Engineer, Fuel Development

Standard Nuclear•Oak Ridge, TN

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Standard Nuclear is fueling America’s nuclear renaissance at industrial scale. Our mission is to deliver the essential building blocks of nuclear power—enabling cost-effective, safe, and secure energy for the world. The Nuclear Fuel Development Engineer supports Standard Nuclear’s fuel development and manufacturing programs by providing engineering and design support for current and upcoming fuel and fuel-related manufacturing projects. This role contributes to the development of equipment, tooling, fabrication methods, characterization workflows, and manufacturing processes used to advance nuclear fuel production capabilities. This is a hands-on technical role suited for an engineer with experience or strong interest in fuel development, advanced manufacturing, materials processing, mechanical design, process development, fabrication support, or characterization. The Nuclear Fuel Development Engineer will support project execution from concept development through design, fabrication, testing, troubleshooting, and manufacturing readiness. The role requires strong technical fundamentals, practical engineering judgment, disciplined documentation, and the ability to work closely with fuel development, manufacturing, engineering, characterization, quality, EH&S, radiological controls, and external vendors in a regulated nuclear fuel fabrication environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, or a related technical discipline
3–6 years of experience in fuel development, advanced manufacturing, equipment design, process development, materials processing, fabrication support, or related technical work preferred
Hands-on experience in laboratory, pilot, manufacturing, fabrication, or regulated technical environments
Experience supporting equipment design, tooling, fixtures, test campaigns, process troubleshooting, or manufacturing scale-up
Familiarity with advanced materials, ceramics, powders, fuel materials, thermal processing, characterization, or precision manufacturing is preferred
Ability to analyze technical data and develop clear conclusions from process, test, inspection, or characterization results
Strong technical documentation skills, including drawings, specifications, procedures, test plans, reports, or controlled documentation
Ability to work cross-functionally with engineers, technicians, operators, quality personnel, safety teams, and external vendors
Experience with ERP, MRP, procurement, or inventory management systems; NetSuite or similar systems preferred
Strong Excel and data analysis skills
Strong attention to detail and commitment to safety, quality, and procedural compliance
Experience in nuclear, DOE, NRC, national laboratory, aerospace, defense, chemical processing, energy, or other regulated environments is a plus

Responsibilities

Support engineering activities for advanced nuclear fuel development and fuel-related manufacturing projects
Develop and refine equipment concepts, tooling, fixtures, fabrication methods, and process support systems
Assist with planning and execution of process trials, technical demonstrations, test campaigns, and manufacturing readiness activities
Evaluate equipment performance, material behavior, fabrication constraints, and process results to improve repeatability and product consistency
Help identify technical risks, process limitations, and opportunities to improve yield, throughput, reliability, or manufacturability
Support design, fabrication, installation, testing, and improvement of equipment, tooling, fixtures, and production support hardware
Create and review drawings, models, layouts, specifications, and technical requirements for manufacturing and development equipment
Work with internal teams and external vendors to source, fabricate, modify, and implement components, tooling, and equipment
Provide engineering support during equipment trials, troubleshooting, startup, and process development activities
Ensure designs and fabrication methods support safe operation, practical manufacturing, maintainability, and scalability
Work with fuel development and manufacturing teams to translate technical requirements into practical production methods and procedures
Support development of process flows, material movement plans, characterization workflows, and manufacturing readiness activities
Assist with optimization of fabrication methods, equipment setup, product handling, and process execution
Coordinate with technicians, operators, engineers, and quality personnel to support hands-on execution of development and manufacturing work
Support root cause investigations and corrective actions related to equipment performance, process variation, material issues, or product quality concerns
Coordinate with characterization and quality teams to evaluate material properties, product attributes, inspection results, and process outcomes
Review and analyze data from process runs, equipment trials, inspections, measurements, and characterization activities
Use technical data to identify trends, assess performance, and support engineering decision-making
Prepare technical summaries, test reports, process records, and data packages
Support continuous improvement of test methods, documentation practices, and technical workflows as programs mature
Develop and maintain engineering documentation including drawings, specifications, test plans, procedures, work instructions, process records, reports, and change documentation
Communicate technical status, risks, open issues, and recommended actions clearly to project and technical stakeholders
Participate in design reviews, technical reviews, project planning, troubleshooting, and readiness activities
Ensure work is documented clearly, accurately, and in accordance with company requirements
Follow applicable safety, radiological, quality, environmental, and operational requirements