Firmware Engineer

About Helion

We are a fusion power company based in Everett, WA, with the mission to build the world's first fusion power plant, enabling a future with unlimited clean electricity. Our vision is a world with clean, reliable, and affordable energy for everyone.

Since Helion's founding in 2013, we have raised over $1 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group and new investors SoftBank and Lightspeed to propel us forward. Our last prototype, Trenta, completed 10,000 high-power pulses and reached plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius (9 keV). Now, we're turning up operations for Polaris, working towards delivering the world's first fusion power plant.

More than ever, it's a pivotal time to join us and have the opportunity to solve real challenges to create a better energy future. You will see first-hand how we value urgency, rigor, ownership, and hard truths, knowing it will take each to do what no one has before. Joining us, you will push the boundaries of what's possible and transform humanity for the better - because the world can't wait.

What You Will Be Doing:

We are looking for a Firmware Engineer to help us improve, scale, and increase scope of in-house control and diagnostics capability. You will write and maintain firmware running on thousands of deployed embedded devices controlling and monitoring tens of thousands of sensors and other endpoint devices. You will brainstorm other novel and unique control and diagnostics features, quickly prototyping those ideas and eventually helping scale those ideas to exciting levels. This role requires onsite presence, and you will report directly to our Lead Electrical Engineer at our Everett, WA, office.

You Will:

Work closely with the physics and engineering teams building Helion’s Fusion Power Plant

Collaborate with hardware and software engineers to efficiently connect hardware capabilities with software data pipeline tools

Create command line interfaces and automations to accelerate hardware bring-up and scaled testing

Troubleshoot complex problems with debuggers, logic analyzers, and oscilloscopes

Leverage fundamental electrical engineering knowledge in analog and digital circuit design to build, debug, and test embedded hardware

Rapidly iterate on prototype concepts to solve unique, one-of-a-kind problems such as extremely precise and accurate voltage measurements, precision time synchronization across thousands of embedded devices, and more

Required Skills:

BS or higher in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering, and 0-2 years of industry experience.

Experience with Embedded C, real-time MCU development

Strong understanding of UART, SPI, and I2C and experience peripheral devices (sensors, memory, etc)

Strong circuit fundamentals and test equipment knowledge such as basic power circuit topologies, MCUs, analog/digital circuits, power budgets, data budgets, memory budgets, etc

Experience with Python

Desired Skills:

Experience with FPGAs, Verilog HDL, Xilinx, and or Vivado

Experience with soft-core processors

Experience with EtherCAT, SCADA, and/or PLCs

Experience with precision timing protocols

#LI-Onsite #LI-KL1

Total Compensation and Benefits

Helion's compensation package includes a competitively benchmarked base salary, meaningful equity grants, and comprehensive benefits. Final compensation is determined through a holistic evaluation of your experience, qualifications, and our commitment to internal equity - ensuring fairness and transparency across our teams. We are committed to fostering a fair and equitable environment in every aspect of our operations, including compensation.

This is an exempt salaried role.

Annual Base Pay

$80,500—$110,500 USD

Benefits

Our total compensation package includes benefits, including but not limited to:

Medical, Dental, and Vision plans for employees and their families

31 Days of PTO (21 vacation days and 10 sick days)

10 Paid holidays, plus company-wide winter break

Up to 5% employer 401(k) match

Short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance

Paid parental leave and support (up to 16 weeks)

Annual wellness stipend

NOTE: Underrepresented people are less likely to apply unless they meet 100% of the job's requirements. We believe in hiring people, not checklists, and encourage you to apply even if you do not check all of the boxes. If this job isn't the one, we have many other openings that may be a fit.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. If we reach out to you to begin an interview process, we will also ask if you require any reasonable accommodation at that time.