Controls Engineer

Established in 2002, General Fusion is a global leader in the race to commercialize clean fusion energy. We are pursuing a uniquely practical approach, Magnetized Target Fusion, and aim to provide zero-carbon fusion power to the grid in the early to mid-2030s. Today at our state-of-the-art labs in Richmond, BC, we’re operating a groundbreaking fusion demonstration machine called Lawson Machine 26 (LM26), designed to achieve transformational technical milestones, and accelerate General Fusion’s technology to commercialization. Our path to market is funded by a global syndicate of leading energy venture capital firms, industry leaders, and technology pioneers. Learn more at www.generalfusion.com.

Position Overview:

General Fusion is searching for an experienced Controls Engineer to join our Controls & Electronics team on our path to commercial fusion. Reporting to the Manager, Controls & Electronics, you will bring deep industry experience in controls system design and high-voltage safety to our one-of-a-kind experimental machines - helping shape the controls architecture that ties together the high-voltage pulsed power, vacuum, gas handling, and diagnostic systems behind our plasma physics experiments.

You will be part of a dynamic, multi-disciplinary team delivering the control systems, data acquisition pipelines, and electronics that support our experimental operations. The position is primarily located on site at General Fusion's facilities in Richmond, BC, and may require occasional shift work or flexible hours to support experimental campaigns.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to shaping the architecture of General Fusion's next-generation control systems, with a focus on robust, scalable, and well-instrumented solutions.
• Architect PLC, motion control, and data acquisition solutions across plasma physics experiments and supporting subsystems - specifying hardware (controllers, I/O, drives, networking) and defining software structure, libraries, HMI patterns, and operator interfaces.
• Lead the design of safety systems for high-voltage equipment, ensuring compliance with applicable functional safety and machine safety standards (e.g., ISO 13849, IEC 62061).
• Drive integration of controls with diagnostics, pulsed power, vacuum, cryogenics, gas handling, and other electromechanical subsystems.
• Make pragmatic build/buy/refactor decisions and champion reusable libraries, clear interfaces, and code that is straightforward to operate and maintain.
• Maintain control system documentation: architecture diagrams, P&IDs, electrical schematics, network topologies, sequence-of-operation descriptions, safety analyses, and software design documents.
• Lead commissioning, tuning, and root cause analysis of complex, multi-disciplinary control system issues.
• Contribute to project planning - scope, estimation, risk, and scheduling of controls work packages.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with physics, mechanical, electrical, and software teams to translate experimental requirements into robust, supportable control solutions.
• Champion a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with applicable electrical, machine safety, and lab safety standards.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Control Systems Engineering, or equivalent.
• 5+ years of progressive experience designing, deploying, and commissioning industrial control systems in R&D, manufacturing, or process environments.
• Self-motivated, takes initiative, and drives work to completion with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated experience defining the architecture of complex, multi-system control systems from the ground up - including hardware topology, software structure, data flow, and operator interaction.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills across electrical, mechanical, and software domains.
• Demonstrated experience designing safety systems for high-voltage control systems, including E-Stop chains, interlock logic, and safety-rated I/O in automated environments.
• Working knowledge of machine and functional safety standards, and proven ability to apply them as a technical authority within a team.
• Expertise with PLC and HMI platforms (e.g., Beckhoff TwinCAT, Siemens, Allen-Bradley), including IEC 61131-3 languages, and a track record of writing PLC code that is reusable, testable, and maintainable.
• Experience designing observability - structured logging, alarms, diagnostics, and operator visibility into system state.
• Proficiency with electrical schematic capture and panel design (e.g., AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, SolidWorks Electrical).
• Excellent technical communication skills, including clear documentation and the ability to present architectural decisions to multidisciplinary audiences.
• Commitment to safe work practices in a lab or R&D environment.

Preferred:

• Registered with EGBC as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.).
• Working knowledge of industrial communication protocols (EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, Modbus, Profinet, OPC UA, etc.).
• Experience leading a control system redesign or migration on an operating R&D or production system.
• Experience in fusion, high-energy physics, particle accelerator, semiconductor, or similar high-tech R&D facilities.
• Familiarity with high-voltage, pulsed power, vacuum, cryogenic, or high-current systems.
• Hands-on experience with LabVIEW, Beckhoff TwinCAT and TwinCAT HMI development.
• Proficiency with general-purpose programming languages (Python, C, C++, C#) for tooling, scripting, and data analysis.
• Experience with time-series databases and large-scale experimental data pipelines.
• Familiarity with version control and CI/CD practices for controls software (Git, Azure DevOps, etc.).
• Experience leading or mentoring engineering teams.

The typical hiring range for this position is $90,000 - $110,000. General Fusion considers many factors when determining total compensation including job specific or highly specialized knowledge, skills and experience, proficiency, job location and internal equity.

What We Offer:

• Hybrid work environment
• Four weeks' vacation
• Comprehensive benefits package
• RRSP Contribution
• Support for professional development
• Great company culture – social events, weekly lunches, bike rides, Sun Run, etc.

Applications:

We thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Candidates who hold P.Eng or EIT credentials will be hired under the Engineer title. Those without these credentials will be assigned an equivalent title that matches the scope of their position.

General Fusion is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age.