Fuel Fabrication Licensing and Criticality Engineer

TerraPower LLC.•Bellevue, WA

11h•$140,021 - $181,845•Onsite

About The Position

TerraPower is seeking a Fuel Fabrication Licensing and Criticality Engineer to join the Natrium Fuel Design and Supply team. The Fuel Fabrication Licensing and Criticality Engineer is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining nuclear criticality safety analyses and controls supporting the fabrication of Natrium fuel. The Fuel Fabrication Licensing and Criticality Engineer will integrate criticality safety into facility and process design and will be involved with process development, production readiness, technical documentation, and supplier coordination. This role requires quality-driven execution for safety critical components and fabrication processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering or closely related engineering discipline.
Minimum 5 years of experience in nuclear criticality safety, reactor physics, fuel cycle engineering, or a related nuclear engineering field.
Experience performing criticality safety analyses using Monte Carlo neutron transport methods.
Working knowledge of nuclear cross-section libraries and uncertainty methodologies.
Familiarity with NRC regulations applicable to criticality safety and fuel handling.
Experience preparing technical reports and engineering calculations.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate technical information across multidisciplinary teams.
Ability to work with minimum direction to solve challenging problems.
Ability to work on multiple tasks concurrently during a given work week.
Excellent attention to detail.
A high degree of trust and integrity, communicate openly, and display respect and a desire to foster teamwork.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting advanced reactors, sodium-cooled fast reactors, or fuel cycle facilities.
Experience with HALEU fuel systems.
Experience with fast-spectrum criticality methodology.
Proficiency with SCALE, MCNP, Serpent, or comparable neutron transport software.
Familiarity with ANSI/ANS-8 criticality safety standards.
Experience with nuclear industry manufacturing and operation, DOE and NRC regulations
Experience with NQA-1 / QL-1 standards or other highly controlled production standards
Strong understanding of nuclear safety culture.

Responsibilities

Develop nuclear criticality safety evaluations for fuel fabrication process steps, fresh fuel receipt, storage, handling, inspection, and transportation operations.
Perform criticality safety calculations using industry-standard computational tools (i.e. SCALE/KENO, MCNP, etc) for Natrium fuel fabrication and related processes, including areas related to HALEU feedstock, fuel fabrication, and fresh fuel storage and transportation.
Establish engineered and administrative controls to ensure subcriticality under normal, abnormal, and credible accident conditions.
Develop and maintain Criticality Safety Evaluations, Criticality Safety Limits, and supporting technical documentation.
Support design reviews to ensure equipment, storage configurations, fuel fabrication processes, and facility layouts satisfy criticality safety requirements.
Evaluate design changes through engineering change processes and assess impacts to nuclear criticality safety.
Support licensing activities by preparing technical reports, regulatory responses, and safety analyses for NRC review.
Interface with fuel vendors and transportation organizations to support packaging, shipping, and receipt of fresh HALEU fuel.
Support development of operating procedures, training materials, and operational readiness reviews.
Participate in hazard analyses, design reviews, audits, and independent technical assessments.
Support development of criticality safety programs consistent with ANSI/ANS-8 standards and applicable NRC regulations.
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.