Lead License Renewal Implementation Professional 1 – Nuclear

Sargent & Lundy•Chicago, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role offers a hybrid work arrangement, with three days a week in the office and two days remote. As a key Associate in the Nuclear Power Group (NPG), you will aid, participate, and coordinate engineers and other professionals involved in License Renewal (LR) / Subsequent License Renewal (SLR) license extension and post-approval implementation activities across the U.S. nuclear power fleet. The position focuses on translating LR/SLR commitments and aging management program (AMP) requirements into practical, field-executable inspection and implementation plans. It may also involve performing visual inspections (e.g., VT-1/VT-2 or similar). The ideal candidate has experience with LR/SLR application and implementation, and optionally, nuclear engineering programs, field trade experience, work management/scheduling, NRC submittals/inspections, and can bridge technical aging management requirements with work management systems and field execution.

Requirements

An associate’s degree or equivalent experience.
10 or more years of experience in the design and analysis of nuclear, industrial, or DOE facilities.
Proven experience managing and/or participating in multi-disciplinary teams.
Experience in managing medium-to-large critical projects.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Experience in providing guidance, mentoring, and training to staff engineers
Licensed Operator for a Utility
Experience delivering accurate, high-quality technical documentation in a highly regulated environment (nuclear, DOE, or equivalent).
Familiarity with engineering documentation systems, nuclear QA/QC protocols, and configuration management processes.
Strong systems thinking skills, with the ability to balance innovation with compliance, safety, and traceability.
Demonstrated ability to work with work management systems (e.g., work orders, PMs, planning tools) and to align technical requirements with implementable work packages and schedules.
Proven capability to collaborate with SMEs and field organizations, using drawings, histories, prior WOs, and data to converge on practical implementation solutions.
Prior involvement in license renewal, subsequent license renewal, or nuclear aging management programs, including development or implementation of AMPs, one-time inspections, or selective leaching programs.
Experience with NRC, INPO, or DOE regulations, and participation in NRC audits or inspections (e.g., Inspection Procedure 71003 or similar).
Familiarity with key nuclear industry LR/SLR documents such as NUREG‑1800, NUREG‑1801, NEI 95‑10, NUREG‑2191, NUREG‑2192, NUREG‑2221, NEI 17‑01, and/or NUREG‑1555.
Strong practical understanding of mechanical systems and components (pumps, valves, strainers, tanks, heat exchangers, piping) and how work is actually performed on them in the field.
Ability to connect materials and environments to aging mechanisms (e.g., loss of material, pitting, erosion, selective leaching, coating degradation) and to define what inspections need to observe and document.
Background in one or more of the following: mechanical maintenance/engineering, system engineering, NDE/inspection, chemistry/corrosion engineering, or field construction/trades (e.g., piping, welding, valve maintenance) that provides credibility with craft and insight into how design, procedures, and work orders translate into physical work.
Several years in a nuclear work management / outage or online planning, system engineering, or maintenance engineering role, preferably with exposure to LR/SLR implementation or aging management programs.
Prior hands-on or close-support experience with plant modification or maintenance on mechanical systems (e.g., as a maintenance engineer, system engineer, field engineer, NDE/inspection engineer, or craft/trades lead) in a nuclear or similarly regulated environment.
Experience working in cross-functional project teams (engineering, programs, planning, field, and external consultants) to deliver complex, multi-outage implementation scopes.

Nice To Haves

Participation and/or familiarity with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) License Renewal Task Force or similar industry working groups.
Willingness or ability to lead others who use modern tools: automation and AI to improve workflows, reduce rework, and deliver cost-effective designs.
Additional learning, such as a minor, certificate, or other experience in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, or related fields that enables effective oversight of automation and agentic AI-enabled engineering workflows.

Responsibilities

Support LR/SLR implementation activities such as procedure changes, preventive maintenance (PM) basis and frequency development, work order (WO) development and review, and nuclear program basis document updates.
Roadmap required inspections and aging management activities to comply with NRC regulations, LR/SLR commitments, and applicable AMPs.
Define and help maintain sample populations and inspection scopes (e.g., one-time inspections, selective leaching, tank inspections) and ensure results are traceable to LR/SLR commitments and program requirements.
Use work management and planning systems (e.g., WOs, PMs, work items) to identify and capture LR/SLR opportunities in both online and outage scopes.
Screen and analyze large WO and PM lists (often thousands of line items) to identify high-value inspection opportunities based on system, component, material, and environment.
Coordinate with schedulers, planners, and field organizations to embed aging management needs into realistic work sequences and outage plans.
Develop and maintain engineering program basis documentation, including AMP basis, PM basis, and supporting technical justifications.
Perform data validation, engineering change tracking, and configuration control for LR/SLR-related documents and commitments.
Support NRC commitment tracking and closure, including preparing or reviewing technical responses, inspection packages, and closure documentation.
Interact with clients and NRC in a technical expert role, clearly explaining aging management strategies, inspection plans, and results.
Work closely with mechanical, electrical, and structural SMEs, program owners, and field leads to refine scopes, aging mechanisms, and documentation expectations.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement, technology-forward thinking, and cross-functional collaboration across engineering, planning, and implementation teams.
Maintain awareness of changes in LR/SLR and aging management regulations, guidance, and industry operating experience.
Incorporate relevant NUREGs, NEI guidance, and industry OE into program basis documents, implementation strategies, and inspection plans.
Lead others in taking engineering problems from issue to solution by setting expectations for using data and modern tools such as automation and AI to improve workflows, reduce rework, and deliver cost-effective designs.
Oversee automation and process-improvement work, for example, how teams automate calculations, summarize technical documents, or generate design documentation and guiding when and how AI or agentic AI tools are used while ensuring results are checked.
Oversee engineers who program or script (e.g., Python, MATLAB, advanced Excel) to automate engineering tasks, with review of automated outputs.