Electrical Engineering Manager

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:

The Electrical Engineering Manager is accountable for the engineering execution and operating readiness of electrical and power supply systems used by Thea Energy's technology development programs. The work covers prototype equipment, experimental test stands, and facilities used to test superconducting magnets. The manager turns approved program requirements into systems that can be built, commissioned, operated, maintained, and modified safely.

The manager leads a multidisciplinary team of electrical engineers, power electronics engineers, electronics design engineers, technicians, and other specialists. This is a hands-on leadership role with responsibility for the team's daily priorities, technical coordination, field execution, and delivery evidence.

Key Responsibility Areas:

• Team direction. Set clear work ownership and goals for direct reports. Provide coaching, technical guidance, and performance feedback. Conduct reviews and recommend hiring, promotion, compensation, and development actions.

• Program planning. Translate program milestones into engineering work packages, resource estimates, schedules, review points, and acceptance criteria. Track progress, risks, dependencies, and recovery actions across concurrent development efforts.

• Cross-functional coordination. Build collaboration across multi-disciplinary engineering and program teams and resolve working-level interface issues.

• Test facility electrical design. Develop the detailed electrical architecture for assigned test stands and prototype equipment. Produce load lists, single-line diagrams, equipment specifications, cable and conductor sizing, panel and switchgear designs, grounding and bonding details, and equipment interfaces.

• Power system studies. Perform or coordinate load-flow, short-circuit, protection coordination, transient, and power quality studies. Keep models aligned with approved equipment, operating modes, and credible fault conditions.

• Power conversion. Lead development and integration of high-power converters, DC power supplies, superconducting magnet power supplies, and approved energy storage or compensation equipment. Coordinate thermal, sensing, protection, and controls interfaces.

• Electronics hardware. Oversee analog, digital, mixed-signal, power, and embedded control hardware. Guide component selection, schematic and PCB design, design review, prototype bring-up, design for manufacture, design for test, and hardware release.

• Engineering definition. Define electrical requirements, interface documents, verification methods, and acceptance criteria with systems engineering and equipment owners. Maintain configuration control as prototypes and test programs evolve.

• Supplier execution. Manage the technical execution of approved supplier work packages, including submittal review, interface coordination, test witnessing, and acceptance evidence.

• Build test and commissioning. Lead working-level design reviews, prototype bring-up, load testing, FMEA, RCA, factory and site acceptance tests, installation, commissioning, and troubleshooting.

• Electrical safety. Implement electrical protection, isolation, interlocks, emergency responses, lockout and tagout provisions, and fail-safe behavior. Contribute to hazard analyses and verify protective functions before release.

• Electromagnetic compatibility. Control electromagnetic interference and noise across boards, cabinets, cables, grounding, shielding, high-power switching equipment, instrumentation, and mixed-signal interfaces.

• Lifecycle reliability. Establish inspection, preventive maintenance, spare parts, obsolescence, and change control practices for assigned systems. Investigate recurring failures and improve availability, serviceability, and maintainability.

• Engineering record. Maintain the engineering record for assigned systems, including calculations, models, drawings, schematics, bills of material, cable and wiring schedules, test procedures, configuration baselines, operating instructions, maintenance instructions, and acceptance records.

Ideal Experience & Skillsets:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in electrical engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

• Six or more years of engineering experience across at least two relevant areas such as industrial or facility power systems, electrical distribution, high-power electronics, power conversion, custom electronics hardware, embedded control hardware, or electrical systems for complex test facilities.

• Three or more years of experience directly supervising engineers or leading an engineering team with responsibility for work assignment, coaching, performance feedback, and delivery.

• A record of delivering complex electrical or power supply systems from requirements and design through prototype validation, integration, commissioning, and operational support.

• Strong electrical safety judgment in high-voltage and high-current converters, stored energy systems, and industrial environments, including protection, grounding, isolation, interlocks, and safe test planning.

• Experience with requirements, interfaces, verification planning, design reviews, configuration control, technical documentation, schedules, risks, and supplier execution.

• Clear communication across technical disciplines and willingness to work directly with equipment during build, commissioning, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

Preferred Technical Experience:

• Power systems. Electrical distribution, switchgear, transformers, protection relays, grounding and bonding, short-circuit and coordination studies, power quality, harmonics, transient behavior, and dynamic loads.

• Power electronics. High-power converters, rectifiers and inverters, DC power supplies, superconducting magnet power supplies, energy storage or compensation systems, gate drives, sensing, protection, control, and thermal management.

• Electronics hardware. Analog, digital, mixed-signal, and embedded electronics; schematic capture and PCB layout; component derating; prototype bring-up; hardware debugging; and design for manufacture and test.

• Engineering tools. ETAP, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, PSCAD, SKM, CYME, PLECS, LTspice, MATLAB and Simulink, Altium Designer, OrCAD, or equivalent tools.

• Laboratory practice. Oscilloscopes, logic and power analyzers, electronic loads, high-voltage and current probes, insulation and hipot test equipment, and safe load testing.

• Relevant facilities. Fusion devices, superconducting magnet test facilities, accelerators, advanced nuclear or energy systems, aerospace test systems, or other large scientific or high-power industrial facilities.

Company Benefits:

• Comprehensive health benefits (e.g. medical/dental/vision)
• Employee equity stock options
• 20 days PTO

$150,000 - $185,000 a year

Diversity and Inclusion:

Thea Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a company of diverse backgrounds. By creating a diverse environment, we will bring new ideas and approaches to solving some of the world’s hardest (and most important) problems. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, family or marital status, age, disability, veteran's status, or other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations.