Senior Process Engineer

Senior Process EngineerCommonwealth Fusion Systems is on a mission to deliver the urgent transition to fusion energy. Combining decades of research, top talent, and new technologies, we're designing and building commercially viable fusion power plants. And we're working with policymakers, suppliers, and many others to build the energy industry of the future.We're in the best position to make it happen. Since 2018, we've raised $4 billion of capital, making us the largest and leading fusion company in the world.Now we're looking for more thinkers, doers, builders, and makers to join us. People who'll bring new perspectives, solve tough problems, and thrive as part of a team.If that's you and this role fits, we want to hear from you.CFS is looking for a Senior Process Engineer with deep chemical engineering fundamentals and experience designing, scaling up, commissioning, and operating process systems in large industrial facilities.The ideal candidate comes from an industry such as power generation, petrochemical processing, liquefied natural gas (LNG), industrial gases, chemicals, air separation, cryogenic refrigeration, pulp & paper, or another large-scale process industry. You understand how to translate fundamental process requirements into practical industrial systems and have taken designs from early concepts through Front-End Loading (FEL), detailed engineering, construction, commissioning, start-up, and operation.Fusion power plants bring together process technologies that traditionally span multiple industries. At CFS, you will have the opportunity to work across cryogenic systems including helium and nitrogen, power generation and steam systems, molten salt systems, fueling and gas processing, vacuum systems, and process utilities such as cooling water and instrument air.We are looking for an engineer who understands how these systems behave in the real world because they have personally designed, built, commissioned, operated, or troubleshot industrial process equipment. You should be equally comfortable developing a process design basis, building a heat and material balance, sizing equipment, originating and owning P&IDs, leading a HAZOP, walking down installed piping, supporting start-up, and diagnosing why an operating system is not performing as designed.What you'll do:Own process engineering scope for complex systems from early concept through design, construction, commissioning, start-up, and operationDevelop process concepts and translate fundamental engineering requirements into practical, commercially viable industrial systemsDevelop process design bases, operating envelopes, design cases, process flow diagrams (PFDs), heat and material balances, utility balances, P&IDs, equipment lists, line lists, and process datasheetsApply chemical engineering fundamentals including thermodynamics, phase equilibrium, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, transport phenomena, reaction engineering, separations, process dynamics, and process controlDevelop steady-state and dynamic process models and use engineering analysis to guide system architecture, equipment selection, and operating strategySize and specify process equipment including pumps, compressors, blowers, heat exchangers, vessels, columns, piping systems, control valves, relief devices, and other unit operationsLead process engineering through Front-End Loading (FEL) and progressively mature systems from conceptual design through process definition and engineering definitionEvaluate process alternatives and technical tradeoffs considering performance, safety, reliability, operability, maintainability, capital cost, and lifecycle costDevelop equipment and package specifications, technically evaluate vendor proposals, and work directly with equipment suppliers and fabricatorsLead or contribute to process safety activities including HAZOPs, design reviews, relief and depressurization studies, consequence evaluations, and development of safeguardsDevelop process control philosophies, operating sequences, alarm requirements, permissives, interlocks, and operating limits in collaboration with controls engineers and operatorsPerform multidisciplinary technical reviews to ensure that systems are safe, operable, maintainable, and capable of achieving their intended process functionSupport procurement, fabrication, construction, installation, inspection, and field engineering, including field walkdowns and resolution of design and construction issuesDevelop commissioning plans, test procedures, operating procedures, and start-up strategies and participate directly in commissioning, start-up, performance testing, and operation of process systemsTroubleshoot operating equipment and processes using first-principles engineering, process data, field observations, and structured process investigationsCapture lessons learned from construction, commissioning, and operation and translate them into improvements in process safety, reliability, operability, maintainability, performance, engineering standards, and future designsProvide technical leadership and mentor less-experienced engineers on complex process engineering problemsWhat we're looking for:Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering (or closely related discipline)7+ years of relevant industrial process engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated depth of experienceStrong command of chemical engineering fundamentals including mass and energy balances, thermodynamics, phase equilibrium, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, transport phenomena, unit operations, and process dynamics and controlExperience designing process systems for large-scale industrial facilitiesDemonstrated experience taking process systems through a structured FEL or equivalent stage-gated project development process, from concept and process definition through detailed engineering and executionExperience with process scale-up, technology scale-up, or translating process requirements into commercial-scale equipment and facilitiesDemonstrated experience developing core process engineering deliverables including process design bases, heat and material balances, PFDs, P&IDs, equipment specifications, datasheets, and process calculationsExperience sizing, specifying, and selecting industrial process equipmentHands-on experience operating, commissioning, starting up, performance testing, and troubleshooting industrial process systems and physical equipmentExperience working directly with operators and technicians and using operating data and field observations to diagnose process performanceExperience with process simulation and analysis tools such as EcoSim, Aspen HYSYS, Aspen Plus, AVEVA Process Simulation, or equivalentExperience with process safety and hazard analysis, including HAZOP or equivalent methodologiesExperience with relief system design and overpressure protectionExperience working with and integrating other engineering disciplines including mechanical, piping, instrumentation and controls, electrical, safety, operations, and constructionExperience working directly with equipment vendors, fabricators, EPC organizations, or construction contractorsFamiliarity with applicable process industry codes and standards, including ASME B31.3 and ASME BPVC Section VIIIAbility to clearly express and critique technical ideas, assumptions, risks, and tradeoffsStrong engineering judgment and the ability to recognize when analytical or simulation results do not make physical senseAttention to detail with an emphasis on practical, elegant, and commercially viable engineering solutionsValues that align with our company's values of integrity, execution, impact, and self-critiqueBonus points for:Experience designing, commissioning, or operating large-scale cryogenic systems, particularly helium systemsExperience in power generation, petrochemical, LNG, industrial gases, chemical processing, nuclear, or other large-scale process facilitiesExperience with steam systems, particularly steam generation, steam distribution, condensate, and balance-of-plant systemsExperience designing, commissioning, or operating molten salt systemsExperience designing, commissioning, or operating industrial vacuum or high-vacuum systemsExperience with industrial gas processing, purification, separation, or fueling systemsExperience with large-scale process utilities including cooling water, chilled water, compressed or instrument air, nitrogen, and other plant utility systemsExperience scaling first-of-a-kind technologies from pilot or demonstration scale to commercial operationExperience with dynamic process simulation and control-system developmentExperience with industrial automationLicensed as a Professional EngineerMust-have requirements:Ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionallyPerform activities such as stooping, climbing, typing, standing, and sitting for extended periods of timeWillingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call, including occasional travel to suppliers, contractors, or operating facilitiesWillingness and ability to work hands-on in industrial, construction, commissioning, and