Technical Writer - Fusion Systems

About Helion

We are a fusion power company based in Everett, WA, with the mission to build the world's first fusion power plant, enabling a future with unlimited clean electricity. Our vision is a world with clean, reliable, and affordable energy for everyone.

Since Helion's founding in 2013, we have raised over $1 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group as well as new investors SoftBank and Lightspeed to propel us forward. Our last prototype, Trenta, completed 10,000 high-power pulses and reached plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius (9 keV). We are now operating Polaris, our next prototype on the path to the world's first fusion power plant.

This is a pivotal time to join Helion. You will tackle real-world challenges with a team that prizes urgency, rigor, ownership, and a commitment to delivering hard truths – values essential to achieving what no one has before. Together, we will change the future of energy, because the world can't wait.

What You Will Be Doing: 

The Senior Technical Writer – Fusion Systems supports safe, repeatable, and scalable operation of fusion systems by developing and maintaining clear, accurate internal technical documentation. This role deeply embeds itself with operations, engineering, and research teams to translate complex fusion hardware, diagnostics, and experimental processes into usable procedures and reference materials for engineers and technicians. The position requires technical writing expertise, operational awareness, and the ability to manage complex documentation efforts with general oversight. You will report to the R&D Manager, onsite in our Everett, WA office.

You Will:

• Author, maintain, and improve internal operations documentation including system descriptions, operating procedures, maintenance procedures, work instructions, and operations and maintenance (O&M) manuals for fusion systems and supporting infrastructure

• Work with operations, engineering, and R&D teams to understand system behavior, workflows, hazards, and constraints, and convert that knowledge into clear, technician-ready documentation

• Develop and refine procedures used during system operation, maintenance, commissioning, and troubleshooting, incorporating technical feedback and lessons learned from operations and experimental campaigns

• Create internal educational and reference documents that support operator and technician understanding of fusion systems, subsystems, and diagnostics

• Perform in-depth technical reviews of operations documentation to ensure accuracy, consistency, and alignment with established standards

• Establish and maintain standardized formats, templates, and guidelines for work instructions and operational procedures across Fusion Systems

• Evaluate, prioritize, and manage documentation tasks to support operational schedules, system availability, and experimental timelines

• Communicate documentation status, risks, and dependencies; identify gaps that may impact safe or effective operations and help drive mitigations

• Contribute to documentation processes, review workflows, and lifecycle management to ensure documents remain current as systems evolve

• Support documentation tooling by helping define requirements for internal authoring, revision control, and content management systems

• Help build a strong culture of operational documentation by developing processes and training that enable engineers and operators to contribute high-quality content

Required Skills:

• 6+ years of experience producing operations-focused technical documentation for complex hardware or experimental systems (e.g., fusion, plasma, power electronics, vacuum, cryogenics, or similar).

• Experience authoring procedure-driven documentation, including operating, maintenance, commissioning, and troubleshooting procedures used by technicians and operators.

• Experience interpreting engineering drawings, schematics, electrical diagrams, P&IDs, and system block diagrams and translate them into clear operational documentation.

• Experience working directly with engineers, technicians, and operators to capture as-built system behavior, constraints, hazards, and lessons learned.

• Strong understanding of document control practices, including versioning, reviews, approvals, and lifecycle management.

• Familiarity with safety-critical or high-reliability operations and the role of clear procedures in risk mitigation.

• Working knowledge of project management, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple documentation efforts.

• Excellent technical editing, organizational, and communication skills, with strong attention to detail.

#LI-TM1 #LI-Onsite

Benefits

Our total compensation package includes benefits, including but not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision plans for employees and their families
• 31 Days of PTO (21 vacation days and 10 sick days)
• 10 Paid holidays, plus company-wide winter break
• Up to 5% employer 401(k) match
• Short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance
• Paid parental leave and support (up to 16 weeks)
• Annual wellness stipend

Helion is an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the interview process, please let us know.