Electrical R&D 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:

The Electrical R&D Engineer designs, builds, commissions, and supports electrical and power supply systems for Thea Energy's technology development programs. The work moves quickly from concept to hardware and includes prototype equipment, experimental test stands, and new electrical infrastructure for high-temperature superconducting magnet test facilities.

This position requires substantial hands-on experience with commercial off-the-shelf power supplies and with custom power supply system development. The engineer is expected to build hardware, measure its performance, diagnose faults, and revise designs rapidly as test requirements evolve. Close coordination with the controls team is essential because power commands, sensor feedback, protection functions, and operating sequences must work as one system.

Key Responsibility Areas:

• Rapid prototype delivery. Turn test objectives and preliminary requirements into working electrical hardware on short development cycles. Build proof-of-concept circuits, bench setups, temporary test equipment, and durable test stand assemblies; use measurements and test results to guide each design iteration.
• Test stand electrical infrastructure. Design and build electrical distribution for new and modified test stands, including load definitions, single-line diagrams, panels and enclosures, conductors, connectors, grounding and bonding, circuit protection, emergency isolation, interlocks, and equipment interfaces. Support infrastructure for HTS magnet testing and other high-current experiments.
• Commercial power supply system integration. Evaluate, select, configure, and integrate commercial laboratory and industrial power supplies. Confirm voltage, current, transient response, ripple, regulation, communications, protection behavior, cooling, duty cycle, and derating against the actual load and test sequence.
• Custom power supply system development. Design, assemble, and validate bespoke power supplies and power conversion hardware when commercial equipment cannot meet program needs. Address converter topology, switching devices, magnetics, gate drives, sensing, control interfaces, protection, thermal management, packaging, and serviceability.
• Current and voltage sensing. Select and apply appropriate current and voltage measurement technologies, including shunts, Hall-effect and fluxgate sensors, current transformers, Rogowski coils, voltage dividers, isolated amplifiers, and industrial transducers.
• Controls integration. Work closely with controls engineers to connect commands, setpoints, status signals, current and voltage feedback, trips, permissives, and interlocks to power supply control systems. Define signal ranges, scaling, isolation, grounding, connector pinouts, failure states, timing, and acceptance tests.
• Troubleshooting and root cause. Diagnose power supply trips, unstable regulation, unexpected heating, damaged components, wiring faults, control-interface problems, sensor errors, and intermittent failures. Use measurements and circuit analysis to identify root causes, implement corrective actions, and verify the repair.
• EMI/EMC and noise control. Investigate conducted and radiated noise, switching transients, common-mode and differential-mode coupling, ground loops, and measurement contamination. Apply grounding, shielding, filtering, cable routing, segregation, snubbers, and layout changes appropriate to the failure mechanism.
• Engineering documentation. Maintain calculations, schematics, single-line diagrams, PCB files, bills of material, wiring and cable information, assembly instructions, test procedures, configuration records, commissioning results, troubleshooting findings, and as-built documentation.
• Fabrication and supplier coordination. Work directly with technicians, machine and electronics shops, component suppliers, and equipment vendors to source parts, resolve build issues, review substitutions, and keep prototype work moving.
• Test campaign support. Support installation, operations, urgent troubleshooting, repairs, and hardware changes during active test campaigns. Coordinate electrical work with controls, mechanical, magnet, cryogenic, safety, facilities, and program teams.

Ideal Experience and Skillsets:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Five or more years of relevant experience in electrical R&D, power electronics, prototype development, test engineering, or electrical systems for research or industrial test facilities.
• Extensive hands-on experience rapidly building, wiring, modifying, and testing prototypes and test stands rather than working only at the analysis or specification level.
• Demonstrated experience selecting and integrating commercial power supplies and developing custom power supplies or power-conversion hardware for specialized loads.
• Hands-on PCBA experience, including schematic capture, layout review, assembly support, rework, bring-up, and circuit debugging. Proficiency with Altium Designer is required.
• Practical knowledge of current and voltage sensing and experience connecting sensors, commands, feedback, trips, and interlocks to power-supply control systems.
• Experience commissioning and troubleshooting electrical and power-supply systems using disciplined, measurement-based methods.
• Working knowledge of EMI and EMC, grounding, shielding, filtering, cable routing, and noise troubleshooting in mixed-signal and high-power environments.
• Strong electrical safety judgment and experience working with high current, high voltage, stored energy, and energized test equipment.
• Ability to communicate clearly, document work as it evolves, and coordinate daily execution with controls engineers, technicians, and other technical teams.

Preferred Technical Experience:

• Power conversion. Switching and linear power-supply design; rectifiers, DC-DC converters, inverters, MOSFETs, IGBTs or SiC devices; gate drives; magnetics; snubbers; current regulation; thermal design; high-current magnet supplies.
• Electrical infrastructure. Single-line diagrams, load calculations, distribution panels, switchgear, breakers and fuses, contactors, disconnects, grounding and bonding, cable and connector selection, enclosure layout, and equipment labeling.
• Measurement and sensing. Shunts, Hall-effect and fluxgate sensors, current transformers, Rogowski coils, voltage dividers, isolated amplifiers and transducers, signal conditioning, calibration, bandwidth, accuracy, and common-mode behavior.
• PCBAs and Altium. Altium Designer, schematic capture, multilayer PCB review or layout, creepage and clearance, grounding and return paths, component derating, design for manufacture and test, bring-up, rework, and failure analysis.
• Controls interfaces. Analog and digital I/O, isolated signals, hardware trips and permissives, embedded or industrial communications, command and feedback scaling, grounding, timing, and control system checkout.
• Laboratory practice. Oscilloscopes, differential and high-voltage probes, current probes, power analyzers, electronic and resistive loads, hipot and insulation testers, thermal imaging, data acquisition, and safe staged-power testing.
• Relevant facilities. HTS or other magnet test stands, fusion devices, accelerators, advanced energy systems, aerospace test systems, or other research facilities that combine high power, instrumentation, controls, and rapidly changing experimental hardware.

Company Benefits:

Salary Range: $110,000 - $140,000 per year
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.