TITLE:                  Fuel Fabrication Engineer – Global Nuclear Fuel Resident Engineer

LOCATION:       Wilmington, NC, USA

TerraPower® is a nuclear energy technology company based in Bellevue, Washington. At our core, we are working to raise living standards globally through a more affordable, secure and environmentally friendly form of nuclear energy along with innovations in medical isotopes to improve human health.

In 2006, the company originated with Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who evaluated the fundamental challenges to raising living standards around the world. They recognized energy access was crucial to the health and economic well-being of communities and decided that the private sector needed to take action and create energy sources that would advance global energy deployment.  TerraPower’s mission is to be a world leader in new nuclear technologies, while developing innovators and future leaders in the nuclear field. TerraPower is committed to bringing sustainable, affordable and safe energy to address global issues. As a result, the company’s activities in the fields of nuclear energy and related sciences are yielding significant innovations in the safety and economics of nuclear power, hybrid energy and medical applications – all for significant human health benefits.

TerraPower is seeking to hire highly motivated and forward-thinking professionals who are interested in focusing on advanced nuclear reactor research and development and influencing change within the nuclear power landscape and bringing forward the critical production of medical isotopes.  TerraPower is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, as a federal contractor, TerraPower has instituted an Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) in an effort to proactively recruit, hire, and promote women, minorities, disabled persons and veterans.

Resident Engineer

The Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) Resident Fuel Fabrication Engineer will provide regular in-person oversight and support for the Natrium fuel fabrication efforts carried out by GNF out of their Wilmington, North Carolina offices.  The resident engineer will report to the Manager of Fuel Supply as part of the Nuclear Fuel and Equipment Qualification department and will help support and coordinate cross functional and multi-disciplinary activities to ready the supply of fuel and non-fuel core assemblies for Natrium.

This position will reside in Wilmington, North Carolina to allow continuous in-person support and collaboration between GNF and TerraPower teams while travel to TerraPower’s Bellevue and Everett offices and other supplier locations would be anticipated.  

The Resident Fuel Fabrication Engineer will support coordination of scope, schedule, and technical integration for commercial fuel manufacturing process development, construction of a fuel fabrication facility for Natrium fuel at GNF’s Wilmington site location, procurement, commissioning and qualification of fuel fabrication equipment, and fabrication and delivery of fuel and non-fuel core assemblies for Natrium.      

The Fuel Supply team is responsible for supply of Natrium fuel including oversight of Primary Project Partner GNF’s fuel fabrication work scope. The Resident Fuel Fabrication Engineer will work with the TerraPower and GNF fuel fabrication teams to support communication, identify and work through roadblocks, align design details, and complete project execution strategies across GNF’s fuel supply scope of work.

The Resident Engineer will work as part of a high performing team of engineers.

Responsibilities

• Provides continuous oversight of GNF’s fuel activities scope of work for Natrium project

• Functions as a direct and immediate conduit of communication to facilitate continued progression of fuel fabrication activities.

• Travels to TerraPower’s Bellevue, WA and/or Everett offices to meet with key stakeholders.

• Supports TerraPower’s fuel supply team by facilitating good communication between TerraPower and GNF stakeholders and managers.

• Supports TerraPower’s GNF Project Manager by resolving/clarifying scope and schedule issues and coordinating with the TerraPower fuel supply team.

• Supports alignment between GNF and TerraPower on technical issues, Natrium procedures, fuel fabrication facility design strategies, and implementation of licensing strategy.

Key Qualifications and Skills

• Candidate should have a minimum of 10 years of commercial fuel fabrication/project management experience working in the nuclear industry.

• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to clearly convey complex multi-disciplinary engineering and design issues and support resolution.

• Experience as a technical engineer working in a nuclear quality (10 CFR 50, Appendix B) environment. 

• Experience working with complex schedule platforms (Primavera P6 or equal) and data analysis tools like Power BI.

• Willingness to reside in Wilmington, NC to support in-person collaboration and oversight meetings with GNF

• Ability to occasionally travel to Bellevue and/or Everett, WA to meet with TerraPower managers and stakeholders.

• Familiarity with commercial fuel fabrication processes, production facility construction and commissioning and oversight of nuclear fuel component production.

• Familiarity with integrated safety analyses and nuclear fuel fabrication facility licensing under 10 CFR Part 70

• The candidate must be team oriented, and able to work effectively with geographically distributed team members.

• Candidate should have broad based technical and engineering skills and experience leading an integrated cross functional design team.

• Ability to flexibly work in a first-of-a-kind environment that requires the ability to use good engineering judgement and identify needed design progress to achieve key project objectives.

• Experience working to quality standards on design activities, such as ASME NQA-1 or ISO 9001.

• The successful candidate will possess a high degree of trust and integrity, able to communicate openly, and display respect and a desire to foster teamwork.

Job Functions

Job Functions are physical actions and/or working conditions associated with the position.  These functions may also constitute essential functions for the job, which the employee must be able to fulfill, with or without accommodation.  Information provided below is to help describe the job so that the applicant has a reasonable understanding of the job duties/expectations.  An applicant's ability to perform and/or tolerate these actions and conditions will be discussed and workplace accommodations may be made on a case-by-case basis following an individualized assessment of the applicant and other considerations, including but not limited to any governing safety standards.

• Motor Abilities: Sitting and/or standing for extended periods, bending/stooping, grasping/gripping, fine motor control (hands)

• Physical exertion and/or requirements: Minimal, with ability to safely lift up to 20 pounds.

• Repetitive work: Prolonged

• Special Senses: Visual and audio focused work

• Work Conditions: Stairs, typing/keyboard, standing and/or sitting working environment of >8 hrs./day

• Travel required up to 25%

TerraPower’s technology is controlled for export by various agencies of the U.S. Government. TerraPower must evaluate applicants who are foreign nationals (other than asylees, refugees, or lawful permanent residents) in accordance with U.S. Government export control requirements. To facilitate TerraPower’s export control reviews, you will be asked as part of the application process to identify whether you are a U.S. Citizen or national, asylee, refugee, or lawful permanent resident of the United States. Government export authorization approval times vary. Based on the business needs for a particular position, TerraPower may not consider a foreign national from a country if it is impracticable to obtain timely Government export approval.

Job Details

Salary Range Level 11:  $105,216 - $175,360

*Typically, our employee salaries are within .90 – 1.0 of the mid-point of the posted salary band. Any salary offered within the posted salary band is based on market data and commensurate with the selected individual’s qualifications and experience This range is specific to the state of North Carolina.

Job Type:  Full-time

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation

• Salary, eligible to participate in discretionary short-term incentive payments

• Comprehensive Medical and Wellness Benefits

• Medical

• Vision

• Dental

• Life

• Life and Disability

• Gender Affirmation Benefits

• Parental Leave

• 401k Plan

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)

• 21 days of annually accrued PTO

• Generous Holiday Schedule

• 10 paid holidays

• Relocation Assistance

• Professional and Educational Support Opportunities

• Flexible Work Schedule

 TerraPower Career and Benefits information:  https://www.terrapower.com/contact-us/careers/