Instrumentation & Controls Engineer 1 (Entry-Level) - Nuclear

Sargent & Lundy•Chicago, IL

About The Position

Nuclear power is a carbon-free energy source. We offer you the opportunity to utilize and expand your academic background in engineering by digitizing nuclear power plants: You will work on a multi-discipline engineering team involved in nuclear power plant instrumentation and controls projects. These projects are a synergistic integration of electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering along with control theory. You will work with electronic process sensors, digital controllers, network topology, touchscreen displays, pumps, valves, heat exchangers, steam turbines and reactors. You will prepare specifications for the procurement of instrumentation and control equipment as well as engineering calculations. Through mentoring, classroom-style technical sessions, and on-the-job training, you will increase your knowledge and skills in your engineering discipline. You will also have the opportunity to travel to client and vendor offices for design reviews and to plant site locations for project coordination and field verification of designs. In this role, we expect people to be willing or able to solve problems using modern tools: You are expected to take engineering problems from issue to solution using data and modern tools such as automation and AI to improve workflows, reduce rework, and deliver cost-effective designs. Many engineers in these roles build or use automation to create calculations, summarize technical documents, or draft design documentation, including appropriate use of agentic AI tools, with strong engineering judgment and verification of results.

Requirements

A Bachelor’s or Master’s of Science degree in engineering with a strong academic background and coursework in analog and digital control systems, systems engineering, mechatronics, or robotics
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Proficiency with MS Office applications

Nice To Haves

A Bachelor’s or Master’s of Science from an ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission-approved program
Prior, related internship or co-op experience
Successful completion of the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, and designation as an Engineer in Training
Programming or scripting (e.g., Python, MATLAB, advanced Excel) to automate calculations, design checks, reporting, or data transformation
Additional learning, such as a minor, certificate, or other training in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, or related fields that helps you apply automation or agentic AI to real engineering problems.

Responsibilities

Work on a multi-discipline engineering team involved in nuclear power plant instrumentation and controls projects.
Prepare specifications for the procurement of instrumentation and control equipment.
Perform engineering calculations.
Increase knowledge and skills through mentoring, classroom-style technical sessions, and on-the-job training.
Travel to client and vendor offices for design reviews.
Travel to plant site locations for project coordination and field verification of designs.
Take engineering problems from issue to solution using data and modern tools such as automation and AI to improve workflows, reduce rework, and deliver cost-effective designs.
Build or use automation to create calculations, summarize technical documents, or draft design documentation, including appropriate use of agentic AI tools, with strong engineering judgment and verification of results.