TITLE:                   Operations 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.

Operations Engineer   

The Operations Engineer reports to the Operations Support Manager and is focused on the integrated design of plant structures, systems, and components, and integrated analysis of the facility with a focus on Operations and maintenance attributes. In this role, you will act as an Operations Engineer for TerraPower’s advanced nuclear reactor projects or other highly technical projects.  This operations engineer position requires a high potential individual who will focus on operations related aspects of the reactors currently being developed, to include Human Factors Engineering (HFE) aspects of the design. The successful candidate will coordinate with design and systems engineers working on structures, systems, and components, or engineering analysis areas such as safety analysis, thermal analysis, stress analysis, and/or process/control analysis. The Operations Engineer will work as part of a high-performing team of engineers and scientists. 

Responsibilities   

• Responsible for coordinating geographically diverse design team members to develop supporting design documentation.  The team is composed TerraPower employees, subcontracted resources, partner employees, and customers. 
• Develop, maintain, and refine plant level and system level requirement, specification, and strategy documents related to plant operations and maintenance activities over the lifecycle of a nuclear facility
• Apply operational experience and engineering principles, methods, and tools to enhance the design of nuclear and industrial facilities and their systems and how they are operated
• Develop and implement plant operating strategies and human factors engineering attributes into the plant design.
• Develop and lead design efforts to evaluate plant integrated control and transient event responses and provide recommendations/optimizations to deliver efficient plant operational strategies to influence design.
• Develop and support the development of radioactive material handling activities and controls within the design of engineered systems, including fuel handling activities, radioactive material transfers, remote operations, and other nuclear handling activities.
• Support the design of the main control room and operator interfaces by reviewing HMI components and identifying plant monitoring requirements.
• Support design reviews and resolution of cross functional technical concerns as a Subject Matter Expert in nuclear operations and maintenance. 
• Ensure that licensing and code requirements are clearly established and implemented in the design, including development of regulatory submittal documents such as topical reports and safety analysis report sections.
• Support teammates and contractors in the plant development efforts through oversight and interface activities.
• Interface with the design team to create and manage drawing packages of integrated system, including but not limited to Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), 3D models, and system interface drawings. 
• Support the design of the main control room and operator interfaces by reviewing HMI components and identifying plant monitoring requirements. 
• Support development of design package for key topics, systems and plant features including coordination of calculations, design reports, mechanical drawings, and design specifications. 
• Support continuous learning and application of nuclear industry best practices to maintain the highest quality of engineering design and proactively identify process change/enhancement opportunities. 
• Support licensing activities associated with Safety Analysis Report (SAR) and plant Technical Specifications (TS).
• Support the development of training materials for operations and maintenance training on plant structures, systems and components.

Key Qualifications and Skills

• B.S. degree in Nuclear, Mechanical, Electrical, or other relevant engineering discipline from an accredited university.  
• 5+ years direct experience in commercial nuclear plant operation. Senior Reactor Operator license or certification preferred.
• Experience in implementing integrated plant design of nuclear systems, including complex systems and structures highly desired but not required. 
• Experience developing and/or approving nuclear plant operations and maintenance procedures is preferred.
• Knowledge of the implementing requirements for and licensing basis criteria for nuclear work control, maintenance strategies, and operational programs.
• Strong understanding of the nuclear regulations, plant work control processes, operational design philosophies, and integrated plant operations during normal and off-normal events.
• Strong understanding of configuration management principles, as well as knowledge of design control tools application on nuclear or similar complex industrial projects. 
• Knowledge of Risk Informed methodologies for integrated plant design or similar probabilistic methods in design, desired but not required. 
• Excellent technical writing, communication, and presentation skills, including periodic training development and presentation. 
• Attention to detail and aspiration for technical excellence. 
• Candidate must be a high potential, self-starter and possess ability to coordinate and lead a design team’s effort with minimal direction. 
• Ability to handle projects that include many competing objectives and design constraints, with ability to resolve conflicts between objectives. 
• Ability to work on tasks that require a multi-disciplinary approach. 
• 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, communicate openly and display respect and a desire to foster teamwork.
• Actual position starting level and title will be determined based on assessment of qualifications.
• On-site arrangement is preferred, but remote work will be considered based on candidate assessment.

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

While this position is remote eligible, preference will be given to qualified candidates who are local or willing to relocate.

Salary Range Level 12: $163,702 - $226,119

Salary Range Level 13:  $187,088 - $268,939

*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 Washington State.

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/

Please visit www.terrapower.com to apply