Senior Materials Engineer, Ceramic Fabrication

About the role

You will lead high-impact, multi-disciplinary projects that take ceramic materials from laboratory formulations through small-scale prototypes to full-scale components designed for extreme fusion environments. You will own the fabrication, scale-up, and deployment of advanced ceramic and CMC components, ensuring repeatability and performance under demanding conditions. You will act as the internal ceramics fabrication owner and the go-to person for scalable ceramic processing routes, risks, and production readiness. You will partner with internal Helion teams, external vendors, national laboratories, and universities to qualify processes and suppliers while closing technical gaps. You will represent Helion in technical discussions, supplier reviews, and conferences related to ceramic processing and scale-up. You will navigate evolving requirements and technical obstacles, balancing fabrication risk, schedule, and performance without compromising delivery. You will contribute directly to plasma containment vessels, electrical insulators, resistive components, and structural ceramics for fusion generators. This role is critical to delivering the hardware needed for Helion's mission of building the world's first fusion power plant.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Lead high-impact, multi-disciplinary projects focused on ceramic processing, forming, densification, and scale-up for materials operating under fusion generator conditions, including high neutron radiation.
• Drive the translation of ceramic materials from laboratory formulations to prototype parts and full-scale components, ensuring repeatability, performance, and manufacturability at each stage.
• Contribute to the delivery of Helion's inorganic hardware needs, including plasma containment vessels, electrical insulators, resistive components, and structural ceramics, with hands-on ownership of fabrication methods.
• Serve as the internal ceramics fabrication owner, acting as the "go-to" person for scalable ceramic processing routes, scale-up risks, vendor capabilities, and production readiness across the company.
• Navigate an environment with technical obstacles and evolving requirements, balancing fabrication risk, schedule, and performance without compromising delivery.
• Partner with internal Helion teams, external vendors, national laboratories, and universities to develop scalable ceramic fabrication capabilities, qualify processes and suppliers, and close technical gaps.
• Represent Helion in technical discussions, supplier reviews, and conferences related to ceramic processing, prototyping, and scale-up.
• Execute hands-on fabrication and testing while applying a strong bias for action, learning through rapid prototyping, iterative scale-up, and high-uncertainty environments.
• Maintain strict accountability for hardware delivery against milestone schedules, ensuring timely design reviews and component acceptance.
• Support the development and qualification of ceramic components for plasma containment, electrical insulation, and structural applications under demanding thermal and radiation environments.
• Implement strategies to reduce scale-up risks, optimize fabrication methods, and ensure consistent performance across prototype and production hardware.
• Collaborate with materials characterization teams to validate ceramic properties, diagnose failure modes, and guide process improvements.
• Document fabrication processes, results, and decisions to build institutional knowledge and enable repeatable, scalable production.
• Contribute to defining long-term ceramic roadmaps that align with Helion's timeline for achieving fusion power plant readiness.

Requirements

• Demonstrated achievement performing bulk and CMCs ceramic process development and fabrication for a material or component used in a commercial product or integral to a large, single-unit system (e.g., engines, turbines, reactors, or large pressure vessels).
• 8+ years of industry experience in ceramics or materials engineering, including delivering projects from lab development through prototype fabrication to full-scale components, including design reviews.
• Proven experience planning and executing ceramic component development efforts guided by milestone schedules, with accountability for hardware delivery.
• Hands-on experience with ceramic powder processing, forming, firing, post-processing, testing, and characterization.
• Experience using ceramic processes to produce large ceramic components and implementation of strategies to reduce scale-up risks.
• A strong bias for action, with the ability to learn through rapid prototyping, hands-on fabrication, and iterative scale-up, executing with urgency in high-uncertainty environments.
• Desired but not required: experience with radiation-exposed ceramics or extreme environment testing.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future for this role.
• Must be willing to relocate to Everett, WA for this role.
• Must be willing to commute to Everett, WA for this role.
• Must be able to start within 60 days.
• Must be able to pass a background check.
• Must be able to sign an employment agreement with Helion.
• Must be able to meet all Helion hiring requirements as defined in the job description.
• Must be able to accept the role as described.
• Must be able to participate in team meetings and collaborate with cross-functional partners.
• Must be able to maintain confidentiality and adhere to Helion policies.
• Must be able to follow all safety and quality procedures.
• Must be able to use standard office and fabrication tools as required.

Nice to have

• Experience with radiation-exposed ceramics or extreme environment testing.

Practical notes

• Onsite
• 40 hours per week
• Travel: None
• Visa: Must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future
• Deadline: Must be able to start within 60 days