Staff Control Systems Engineer, Safety & Interlock Systems
Thea Energy
With an account: save jobs, track applications, build tailored resumesAlready have an account? Log in
- Location
- Kearny, NJ
- Work style
- On-site
- Job type
- Full time
- Posted
- Nov 5
- 2 days ago
Build resumeBuild cover letterGenerate interview prepBuild resumeBuild cover letterGenerate interview prep
Career path
See where this role leads
Jigup maps the next three moves from a job like this one, with the titles and the skills each step asks for.
About the company
Thea Energy
Renewables & environment · 11 to 50 employees
Thea Energy is leveraging recent breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster and simpler approach to commercializing fusion energy. The company is reinventing the stellarator using computer-controlled arrays of planar coils thereby replacing the intricate, complex modular magnets required in all other stellarator architectures. Thea Energy is on a mission to create a limitless source of zero emission energy for a sustainable future.
What you'll do
- Define the overall control system architecture
- Select core technologies
- Design platforms
- Manage technical interfaces between major control subsystems
- Work with subsystem teams, vendors, and collaborators
- Ensure the architecture meets real-time performance, reliability, scalability, and regulatory requirements
What you need
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, controls engineering, automation, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
- Typically 8 or more years of relevant controls or electrical engineering experience, including hands-on design, programming, integration, and commissioning of PLC-based control systems with safety or interlock functions.
- Demonstrated experience delivering controls for personnel access, interlocks, or protective shutdown systems in fusion facilities, particle accelerators, synchrotrons, spallation sources, or comparable large scientific facilities.
- Practical understanding of functional safety requirements and experience applying IEC 61508, IEC 61511, IEC 62061, or ISO 13849, as relevant, to control hardware, application software, and verification activities.
- Hands-on experience programming, integrating, and validating safety PLCs, safety-rated I/O, interlock circuits, and field devices. Experience with Rockwell Automation GuardLogix, Siemens SIMATIC F systems, or comparable platforms.
- Ability to translate functional and safety requirements into electrical designs, PLC logic, and measurable acceptance criteria, with documented traceability and configuration control.
- Experience designing personnel access controls, emergency shutdown functions, and safe interfaces to hazardous equipment or processes.
- Strong electrical design and troubleshooting skills, including schematic development, control panel integration, instrumentation, and testing of complete safety loops.
- Experience with system integration, commissioning, functional testing, and maintenance or proof testing of safety systems in an operating facility.
- Ability to resolve control system interface issues across disciplines, explain design tradeoffs clearly, and produce electrical, software, and test documentation suitable for engineering reviews.
- Direct experience with fusion plant safety controls, superconducting magnets, high-energy power systems, RF heating, neutral beam systems, or radiation-generating equipment.
- Experience integrating radiation protection, oxygen deficiency monitoring, gas detection, laser safety, or cryogenic safety systems into a facility safety architecture.
- Experience supporting reliability or safety integrity assessments through hardware failure analysis, diagnostic implementation, response-time evaluation, and proof-test design.
- Familiarity with applicable US electrical and machinery safety practices and standards, such as NFPA 70, NFPA 70E, and NFPA 79, and experience working with safety and compliance specialists to define the project requirements.
- Experience with EPLAN or comparable electrical design software, PLC development environments, requirements and configuration management tools, and interfaces to SCADA or scientific control environments such as EPICS.
- Functional safety training or certification, such as CFSE, CFSP, or a recognized functional safety engineer qualification, particularly where applied to PLC-based control system implementation.
- Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
- Ability to perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods of time.
- Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call.
- Ability to work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics.
Key skills
control system architectureplasma controlpower supply controlcryogenic controlsafety systemsdata acquisition
Keywords for your resumePro
The words this employer's screening is likely to look for.
This job lists resume keywords
The terms this posting uses, pulled out so you can mirror them in your resume. Jigup Pro members see the list on the job board.
See full description on company page, apply now
Read the full posting here
About Thea Energy:
Thea Energy is leveraging recent breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster and simpler approach to commercializing fusion energy. The company is reinventing the stellarator using computer-controlled arrays of planar coils thereby replacing the intricate, complex modular magnets required in all other stellarator architectures. Thea Energy is on a mission to create a limitless source of zero emission energy for a sustainable future.
Position Overview:
Thea Energy is seeking a Control Systems Engineer/Architect to work on the design of the control system for the Integrated Eos Stellarator. This role will define the overall control system architecture, select core technologies, design platforms, and manage technical interfaces between all major control subsystems including plasma control, power supply control, cryogenic control, safety systems, and data acquisition.
As a senior technical specialist, the Control Systems Architect will work closely with subsystem teams, vendors, and collaborators to ensure that the architecture meets real-time performance, reliability, scalability, and regulatory requirements. This role is pivotal in shaping the next-generation control infrastructure for one of the most innovative stellarator-based fusion pilot plants in development.