About the role
At Zap, a Plasm
a Device Operations Engineer owns the day-to-day execution of experimental shots on the plasma experimental devices. You will be responsible for machine readiness, shot execution, first-line troubleshooting, and data quality across every run. This is a deeply cross-functional role: you will coordinate with diagnostics engineers, controls engineers and plasma physicists to configure the machine for each experimental campaign and ensure that the data coming out of every shot is trustworthy and traceable.
You are comfortable with high-voltage hardware, understand PLC-based shot sequencing and interlock systems, and can read oscilloscope and digitizer traces well enough to distinguish a good shot from a bad one in real time. You enjoy the fast feedback loop of experimental operations and take ownership of machine uptime.
Key Responsibilities
Device Operation Coordination
Serve as the operational point of contact across engineering disciplines — plasma physics, diagnostics, controls, and pulsed-power — to align all subsystems before each shot campaign and experimental run day
Lead pre-shot coordination to confirm machine configuration, diagnostic readiness, gas and timing parameters, and run plan objectives with all stakeholders
Maintain and communicate the master run schedule, balancing competing requests from physics campaigns, hardware maintenance windows, and engineering development work
Track action items and blockers across teams that affect machine availability, and drive them to resolution with a clear owner and deadline
Coordinate access and activities during machine downtime, ensuring maintenance, installation, and calibration tasks from multiple teams are sequenced safely and efficiently without conflicts
Machine Operations & Shot Execution
Execute daily experimental shot sequences on Zap's FuZE devices, from machine configuration and pre-shot checkout through post-shot data review
Monitor machine state, plasma formation, and diagnostic health in real time during shot campaigns
Maintain and update shot logs, run plans, and machine configuration records in MDSplus and associated databases
Coordinate with the diagnostics team to confirm all data acquisition systems (D-TACQ digitizers, Rogowski coils, B-dot probes, optical diagnostics) are armed, triggered, and capturing clean data
Apply and verify interlock system states prior to each shot; respond to interlock faults and document corrective actions
Data Quality & Traceability
Review shot data after each run to flag bad shots, misconfigured diagnostics, or anomalous machine behavior before they propagate into analysis
Maintain MDSplus tree structure and ensure shot metadata (machine configuration, gas species, gas pressure, charging voltage, timing parameters) is accurately recorded for every shot
Write and maintain Python or MATLAB scripts for automated post-shot data quality checks and shot acceptance criteria
Coordinate with physicists to ensure shot parameters match the experimental campaign plan
Controls & Interlock Systems
Operate and monitor the PLC-based machine control system (PICS & Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 / EtherCAT) for shot sequencing, interlock logic, and timing
Identify and report PLC or control system faults; collaborate with the controls engineering team to implement and validate fixes
Assist in writing, reviewing, and testing control system sequences for new operational modes or machine configurations
Maintain documentation of interlock logic, timing diagrams, and operational procedures
Safety & Compliance
Enforce high-voltage and pulsed-power safety procedures for all personnel during machine operations
Participate in safety reviews for machine modifications and new experimental configurations
Maintain machine-specific operational procedures and lockout/tagout documentation
Train new team members on FuZE devices operational procedures, safety protocols, and shot execution workflows
Required Qualifications
B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related field
3+ years of hands-on experience operating experimental physics, pulsed-power, or high-voltage laboratory equipment
Demonstrated comfort working around high-voltage (>1 kV) systems and pulsed-power hardware with strict adherence to safety procedures
Experience with data acquisition systems and familiarity with digitizer configuration, triggering, and first-order data review
Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, timing diagrams, and oscilloscope/digitizer waveforms
Strong written communication skills for maintaining run logs, procedures, and machine status documentation
Highly organized and systematic — capable of managing multiple concurrent maintenance tasks and shot campaign priorities without losing traceability
Preferred Qualifications
Experience operating pulsed-power machines, Z-pinch devices, plasma guns, tokamaks, or similar plasma physics experimental platforms
Familiarity with MDSplus for experimental data storage and retrieval (Python or IDL interface preferred)
Experience with PLC-based industrial control systems, particularly Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 or Siemens; ability to read and understand structured text or ladder logic
Experience with D-TACQ, CAEN, Spectrum Instrumentation, or NI digitizer platforms
Python scripting experience for data quality automation, plotting, or configuration management
Familiarity with vacuum systems (turbomolecular pumps, ion gauges, residual gas analyzers) and gas handling hardware
Experience with high-voltage capacitor banks, Marx generators, or triggered spark gap switches
Knowledge of EPICS or similar accelerator/fusion control frameworks
Employment may be conditioned upon the ability to obtain export authorization.
Estimated salary range: $ 95,000- 130,000 annually. Candidates may be considered for other positions at Zap Energy and actual salary will be based on relevant education, experience, and other qualifications. Range is published in accordance with Washington Equal Pay and Opportunity Act.
Zap Energy is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations.
About Zap Energy
Zap is advancing the next generation of nuclear power technology across fusion, fission and hybrid applications. Built on an integrated platform of high-energy-density physics and pulsed power, liquid metals and advanced materials, and compact, modular systems, Zap is building the foundational technologies needed to deploy the energy sources of the future.