Senior Realtime Controls Software Engineer

About Commonwealth Fusion Systems:  Commonwealth 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.
Join the power movement as a Senior Algorithms and Simulation Software Engineer

In this role you will be responsible for the design and implementation of real-time control algorithms, hardware communication, plus models and simulation frameworks necessary to verify those algorithms. Your algorithms will be used in critical, hard real-time applications in the SPARC project, as well as related projects. Your algorithms will generally be implemented in C++ and run as a Linux application.

As a member of the Software Engineering team, you will be a hands-on technical contributor. You will be a champion of writing excellent quality, production-ready code for mission-critical real-time systems. You will collect functional requirements from customers and produce software solutions to meet these requirements.

You will work with a variety of engineers to integrate your software into software testbeds, hardware testbeds, and the production tools. You will also contribute to the broader software ecosystem to improve tooling and processes used across the company.

What you'll do:

Develop mission-critical control algorithms

Develop software to communicate with hardware sensors/actuators

Develop software infrastructure to operate Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) and software-only testbeds

Develop simulation models and model infrastructure for both real-time and off-line (high fidelity) simulations

Develop offline data analysis tools

Help define and execute end-to-end and other integrated test cases and test plans to validate SPARC control software

What we’re looking for:

Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering field (computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, etc.)

7+ years relevant experience

Professional experience writing real-time state estimation and control algorithms

Experience with modern software development lifecycle practices (CI/CD, git version control, unit testing, integration testing, etc)

Proficiency with Python

Proficiency with at least one real-time control language (C++, Rust, etc)

Bonus points for:

• Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop testbeds and software-only testbeds for validating control software
• Experience writing models to validate software
• Familiarity with Linux
• Familiarity with general networking (IP/UDP)

Must-have Requirements:

Perform activities such as typing, standing, sitting, etc. for extended periods of time

Dedication to safety to mitigate industrial hazards that may include heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics

Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call

#LI-Hybrid
At CFS, we excel in fast-paced environments, driven by our values of integrity, execution, impact, and self-critique. As we grow, we’re eager to bring on mission-driven folks who offer diverse perspectives and fresh ways to tackle challenges. We value diversity deeply and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally, regardless 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. This role requires compliance with U.S. laws concerning the export of controlled or protected technologies or information (collectively, “Export Control Laws"). Any offer of employment will be contingent on the need for compliance with such Export Control Laws.