Senior Software Engineer, Plant Control

The role

You will design, build, and scale software systems that operate fusion generators and the Orion fusion power plant. You will work across control systems, diagnostics, data infrastructure, operator interfaces, automation, and integration with various engineering teams.

What you will do

• 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
• 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 internal control and diagnostic platforms
• Investigate and introduce new tools, frameworks, and infrastructure
• Apply first-principles thinking to ambiguous technical problems

Required qualifications

• 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

Nice to have

• 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

Benefits

• 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

About the company

Helion is a fusion power company based in Everett, WA, with the mission to build the world's first fusion power plant. The company has raised $1.5 billion from investors to propel its mission forward.