Senior Safety Engineer

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy.

CFS collaborates with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with groundbreaking new high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. Our mission is to deploy these power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. To that end, 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 implement this plan, we are looking to add dedicated people to the team who treat people well, improve our work by adding multifaceted perspectives and new ways of solving problems, have achieved outstanding results through a range of pursuits, and have skills and experience related to this role.

We are seeking a Senior Safety Engineer to join our Environmental, Health, Safety, and Security (EHSS) team.  Reporting directly to the Director of Project Safety, this role will be our fusion power plant (we call it SPARC) safety expert and will serve as a leader to ensure the safe construction, assembly, commissioning and operation of novel systems and applications throughout our fusion power plant.

This role is onsite at our Devens MA campus. This is not a hybrid or remote role.

This role may include on-call responsibilities requiring the ability to be onsite within 1 hr.

• Demonstrate expertise with the safety programs, procedures, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and response actions for a comprehensive range of power plant activities.
• Conduct frequent project walks focused on safe work practices including coaching conversations with workers when corrections are required.
• Participate in and contribute to project planning to address hazards from multiple work crews in one area (SIMOPS).
• Review high hazard work prior to execution to include critical lifts, confined space entries, high voltage work, hot work, pressure testing, fall protection plans, etc. 
• Lead and document incident investigations to determine root cause, prevention and corrective measures.
• Educate and align SPARC Project Stakeholders on various safety concepts to include, but not limited to:
• o   Safety Hierarchy of Controls
• o  Lockout Tagout
• o Arc Flash and Electrical Safety
• o   Confined Space Entry and Rescue
• o   Fall Protection Program
• o   Personal Protective Equipment
• o   Material Safety Data Sheet/Global Harmonized System
• o   Heat Stress and Cold Stress
• o   Safety Incident reporting
• Conduct or facilitate safety training sessions
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Project Safety

• Bachelor’s Degree in a Safety field or a related technical field and about 8 years of related experience OR about 10 years of related experience in a high-risk industry
• Significant experience in technical environments with electro-mechanical systems, power plants, advanced software and utility equipment concepts
• Strong facilitation skills and ability to work from a position of credible influence based on technical knowledge versus a position of direct authority
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs
• Perform activities such as standing, walking, climbing stairs and ladders and entry to limited access spaces in an industrial plant envelope the majority of each day

• Professional certification such as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Associate Safety Professional (ASP), General Safety Practitioner (GSP) or other related certification preferred
• Extensive experience working either in a power generation plant or similar capacity related to a grid-connected power utility
• Working knowledge and competence of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) or Human Performance Improvement concepts and practices
• Dedication to safety to mitigate industrial hazards that may include heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, and cryogenics
• Willingness to travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally
• #LI-Onsite

Examples of the unique and novel systems we are currently engineering include:

●      A Cryogenic System (CRYO) removes heat from the tokamak to keep the superconducting magnets operating down to 8°Kelvin (-445°F). CRYO consists of a distribution system with vacuum-jacketed lines interfacing with the fusion reactor to supply cold helium. The cryoplant is a helium Brayton cycle plant that rejects the heat to the liquid nitrogen and cooling water systems.

●      A Radio Frequency Heating System (RFHT) serves as the heat source to bring the plasma up to and sustain operating temperatures, utilizing Ion Cyclotron Resonant Heating. The system is built up of a series of transmitters that convert electrical power to Radio Frequency power, a transmission system, and ultimately an antenna system to send the signals into the tokamak.

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.