USA

Onsite position in Devens, MA.

Category
Manufacturing Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Required Skills
Supply Chain Management
Requirements
  • BS in Chemical, Mechanical, or Nuclear Engineering or a related field
  • 7+ years of experience in the engineering of integrated thermofluid and chemical processing systems, from conceptual design through commissioning
  • Experience with R&D hardware development
  • Experience with scale-up of novel chemical processes
  • Experience traveling to manage vendors at their sites, willing to travel occasionally
  • Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, technical staff and others
  • Ability to clearly express and critique ideas
  • Great communication and organizational skills
  • Strong problem solving skills, ability to approach new problems with creativity
  • Work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics
  • Willingness to travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally
Responsibilities
  • Design, Build, and test chemistry control technologies for molten salt, specifically as related to hydrogen behavior and redox control
  • Scale-up benchtop-level processes to power-plant-relevant quantities of salt
  • Own technology selection and development for key chemical processes relevant to the salt blanket including around: salt production, salt purification, enrichment, online chemistry control, and tritium extraction
  • Identify, communicate, and manage risks around large-scale salt chemical processing. Develop hardware testing strategies to quantify and mitigate key risks
  • Act as technical expert to provide input on salt processing both internally and externally
  • Work closely with other CFS teams including: Supply Chain team to manage development of external supply chains of molten salts, Safety team to manage chemical hazards (including beryllium) in existing and new experimental test articles, ARC Design Team
Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

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Commonwealth Fusion Systems focuses on developing fusion energy as a clean and sustainable power source. The company utilizes advanced magnet technology, created in partnership with MIT, to build smaller and more affordable fusion systems called tokamaks. These devices use magnetic fields to contain plasma in a toroidal shape, which is essential for achieving fusion. Currently, CFS is manufacturing high-temperature superconducting magnets and constructing SPARC, the first fusion machine designed for commercial energy production. The success of SPARC will lead to the development of ARC, the first fusion power plant. CFS differentiates itself from competitors by its commitment to scientific integrity and a mission-driven approach, aiming to provide cost-competitive fusion energy to help address climate change.

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$2B

Headquarters

Harvard, Massachusetts

Founded

2018

Growth & Insights
Headcount

6 month growth

14%

1 year growth

42%

2 year growth

106%
Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • CFS plans to build the world's first commercial fusion power plant in Virginia.
  • Increased interest in superconductors benefits CFS's magnet technology innovation.
  • U.S. Department of Energy funding supports CFS's SPARC and ARC projects.

What critics are saying

  • Potential delays in Virginia plant construction could impact CFS's timeline.
  • Reliance on rare-earth materials exposes CFS to supply chain vulnerabilities.
  • Competition from other fusion startups could dilute CFS's market share.

What makes Commonwealth Fusion Systems unique

  • CFS uses rare-earth barium copper oxide superconductor technology for energy development.
  • CFS collaborates with MIT to leverage decades of fusion research and innovation.
  • CFS is building SPARC, the world's first commercially-relevant net energy fusion machine.

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Benefits

12.5 Company-wide Holidays

Our vacation policy is 'take vacation'

Our sick time policy is 'get better and try not to make others sick'

Generous parental leave policy

Health Reimbursement

Health, Dependent Care, & Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Accounts

Delta Dental, Blue 20/20 Vision optional

Wellbeing / Headspace coverage

Short-term & long-term disability

Life and AD&D insurance

401K