Director SPARC Plant Operations at Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Massachusetts, United States

Commonwealth Fusion Systems Logo
Not SpecifiedCompensation
Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
Fusion Energy, EnergyIndustries

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in an engineering field or equivalent experience
  • 10+ years experience in the operations of large process facilities, such as power plants, scientific facilities, or process manufacturing facilities
  • Experience operating large process systems, such as a power plant, chemicals, oil/gas, cryogenics, or others
  • Experience managing salaried and hourly staff
  • Strong people management skills of both small and large teams
  • Leadership, team-building, and mentoring skills for both engineers and technicians
  • Demonstration of the ability to build trust with front line employees and identify issues first hand
  • Executes long-term departmental strategy using sound judgment to align tactical initiatives with overall organizational goals
  • Ensures cross-functional alignment through proven, effective communication with diverse stakeholders and executive leadership
  • Ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment
  • Strong attention to safety and the creation of a safety culture
  • Bonus: Operational experience with first-of-a-kind facilities or other new technology
  • Bonus: Experience commissioning (inferred from incomplete text)

Responsibilities

  • Recruit, hire, and onboard a high-performing team of plant operators, technicians, and support staff
  • Develop and implement comprehensive training programs, including initial qualification, continuing training, and specialized skill development
  • Develop and manage shift schedules, on-call rotations, and vacation planning to ensure 24/7 operational coverage and readiness
  • Foster a strong, positive, and safety-first culture within the operations team
  • Oversee all daily pre-operational checks and plant startup/shutdown procedures
  • Manage all operational consumables (e.g., gases, cryogens, chemicals, diesel fuel, etc.)
  • Develop and maintain plant operations manuals, procedures, and emergency response protocols
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive plant maintenance strategy, incorporating preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance
  • Plan and manage the schedule for all maintenance windows, minimizing downtime and maximizing plant availability
  • Oversee the execution of all maintenance activities, ensuring work is performed safely, to a high standard, and documented correctly
  • Track key reliability metrics to understand overall performance
  • Champion a culture of continuous improvement by actively identifying opportunities to enhance safety, reduce operational costs, and increase plant efficiency and reliability
  • Lead cross-functional teams to execute continuous improvement projects using Root Cause Analysis and other similar methodologies
  • Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for plant operations and use data-driven insights to guide improvement initiatives

Skills

Team Recruitment
Onboarding
Training Programs
Shift Scheduling
Safety Culture
Preventive Maintenance
Kaizen
Plant Startup
Plant Shutdown
Consumables Management
Operations Manuals
Emergency Procedures

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Develops and commercializes fusion energy systems

About Commonwealth Fusion Systems

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 confine plasma in a toroidal shape, which is an effective method for achieving fusion. Currently, CFS is manufacturing high-temperature superconducting magnets and constructing SPARC, the first commercially-relevant net energy fusion machine. The success of SPARC is intended to 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, focusing on delivering cost-competitive fusion energy to help combat climate change. The ultimate goal is to provide a reliable and abundant energy source for energy providers and industries that require significant power.

Harvard, MassachusettsHeadquarters
2018Year Founded
$1,958.7MTotal Funding
GRANTCompany Stage
EnergyIndustries
501-1,000Employees

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

Risks

Competition from companies like TAE Technologies could impact CFS's market position.
Reliance on rare-earth materials poses supply chain risks.
Public perception of nuclear fusion technology remains uncertain.

Differentiation

CFS uses rare-earth barium copper oxide superconductor technology for energy development.
CFS collaborates with MIT for advanced fusion research and magnet technology.
CFS is building SPARC, the first commercially-relevant net energy fusion machine.

Upsides

CFS plans to build the world's first commercial fusion power plant in Virginia.
Increased investment in fusion energy startups indicates strong investor interest.
Government net-zero targets align with CFS's clean energy mission.

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