TITLE:             Nuclear Design Engineer

LOCATION:     Bellevue, WA, USA

TerraPower is a nuclear technology company based in Bellevue, Washington. At its core, the company is 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, TerraPower 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. 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.

Molten Salt Nuclear Design Engineer

The mission of the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment (MCRE) is to measure key reactor physics phenomena and test hypotheses about Molten Chloride Fast Reactor  (MCFR) behavior, to reduce uncertainty, and provide foundational knowledge to support the development of the MCFR Demonstration Reactor (MCFR-D). TerraPower, LLC. Is seeking a highly motivated Nuclear Design Engineer to support the design and licensing of the MCRE – the world’s first fast spectrum molten salt reactor and the first chloride fueled molten salt reactor. In this role, the candidate will:

•         Perform core design and analysis activities to support the MCRE Reactor Core System (RCS) Group, including calculation of energy deposition distributions, reactivity coefficients, kinetics parameters, control rod worth and shutdown margin, and radiation damage

•         Provide technical coordination and leadership within the RCS group

•         Help to ensure consistency, traceability, maintainability, and technical rigor in documentation

•         Support the MCRE RCS Group Lead with system interfaces (geometry, technical inputs, and requirements), procurements, scheduling tasks, and project reporting

•         Identify and step up to address subject matter expertise gaps within the group

•         Develop neutronics models of advanced reactor systems with complex geometry

•         Configure and augment existing neutronics analysis software for new constraints or assumptions

•         Originate and maintain documentation of nuclear design analysis results

•         Interface with a multi-disciplinary and cross functional design team to support design objectives in the realm of safety, thermal hydraulics, mechanical design, operations, and more

Work at TerraPower is dynamic and evolutionary. As such, new responsibilities often arise, and the candidate should be capable of, and excited about, learning and applying specialized skills.

Key Qualifications and Skills

•         B.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering or equivalent experience; Advanced degree and 2+ years of relevant experience with core design and analysis is preferred

•         Good working knowledge of nuclear and/or general numerical methods (e.g. PDEs, dynamics, deterministic and stochastic particle transport, isotopic depletion, perturbation theory, nuclear data, kinetics, etc.)

•         Experience with nuclear engineering software such as ARMI, MCNP, OpenMC, Serpent, SCALE, DIF3D, Attila, GRIFFIN, PROTEUS, MC2, PARTISN, PARCS, APA, CASMO, DRAGON, etc. is required

•         Strong programming skills in any language is a plus

·       Strong preference for Python, C++, Git, and Github experience

•         Excellent verbal and written communication skills

•         Ability to work in a rapidly evolving and iterative design environment

•         Ability and professionalism to work within published regulatory guidelines for nuclear reactor design.

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

Bonus Qualifications and Skills

•         Experience working under an NQA-1 or equivalent Quality Program

•         Experience with CAD (Solidworks, Creo, etc.)

•         Demonstrated technical and project leadership

•         Experience with originating designs that are practical from a fabrication and implementation standpoint

•         Experience in project planning and scheduling

•         Experience managing issues and project tracking (e.g., Atlassian Jira, etc.)

•         Molten salt reactor-, fast reactor-, and/or other advanced reactor design experience

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 25 pounds

•         Repetitive work: Prolonged

•         Special Senses: Visual and audio focused work

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

•         Travel required: 0-5%

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 10: $113,605 - $170,408

Salary Range Level 11: $125,257 - $208,762

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

Benefits:

•         Competitive Compensation

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

•         Comprehensive Medical and Wellness Benefits for family or individual

·       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/