Engineer III OR Senior Engineer - Instrumentation & Control Design

Duke Energy Corporation•Seneca, SC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Join Duke Energy’s Instrumentation & Control Design Engineering team at Oconee Nuclear Station, a three-unit nuclear generating facility that provides electricity to the Carolinas. The role supports modernization and continued safe, reliable operation of the facility into the 2050s, from targeted component upgrades to major digital control-system replacements. Depending on the successful applicant’s qualifications, the position may be filled at the Nuclear Engineer III or Senior Nuclear Engineer level. The selected engineer will develop and support plant modifications involving instrumentation and controls, AC and DC power and control systems, digital hardware, software-based applications, plant computer interfaces, control circuits, and cybersecurity-related design requirements. The role involves collaboration with Operations, Maintenance, Projects, Licensing, Cybersecurity, vendors, and external design organizations. Work ownership extends from concept through installation, testing, turnover, and closeout. The engineer must complete required engineering and Responsible Engineer training and qualifications before independently performing assigned modification work. Once qualified, the engineer serves as the primary technical owner for assigned modifications. Senior-level engineers independently manage non-routine work with very minimal supervision and provide technical guidance and knowledge transfer to others. The position is hybrid and based at Oconee Nuclear Station. On-site presence is required during onboarding and qualification and as needed for project execution, walkdowns, outages, emergent support, and team activities. After onboarding, work is performed from remote and onsite locations; employees must live within a reasonable commute of no more than 50 miles one way and are expected to report to the facility as directed, averaging two full workdays per regular work week. The team typically works a four-day, 10-hour schedule, though location and hours may vary with business, qualification, and project needs. Occasional travel, off-hours or extended-hours support, on-call duty, emergency-response callouts, and utility storm response may be required.

Requirements

Meet the minimum ANSI requirements identified in Nuclear Operating Fleet Administrative Procedure AD-LS-ALL-0011, Confirmation of Regulatory Guide 1.8 Personnel Qualifications.
At least 1 year of nuclear power plant experience.
For Nuclear Engineer III: Bachelor of Science in Engineering from an ABET-accredited program; a Master’s degree in engineering may be considered in lieu of the bachelor’s degree.
For Nuclear Engineer III: at least 4 years of engineering experience.
For Senior Nuclear Engineer: Bachelor of Science in Engineering from an ABET-accredited program or state registration as a Professional Engineer; a Master’s degree in engineering may be considered in lieu of the bachelor’s degree.
For Senior Nuclear Engineer: at least 6 years of engineering experience, or 5 years of engineering experience with state registration as a Professional Engineer.
Ability to obtain and maintain unescorted access to a nuclear facility, including required training, security screening, and compliance with the site Fitness for Duty Program.
Complete required engineering and Responsible Engineer qualifications before independently performing assigned modification work.
Ability to wear required personal protective equipment, including a hard hat, safety glasses, and fall protection as applicable.
Ability to perform plant walkdowns and work in office, field, and industrial environments as required by assigned projects.
Ability to work lawfully in the United States without employment-based immigration sponsorship, now or in the future.
Hybrid employees must live within a reasonable commute of the designated Duke Energy facility, no greater than 50 miles one way.
Ability to support occasional overnight travel, generally 5–10%, as well as project-related off-hours or extended-hours work when required.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or computer engineering.
Passed the Fundamentals of Engineering examination; state registration as a Professional Engineer is preferred for Senior Nuclear Engineer candidates.
Nuclear design, modification, operations, maintenance, or project implementation experience.
Nuclear utility modification-engineer qualification or comparable experience leading engineering changes through implementation.
Proficiency in engineering theories and principles, researching engineering and design issues, evaluating alternatives, making sound recommendations, and preparing and presenting the supporting basis.
Ability to complete non-routine engineering projects with very minimal supervision, independently manage schedules and interfaces, and make decisions that may affect work-group operations, major projects, or department results.
Strong professional oral and written communication skills, ability to work across organizational boundaries, and ability to coach or mentor engineering and non-degreed engineering professionals.
Experience developing or reviewing digital hardware, software, firmware, networks, virtualization, plant computers, or control-system modifications, including legacy-system migration and digital interfaces or protocols such as Modbus, OPC DA, or OPC UA.
Experience applying systems-engineering principles across the digital-modification lifecycle, including stakeholder needs, requirements, architecture, test plans and acceptance criteria, implementation, and turnover.
Working knowledge of digital-upgrade licensing considerations, 10 CFR 50.59, and 10 CFR 73.54 cybersecurity requirements.
Experience with an engineering-change or work-management system; Nuclear Asset Suite experience is beneficial but not required.
Demonstrated commitment to technical rigor, configuration control, procedure use and adherence, and nuclear safety culture.
Prior nuclear modification-engineer qualifications and demonstrated products may be considered when establishing or accelerating the qualification plan.

Responsibilities

Provide engineering and technical expertise to identify, analyze, and resolve problems of increasing scope and complexity, including issues that may extend beyond typical areas of responsibility.
Plan, organize, estimate, schedule, coordinate, and monitor assigned engineering work, managing changing priorities, interfaces, technical risk, and decisions that may affect work-group operations or project results.
Prepare accurate, traceable engineering products, including calculations, specifications, drawings, design inputs, evaluations, setpoints, and test plans.
Evaluate design alternatives, technical risk, operating experience, lifecycle needs, and stakeholder input, and document recommendations and their basis.
Develop conceptual designs and technical specifications and coordinate engineering work performed by vendors and external design firms.
Once qualified, serve as the Responsible Engineer and primary technical contact for assigned modifications from design through closeout.
Review installation work instructions and implementation packages to verify that the approved design is correctly translated into field activities and testing.
Provide field, outage, and implementation support while maintaining configuration control, procedural compliance, and design authority.
Perform or coordinate design reviews, digital and software evaluations, cybersecurity assessments, licensing evaluations, and post-modification testing.
Apply nuclear safety culture, conservative decision-making, human-performance tools, and rigorous procedure use.
Communicate technical information and coordinate effectively with station organizations, project teams, vendors, and external partners.
Support continuous learning and knowledge transfer; Senior Nuclear Engineers coach and mentor engineering and non-degreed engineering professionals.
Complete required engineering and Responsible Engineer qualifications before independently performing assigned modification work.
Support utility storm response when assigned and fulfill any assigned emergency-response, callout, or on-call responsibilities.