Junior Core Design Engineer

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•Richland, WA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget. Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus. The National Security Directorate (NSD) drives science-based, mission-focused solutions to take on complex, real-world threats to our nation and the world. The Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Technologies Division, within the National Security Directorate, works across fundamental science, research and development, and operations to counter emerging national security threats. We focus on discovering signatures and understanding threats by creating materials, methods, and technologies to detect and analyze them. Our researchers deliver the solutions necessary for addressing complex mission challenges, such as explosives detection, biological threat detection, chemical and nuclear forensics, and special nuclear materials.

Requirements

BS/BA and 2 years of relevant experience -OR- MS/MA -OR- PhD
U.S. Citizenship
Ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.
Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.
Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).
Mandatory Requirements: Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a “country of risk” without explicit approval by DOE and Battelle.

Nice To Haves

Foundational knowledge of reactor physics, PWR core design, fuel behavior, and nuclear fuel cycles.
Familiarity with burnup, depletion, neutron transport, and isotope-production modeling.
Interest in applying reactor physics methods to TPBAR design, performance, and operational analyses.
Experience with one or more reactor physics or radiation transport codes, such as CASMO/SIMULATE, PARAGON, ANC, MCNP, or SCALE.
Programming or scripting experience in Python, Fortran, C/C++, or a similar language.
Familiarity with Linux-based HPC environments and Git or other version-control tools.
Strong analytical, technical writing, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to learn new software and methods, work collaboratively, and communicate technical results clearly.

Responsibilities

Model PWR core physics and TPBAR performance using neutron transport, diffusion, depletion, and fuel-cycle methods.
Analyze TPBAR effects on reactivity, power distribution, neutron flux, and tritium production.
Develop, run, and evaluate simulations using established reactor physics codes.
Automate analyses and process results with Python or similar scripting tools.
Perform data checks, sensitivity studies, and basic uncertainty assessments to support technically defensible results.
Document methods and findings in technical reports and presentations.
Collaborate with experienced engineers and contribute to projects involving both near-term analyses and longer-term model development.
Expected to work with non-sensitive, sensitive, and classified information as appropriate for individual projects and should demonstrate an ability to navigate sensitive business situations and contribute to positive outcomes.
The person in this position must recognize and accept that they will be working in technical areas associated with the National Security of the United States.