Head engineer job description

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.

A new class of high-field superconducting magnets will enable the SPARC tokamak to demonstrate net energy from fusion for the first time. To execute this plan, we are now looking to add a Head of Engineering to our growing team in Milpitas, CA.

This individual will be responsible for helping lead the engineering team to design, build, and implement advanced R&D equipment. This equipment presents a host of challenges including large, robust, and ergonomic high-vacuum chambers; components operating under extreme conditions such as high temperatures; large temperature gradients; complicated component manipulation; large pressure differentials; tight mechanical tolerances; and high uptimes. Applicants will have a strong track record of leading world-class engineering teams in the design and implementation of cutting-edge complex machinery.
This team member will:Work within a multi-disciplinary, world-class team of top scientists and engineers to provide technical programmatic leadership by supporting staffing plans, hiring plans, and training plans Provide strong leadership skills to deliver complex, next-generation machinery on time and to budget Contribute to the technical design of complex machinery via strong mechanical engineering CAD and FEA abilities Report on and be accountable to the Head of Superconductor R&D for project progress, schedules, resources, and costs Work with the Head of Superconductor R&D to define technical development needs, required personnel, and to execute on project deliverables Manage large complex engineering projects within tight budget and schedule constraints Anticipate bottlenecks, provide escalation management, anticipate and make trade-offs that balance the business needs vs. technical constraints
The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of these requirements:At least a bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering field (e.g., mechanical)10+ years of experience leading world-class teams in fast-paced environments to design, procure, construct, and operate novel, next-generation complex machinery Demonstrated experience managing engineering design teams of 10 or more people including technical tasks, scheduling, and budgets Expertise with advanced 3D modeling, finite element analysis, and other simulation methodologies The ability to conceive novel solutions to challenging problems An exceptional safety record and attention to detail Expertise with engineering systems operating in challenging environments Expertise in applying Semi-S8, ASME, ACI, ASTM, and other mechanical standards to design solutions
Additional preferred experience and/or qualifications:Perform activities such as standing, and sitting for extended periods of time Dedication to safety to mitigate hazards
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.

Xero is a beautiful, easy-to-use platform that helps small businesses and their accounting and bookkeeping advisors grow and thrive.

At Xero, our purpose is to make life better for people in small business, their advisors, and communities around the world. This purpose sits at the centre of everything we do. We support our people to do the best work of their lives so that they can help small businesses succeed through better tools, information and connections. Because when they succeed they make a difference, and when millions of small businesses are making a difference, the world is a more beautiful place.

The Site Reliability Engineering team ensures that Xero's customers can have confidence in our platform. We enable product and technology teams to build a reliable experience for our customers using world-class tools and practices.

We develop products that help Xero Engineering teams deliver highly available and performant systems. Our products help by exposing valuable context, supporting coordination, and by making ownership decisions easier. We also provide incident management support, coaching, and specialist reliability consulting.

As Head of Engineering you play a critical role in evolving our engineering capability, practices and culture, both within the SRE team and globally across Xero.

What you'll do:Build and maintain an SRE engineering strategy that augments product strategy, and furthers the Xero technology strategy Ensure SRE products are secure, performant and highly available.Create an inspiring work environment and drive for engineering excellence using both known ways of working and experiments to learn new ways of working Participate in our product and engineering leadership team to ensure engineering initiatives are appropriately represented in planning and in product roadmaps Ensure that the performance of all engineering teams is actively measured and monitored. Identify and resolve impediments as quickly as possible Grow your teams by ensuring the right training and tooling is available to teams to balance working styles, experience, capability and career aspirations Lead your direct reports and enable them to thrive in the organisation, support them in their career development and goals Collaborate with your peers in other areas to share knowledge and work on common initiatives

What you'll bring with you:Passion for software engineering excellence and enabling teams to succeed in their endeavours Experience with building and managing strong teams of technical people Self-awareness and empathy Growth mindset, you understand that competency is not fixed but is enhanced through dedication and hard work An ability to build trust and credibility with stakeholders across all levels of the business Strong leadership and coaching skills Experience managing change and an ability to bring clarity for the people you lead
is our people.
It's a diverse and inclusive environment, with people who will respect, challenge, support and mentor you to do the best work of your life. We're a place where innovation and change are not only encouraged but also celebrated. We value our people and want them to enjoy and take pride in their work.
We're very supportive of flexible working arrangements and offer a competitive remuneration package including shares and life insurance, in addition to your base salary. We have a culture we're proud of. Whether you're after a workplace with a social vibe, or a workplace which understands your family is priority - Xero is all of that and more.
Our work environment encourages continuous improvement and career development and you'll get to work with the latest technology too.
Our culture is one we're immensely proud of - from the moment you step through our doors, you'll feel welcome.
Xero is an NZ Immigration Accredited Employer and Rainbow Tick certified too.

Be a pioneer in modern communication using technologies 🚀

Architect & lead one of the most impactful projects of a generation: rethinking human communication, starting with the deaf & hard-of-hearing.

Ava started as a mobile and cloud-based deep-learning system that can uniquely daisy chain mobile devices' microphones to accurately live-transcribe any conversation. As users brought it in massé at work and school, the platform quickly added human curation through live professional transcribers, multiple languages, and web & desktop compatibility.

We're looking for an experienced Engineering Leader to empower a sharp AI-driven engineering team and the architecture of our systems to be able to reach the next level of scale.

If you've successfully led and scaled an engineering team of our size, you have a strong technical acumen and are able to bring together business and product units to collaboratively build a coherent engineering roadmap, and are looking to make a huge impact on society, this is an ideal position for you.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-Remote
You'd be perfect for this role if You have a strong desire to manage, empower and grow a team of engineers from 8 to 50 (and beyond), wanting to really develop yourself as a great engineering leader.You still want to grow your technical chops, and expect to contribute technically in a meaningful way - this is a startup environment where lots are left to build!You've built great quality products that have reached a large audience, and have been involved in key decisions regarding building systems on a large scale.You can learn technologies as you go, exceptionally fast. To you, technologies are about tools and tradeoffs, not an ideology.You care and can think deeply about the business implications of our engineering work. You're not just going after cool stuff - you understand the balance between craft, speed, and the bottom line.You're a great and articulate communicator.✨Bonus: You've led or had a senior role within an engineering team before, in a high-growth environment and helped build and develop a strong engineering culture.✨Bonus: You've designed/worked closely on the architecture of complex systems such as: real-time peer-to-peer communication (we're connecting in low-latency, sometimes with BT or offline situations, multiple devices from smartphones to computers)call centers or similar queue systems (we're building the largest network of real-time transcription professionals, available in 30-seconds)real-time text collaboration or algorithm-heavy tech problems (AI & 1 to 3 humans can seamlessly collaborate on figuring out who says what and keep updating the transcript - solving synchronization requires algorithmic chops)✨Bonus: You're very familiar with Node.js, React.js, Typescript, WebRTC ✨Bonus: MS in Computer Science in a top university
So... what will you do as the Head of Engineer at Ava?You'll review & elaborate an ambitious but realistic engineering roadmap, in collaboration with all stakeholders, in particular our AI Lead, CTO, and Product Lead - and report directly to the CEO.You'll manage a team of 8 engineers quickly growing to 20+, using effective practices to help everyone deliver and you will be instrumental to build a great engineering culture.You'll take meaningful ownership in solving some of our complex challenges - around scalability, stack complexity across platforms, and necessary technologies to adopt.You'll constantly keep an eye on the big picture to prepare the team for new challenges as they come up.You'll articulate our technological choices & approach alongside our CEO to investors and other key stakeholders
What's special about this role?Meaningfully impact lives, at scale: How often do you hear about apps that make people cry with joy? The need for more social justice is strong, and it is really for us a unique opportunity and privilege for us to be able to meaningfully improve the lives of 100,000 people - and yet to still be at the very beginning of our mission!Join us at an incredible time: We're well-funded and hit product-market fit, which gives us a huge green field to work with. You'd join at the perfect time to shape our engineering culture, what we build and how we grow, so we can create a more inclusive world.Work with some of the best people in the world: We have an incredibly talented and passionate team that is a lot of fun to work with. We're still super small and have accomplished some things that were thought impossible!Tackle our most interesting and impactful problems: Our team is still small, and people wear many hats. We're facing challenges of scale and want to ace this next phase. This is your shot at shining and making a huge difference based on your experience and technical vision.
Thanks for making it here. You probably are really good at what you do and have many choices in front of you. If you are looking to grow your unique talents and leverage them for something truly meaningful, while being in a great company, you've come to the right place.

We hope you'll apply!