Director - Mechanical Engineering

Own the technical baseline for primary and secondary mechanical fusion systems, including requirements, design, development, analysis, verification, though manufacturing, commissioning, and operation.

Drive system-level trades across relevant performance domains (e.g. thermal, structural, electromagnetic, nuclear, vacuum, cryogenic).

Maintain accountability for the key performance metrics that define system success.

Define and enforce interface controls.

Work with core system-level development teams to define requirements.

Lead system design and development, addressing the complex 3D non-axisymmetric geometry unique to stellarators.

Drive disciplined design trades balancing performance, manufacturability, and schedule.

Own the analysis campaigns required to demonstrate system feasibility and adequate margin under all operating conditions (normal operation, off-normal events, transients).

Partner with manufacturing and fabrication engineering to ensure all components can be built, inspected, and assembled within realistic tolerances.

Address stellarator-specific fabrication challenges driven by non-axisymmetric geometry and tight tolerance requirements.

Own the assembly sequence and integration plan for systems within the overall machine build.

Serve as the system-level integrator for system interfaces.

Work with Systems Engineering & Configuration Management to define and maintain interface control documents, requirements flow down, and configuration baselines.

Coordinate across engineering tools to establish CAD/CAE/PLM workflows and simulation infrastructure.

Make scope and schedule trade-offs, escalating risks and decision points with clear technical rationale.

Build, lead, and develop the integrated engineering team, spanning multiple disciplines.

Define work packages, priorities, and deliverables across the team.

Maintain technical risk registers and drive mitigation plans to closure.

Build and maintain a technically rigorous team culture, setting expectations for analysis quality, design rigor, and documentation standards.