Head of Software- SPARC

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy.
CFS is collaborating with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with new groundbreaking high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. The mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. CFS has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by the world’s leading investors, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. To execute this plan, we are looking to add talented people to the team who are mission-driven and treat people well, improve our team by adding diverse perspectives and new ways of solving problems, have demonstrated exceptional results through a range of different pursuits, and have skill sets and experience that relate to this role.
To meet our goals, we need to deploy fusion software to thousands of power plants around the world. Our software will carry a rare union of characteristics: control loops exceeding 1 kHz, critical national infrastructure with robust cybersecurity protection, and a regular fleet-wide deployment cadence as we constantly improve our physics algorithms to generate additional electricity and revenue. The Head of SPARC Software will be responsible for overall software development for the SPARC plant and tokamak. Your responsibilities will include development, test, and deployment of the software for realtime control, simulation, test, and user interfaces. You will need to grow our software development program and team. You will also help determine how to partner with the global fusion software community in pursuit of fusion power. The ideal candidate for this role is a proven world-class software development leader with substantial experience in hard realtime control systems and heavy hardware-software integration in a safety-critical application. Industrial plant experience is a strong benefit.

Primary responsibilities will Include but are not limited to:

• Grow, lead, and manage the SPARC software teams focused on both sub-millisecond control of a complex electromagnetic system (the tokamak), and slower control of industrial systems in the supporting plant
• Define the software development life cycle and develop company software policies with the R&D and manufacturing teams
• Develop the software integration, test, and deployment framework
• Guide strategic company decisions on software and tokamak operations
• Coordinate with plasma physicists, operations engineers, and plant and tokamak system owners to document SPARC software requirements 
• Manage strategic software partnerships with industry-leading companies and research institutions
• Determine how to successfully transition from SPARC software running on a demonstration tokamak to a grid-ready ARC deployment

Required Experience:

• 7+ years experience developing or managing deterministic realtime control software from concept to delivery
• Detailed knowledge of closed-loop hardware/software interactions
• Demonstrated expertise in software development process definition, hardware/software integration, and delivery of a mission-critical product
• Software development and test practices which enable teams to rapidly improve their code while ensuring high quality and reliability
• Demonstrated experience leading teams of software engineers in a demanding yet exhilarating work environment

Preferred Experience:

• Broad embedded system software development experience including bare-metal code, driver, OS platform, and realtime application development
• Integration of MATLAB / Simulink control models into a realtime system
• PLC code development for industrial plant control applications 
• Working with and contributing to open-source software and ensuring compliance with license restrictions

Knowledge/Skills:

• C/C++, compiled systems programming languages
• Python, scripted programming languages
• Preferred: FPGAs, Machine learning

CFS team members thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and have demonstrated exceptional results through a range of different pursuits. We all tightly align with our company values of integrity, execution, impact and self-critique. As we grow, we are looking to add talented people who are mission driven and bring diverse perspectives and new ways of solving problems.
At CFS, we deeply value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.