First Principle · 2 weeks ago
VP Systems Engineering
California, United States
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$250K/yr - $350K/yrFirst Principle is an ambitious nuclear energy innovator focused on commercial-scale fusion. They are seeking a Vice President of Systems Engineering to lead the engineering function that will support the design and delivery of their first prototype and the eventual commercial-scale reactor.
Management Consulting
Responsibilities
Define and own the system architecture for a first-of-a-kind fusion reactor, integrating physics, hardware, controls, and facilities into a coherent whole
Translate reactor-scale modeling and scientific insight into engineering requirements and executable development plans
Build and scale the systems engineering organization, setting standards that will support future growth from early prototype to large-scale deployment
Drive the transition from laboratory experimentation to product-oriented engineering and eventual construction readiness
Serve as a senior technical leader, capable of 'showing the way' and setting expectations for how incredibly complex systems are built
Qualification
Required
Exceptional credentials and hard-won delivery experience, likely including expertise from the advanced energy, aerospace, or defense sector
Senior leadership experience owning systems engineering or product engineering for highly complex hardware platforms
A track record of taking large, interdisciplinary systems from concept through design, integration, and operational readiness
Deep familiarity with environments where reliability, safety, and performance are non-negotiable
Comfort operating in early-stage organizations, building structure where none yet exists while maintaining velocity
The credibility and judgment to influence architecture decisions at the highest technical levels
Company
First Principle
Tough Tech isn’t built in the cloud, it’s developed in the labs, on testbeds, and in pilot plants, through years of iteration, hard science, and specialized infrastructure.
Founded in 2025
2-10 employees
H1B Sponsorship
First Principle has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2020 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageCompany data provided by crunchbase