Staff Control Systems Engineer

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 Staff Control Systems Engineer to design, develop, integrate, and test control, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems for the Integrated Eos Stellarator. This role combines hands-on engineering with substantial technical contributions across real-time control, industrial automation, supervisory control, machine protection, and high-speed diagnostics.

The Staff Control Systems Engineer will translate plant and physics requirements into implementable, testable solutions and collaborate with subsystem owners, engineers, vendors, and research partners to resolve technical interfaces. The role contributes throughout the engineering lifecycle, from requirements and architecture through implementation, integration, verification, and commissioning readiness.

Key Responsibility Areas:

• Design, develop, integrate, and verify control, instrumentation, and data acquisition solutions for assigned Eos systems, from requirements and architecture through commissioning readiness.
• Share technical expertise and mentor control software, automation, instrumentation, and data acquisition engineers through design collaboration, code review, and troubleshooting. Coordinate technical work with colleagues across disciplines and locations.
• Define functional, physical, software, and communication architectures that implement the plant control strategy and integrate cleanly with the overall Eos control system architecture.
• Develop operating modes, control narratives, sequence logic, machine protection functions, safety interlocks, fail-safe behavior, and emergency shutdown concepts for high-value plant equipment.
• Design and integrate EPICS, SCADA, PLC, DCS, HMI, real-time embedded, and supervisory control solutions appropriate to subsystem performance and reliability needs.
• Develop and document subsystem interfaces using protocols and services such as OPC UA, Modbus RTU/TCP, TCP/IP, and other deterministic or real-time communication technologies.
• Develop and integrate instrumentation and fast data acquisition solutions, including signal conditioning, isolation, grounding, shielding, low-latency streaming, and FPGA- or PXI-based solutions where appropriate.
• Translate physics, operations, and systems-engineering requirements into specifications, interface control documents, architecture diagrams, control logic descriptions, validation plans, and test procedures.
• Coordinate technical interfaces across vacuum, cryogenic, plasma heating, power supply, diagnostic, utility, safety, and supervisory-control systems.
• Work with suppliers and collaborators to evaluate proposed designs, resolve integration issues, and review control hardware and software packages against technical requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Establish disciplined software and configuration-management practices, including code review, automated testing, continuous integration, deployment, traceability, and release controls.
• Contribute to design reviews, trade studies, and resolution of technical risks. Develop and execute factory and site acceptance tests, integrate systems, troubleshoot hardware and software, and support commissioning.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in electrical engineering, control systems, computer engineering, physics, or a related technical discipline, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• 10 or more years of experience developing integrated control, automation, embedded, instrumentation, or data acquisition systems for complex, high-reliability environments.
• Demonstrated experience making substantial technical contributions to multidisciplinary engineering work, reviewing designs, mentoring engineers, and collaborating across disciplines or locations.
• Demonstrated ability to architect and deliver systems that combine industrial controls, supervisory control, real-time software, and hardware interfaces.
• Hands-on experience with EPICS or a comparable distributed-control framework, SCADA/HMI systems, and PLC-based automation.
• Experience defining machine protection, interlock, fail-safe, or emergency-shutdown logic for valuable or safety-significant equipment.
• Proficiency in C or C++, Python, and Linux or real-time operating environments used for control and data acquisition.
• Working knowledge of industrial and network protocols such as OPC UA, Modbus RTU/TCP, and TCP/IP.
• Experience integrating instrumentation or high-speed data acquisition, including at least one FPGA, PXI, CompactRIO, LabVIEW, or comparable hardware-software platform.
• Ability to produce clear specifications, interface control documents, architecture diagrams, test plans, operating procedures, and design-review evidence.
• Hands-on experience with integration, acceptance testing, troubleshooting, and commissioning-readiness activities involving internal teams and external suppliers.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and sound technical judgment in multidisciplinary engineering environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with nuclear fusion, particle accelerators, large scientific facilities, defense systems, advanced energy systems, or other first-of-a-kind high-reliability programs.
• Experience delivering control systems for ITER, DIII-D, JT60-SA, or a comparable large-scale scientific collaboration.
• Knowledge of IEC 61508, IEC 61511, nuclear quality practices, or other safety-related control-system standards and workflows.
• Experience with Siemens, Beckhoff, Allen-Bradley, or comparable PLC platforms and with CS-Studio or Phoebus operator interfaces.
• Hands-on experience with real-time embedded Linux, RTOS-based systems, deterministic control loops, digital signal processing, or FPGA development.
• Familiarity with distributed timing and communication technologies such as DDS, PTP, White Rabbit, or comparable deterministic networking approaches.
• Experience with MATLAB, Simulink, plant or subsystem dynamic modeling, or model-based control design.
• Experience using Git, Docker, Jenkins, GitLab CI, or comparable configuration-management and continuous-delivery tools in an engineering environment.
• Exposure to predictive control, digital twins, machine learning, or data-driven diagnostics for complex plant systems.

Company Benefits:

• Salary range: $180,000-$230,000
• Comprehensive health benefits (e.g. medical/dental/vision)
• Employee equity stock options
• 20 days PTO

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.