Senior R&D Engineer

What You Will Be Doing:

We are looking for an engineer with experience working with pulsed power systems to join the Test Operations team. As a Senior R&D Engineer, you will help design, test and operate experimental high-power, high voltage pulsed DC systems up to 40kV. These pulsed power systems will enable us to bring the most powerful, controlled pulsed-fusion device ever constructed online with the goal of generating electrical power. You will report to our Fusion Test Lead at our Everett, WA office.

You Will:

• Contribute to the development and commissioning of high voltage electrical power systems for driving pulsed magnetic coils
• Develop electrical system architecture and work with designers to produce electrical schematics and installation drawings for system upgrades
• Design, assembly, test and deploy high power systems
• Prepare experimental test plans and procedures, and present at test readiness reviews
• Maintain experimental facilities and related support equipment such as capacitors, high-voltage power electronics, data acquisition systems, and diagnostics
• Develop and validate technical specifications to comply with project requirements
• Use critical reasoning to identify strengths and weaknesses of different technical solutions
• Work with control systems, including LabView-based control systems and PXIe-NI chassis-based systems, and solve data collection problems in a high EMI environment.

Required Skills:

• Ph.D. in experimental plasma physics or related field of study; or
• M.S in Aerospace engineering, physics, or related field of study and 4+ years of experience with experimental plasma physics in hands-on environment
• Experience working with magnetized vacuum plasmas, e.g. thrusters, helicon sources, nuclear fusion experimental plasmas
• Hands-on hardware experience with vacuum systems, high pressure gas flow systems, plasma diagnostics, HV pulsed power systems, and data acquisition systems
• Experience in the design, build, and test approach of seeing a technical project through from conception to completion
• Demonstrated ability and desire to rapidly learn new systems
• Demonstrated experience taking on complex problems, defining and accomplishing challenging objectives with minimal guidance
• Experience scripting data analysis routines in a common language (e.g. Matlab, Python, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively as a member of a team

Desirable Skills:

• Experience with writing/using LabVIEW control GUIs
• Experience with National Instruments PXI/DAQ hardware

The pay range for this position is $115k-175k/YR. This pay range may be inclusive of several career levels and will be narrowed based on several factors, including the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

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