Senior Software Engineer, Plant Control

What You Will Be Doing

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Plant Control team, you will design, build, and scale the software systems that operate Helion’s fusion generators and the Orion fusion power plant. You will work across control systems, diagnostics, data infrastructure, operator interfaces, automation, and integration with electrical, mechanical, firmware, and science teams.

This is a generalist software role for someone who is comfortable moving between architecture and implementation, prototypes and production systems, and high-level plant design and hands-on machine operation. You will own software that interfaces with real hardware, supports rapid engineering iteration, and helps turn experimental fusion systems into reliable power plant infrastructure.

You will work onsite at our Everett, WA office.

• Design, build, and maintain software for plant control, diagnostics, automation, and operator workflows
• Own interfaces that connect distributed sensors, actuators, controllers, databases, and visualization tools
• Design and build reliable tools for monitoring machine health, system performance, test execution, and plant operations
• Create and improve graphical user interfaces for engineers, operators, and scientists working with fusion machines and testbeds
• Architect and implement software that supports real-time control, data acquisition, and system coordination
• Work with Electrical Engineering, Firmware, Mechanical Engineering, IT, Operations, and Science teams to integrate software with complex hardware systems
• Improve the reliability, usability, and scalability of Helion’s internal control and diagnostic platforms
• Investigate and introduce new tools, frameworks, and infrastructure that accelerate engineering development
• Apply first-principles thinking to ambiguous technical problems where the right answer is not yet obvious
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience
• Demonstrated experience of end-to-end ownership of complex software projects
• Strong programming ability in a systems programming language such as C++, Rust, or similar
• Experience with Python or another high-level orchestration language
• Experience building software that interfaces with hardware, sensors, instruments, control systems, or other real-world systems
• Comfortable working in Linux environments
• Experience designing maintainable software systems, including testing, version control, debugging, and deployment practices
• Ability to work across the full software lifecycle, from requirements gathering and prototyping through production support
• Strong systems-level problem-solving skills and ability to debug issues across software, hardware, networks, and data flows
• Ability to collaborate closely with engineers and scientists from multiple disciplines
• Willingness to work onsite and stay close to the hardware, operators, and users of the systems you build
• Experience with distributed control systems, industrial automation, SCADA, PLCs, or machine control
• Experience with the V-model of development, including requirements definition, verification, validation, and traceability
• Experience with precision timing, synchronization, PTP, or deterministic systems
• Experience with embedded Linux, real-time systems, or low-level systems programming
• Experience with time-series databases, data pipelines, and visualization tools such as InfluxDB, Grafana, or similar platforms
• Experience building operator interfaces, internal engineering tools, dashboards, or data-rich GUIs
• Experience with Docker, CI/CD, configuration management, or deployment automation
• Experience working in high-energy systems, aerospace, robotics, manufacturing, power systems, scientific instrumentation, or other complex hardware environments

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