Director - Control, Instrumentation, and Diagnostics Systems

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: Thea Energy is seeking a Director - Control, Instrumentation, and Diagnostics (CID) Systems to lead the control and data systems for the Company’s Eos integrated stellarator. This leader will build and manage a team spanning control systems, instrumentation, diagnostics acquisition, embedded software, and real-time integration. The Director will own the Eos CID architecture end to end and partner closely with systems engineering, physics, safety, and program teams. This role has a high degree of autonomy and must be able to move quickly.

Key Responsibility Areas:

• Lead and mentor a multi-disciplinary organization spanning control systems, instrumentation, diagnostics acquisition, embedded software, and real time integration, including hiring, performance management, career development, and team structure.
• Establish engineering operating rhythm: planning, prioritization, technical reviews, staffing plans, and decision-making processes.
• Set technical direction and ensure consistent engineering quality across requirements, architecture, implementation, verification, and documentation.
• Own the Eos CID architecture, including functional, physical, communications, timing, and data flow boundaries across fast DAQ, supervisory control, PLC automation, safety interlocks, and diagnostics acquisition.
• Lead technology selection for real time control, SCADA, networking, timing, and data management, and ensure consistency across integration protocols and data interfaces.
• Own the technical interface to external vendors and collaborators providing controls hardware, diagnostics hardware, and instrumentation deliverables, including technical specifications, design reviews, and acceptance participation. 
• Oversee development and integration of the Eos control system across major subsystems, ensuring deterministic behavior, fault handling, and operational sequencing.
• Own Safety and Interlock System philosophy, including safety class logic where required, participation in hazard analyses, and alignment to functional safety practices and standards. 
• Own instrumentation architecture across the facility: sensor selection, signal types, isolation strategy, signal conditioning, grounding, shielding, and segregation practices for noisy, high power environments.