Project Engineer

About Avalanche EnergyAvalanche Energy is a Washington-based startup building compact, deployable fusion systems through rapid hardware iteration. Rather than pursuing fusion as a single grid-scale outcome, Avalanche develops transportable fusion machines designed to be built, tested, and operated on short cycles, turning real hardware into steady progress.

This approach enables near-term applications that demand extreme energy density and endurance—starting with fusion neutron production for radioisotope power and other defense and space uses—while advancing the underlying fusion platform. Backed by U.S. government programs and a team experienced in delivering complex systems, Avalanche is focused on building fusion that runs in the real world, not just on paper.

About the role

(What is it about)?

The Project Engineer / Project Manager will be the dedicated project controls and long-range planning resource on the PMO & Systems Engineering team.

This person will take ownership of building out Avalanche's long range integrated schedule from its current early state, establish a regular program management review cadence, and put in place the data tracking needed to support clear, schedule-driven decisions across the company.

This role requires a high degree of comfort with ambiguity. Many inputs to the schedule, including technical assumptions, dependencies, sequencing, procurement timing, and resource needs, may be incomplete, evolving, or in conflict. A core part of the role is driving clarity around what belongs in it: identifying gaps, surfacing conflicting assumptions, and bringing the right people together to resolve them.

This is a high-visibility role with regular interaction across engineering, operations, supply chain, and leadership. It also involves direct interface with vendors and external partners.

The right person comes from a structured program management background, ideally in aerospace, defense, energy, or a similar field, and is excited by the opportunity to build these capabilities at a company doing something genuinely new.

Responsibilities

• Build, own, and maintain the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), starting from a largely incomplete baseline and developing it into a credible, decision-quality document.
• Own and maintain the programmatic risk register, ensuring risks are identified, documented, assessed, and regularly updated.
• Support quantitative and qualitative risk assessments to inform project planning and decision-making.
• Establish a regular schedule sync process between near-term/current execution data and the long-range plan.
• Collect and present project performance data for a consistent Program Management Review (PMR) cadence, covering schedule status, variance analysis, programmatic risk review, mitigation actions, and action item tracking.
• Collect and track performance data from test execution, procurement, and operations to support reporting, planning, and risk visibility.
• Identify schedule variances, programmatic risks, and root causes, then work with technical leads and project leadership on mitigation and recovery options.
• Support planning for long-lead systems, including high-voltage, magnets, and facility systems, making sure procurement sequencing, external dependencies, and risk mitigation plans are grounded in the integrated schedule.
• Develop and maintain long-range budget projections and cost-to-complete estimates in coordination with the Head of PMO and Finance.
• Produce clear, consistent program status reports for leadership and, as needed, external audiences.
• Manage schedule interfaces with vendors and suppliers, tracking external dependencies, deliverables, and supply chain risks.
• Coordinate with Systems Engineering and technical leads to ensure technical risk mitigation actions, owners, due dates, dependencies, and programmatic impacts are captured in the IMS and visible during program reviews.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.3 to 7 years of experience in project management, program controls, or project engineering in an engineering-heavy environment (aerospace, defense, energy, advanced manufacturing, or similar).
• Hands-on experience with integrated master scheduling tools such as MS Project, Primavera, or equivalent.
• Solid understanding of program management review processes, schedule performance analysis, and earned value concepts.
• Technical depth to engage engineering audiences: must be able to understand project scope and engineering constraints well enough to identify gaps, pressure-test schedules, and ask the right questions when working with technical leads.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to summarize complex schedule and cost data for both technical and non-technical audiences.

Desired Qualifications

• PMP certification, or actively working toward it.
• Experience in a startup or early-stage technical environment where processes are still being developed.
• Familiarity with DoD, DOE, or other government program reporting requirements (CDRLs, WBS structures, milestone reporting).
• Experience with Airtable, Notion, or similar modern project management tools.
• Background in or exposure to energy systems, advanced R&D programs, or capital-intensive technical environments.
• Experience with long-lead vendor schedule management and procurement planning.

Benefits

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision benefits10 paid holidays and a company-wide December holiday break
• Generous paid vacation and sick time
• Small, tight-knit team with low barriers to action
• Exposure to a wide range of challenging, hands-on engineering problems
• Meaningful equity in the form of stock options
• We value people of all backgrounds.
• We are an equal opportunity employer, and you do not need to match every listed qualification to apply.
• If you like being hands-on, all over the system, and making difficult hardware work in the real world, we encourage you to apply.

This position may require access to export-controlled information. In order to comply with U.S. export control laws, applicants must be a “U.S. person” as defined by U.S. trade control laws (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual).