Job Description

Senior Fuel Design Engineer
Oak Ridge, TN | $155K–$175K | Hybrid | Relocation Available

Shape the Fuel Design Behind an Advanced Nuclear Reactor

The Opportunity

If you’re an experienced design engineer seeking greater technical ownership, this role puts you at the center of physical fuel design for the KRONOS MMR™, a High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) using ceramic matrix TRISO fuel.

Reporting to the Reactor Fuel Design Manager, you’ll help evolve the fuel architecture by translating engineering analysis, irradiation results, manufacturing constraints, and regulatory feedback into controlled physical designs.

You’ll work across fuel performance, reactor physics, thermal-hydraulics, manufacturing, testing, and regulatory teams—giving you broad technical exposure and direct influence on an advanced reactor program.

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

• Own key aspects of advanced reactor fuel design and configuration
• Work directly with TRISO fuel and HTGR technology
• Influence design through manufacturing, irradiation testing, and regulatory feedback
• Collaborate across multiple reactor engineering disciplines
• Take hands-on responsibility for CAD, GD&T, design control, and configuration management

What You’ll Do

• Own and evolve controlled fuel design specifications and physical architecture.
• Develop and maintain 3D CAD models, 2D manufacturing drawings, and GD&T.
• Translate analysis, test results, regulatory feedback, and manufacturing constraints into design modifications.
• Evaluate design changes with fuel performance, reactor physics, and thermal-hydraulics engineers.
• Maintain controlled models, drawings, specifications, and design changes in Siemens Teamcenter.
• Maintain traceability across requirements, safety limits, specifications, acceptance criteria, and qualification testing.
• Define manufacturing, inspection, and test requirements for irradiation and safety testing.
• Resolve manufacturability, tolerance, inspection, and metrology issues while protecting design margins.

What You’ll Bring

Required

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Nuclear, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• 7+ years of engineering design experience involving nuclear fuel, reactor internals, graphite or ceramic components, or comparable safety-significant hardware.
• Advanced proficiency with 3D CAD and Product Lifecycle Management systems.
• Experience translating analysis and experimental results into physical design changes.
• Knowledge of ASME NQA-1 or 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B design-control practices.
• Experience with requirements traceability, manufacturing specifications, inspection criteria, tolerancing, and metrology.

Preferred

• Experience with nuclear fuel assemblies, high-temperature ceramics, or complex graphite structures.
• Experience applying formal ASME NQA-1 design-control and verification requirements.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary: $155K–$175K (depending on experience)

• Hybrid work environment
• Relocation assistance available
• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance with company contributions
• 401(k) match up to 5%
• Unlimited PTO
• Company holidays and paid parental leave
• Opportunities for continued professional growth

Ready for Greater Technical Ownership?

If you’re an experienced design engineer ready to take greater ownership of advanced reactor fuel design, we’d welcome the opportunity to speak with you.

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