Mechanical Engineer - Steam Systems

Aalo Atomics•Austin, TX

11d•Onsite

About The Position

As a Test Engineer on the Fuel Handling System (FHS) team, you will help build and operate the test infrastructure used to validate complex mechanical systems operating in challenging environments—mechanisms, sealing systems, sodium-compatible components, and fluid systems used in fuel handling, cleaning, and storage. Working closely with senior test and design engineers, you will own day-to-day execution of component test campaigns: building rigs, instrumenting hardware, running cycle tests, capturing data, and chasing down failure modes. You will spend most of your time in the lab with hands on hardware. This role is a great fit for an engineer who wants to learn quickly, take ownership of real test programs, and grow into a senior test role in a fast-moving hardware environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
1–3 years of hands-on engineering experience (industry, internship, co-op, or strong project equivalent)
Experience with mechanical fabrication, assembly, or electro-mechanical testing
Comfortable wiring up instrumentation and reading basic schematics
Strong mechanical intuition and willingness to learn by doing
Comfortable working with ambiguity and high ownership
Must be based in the United States
Must be willing to work on-site at our headquarters in Austin, Texas
Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Persons in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810 and may not hold non-compliant foreign citizenships.

Nice To Haves

Experience with fluid systems (valves, seals, gas, vacuum, hydraulics)
Built custom test rigs or experimental setups in school, prior jobs, or personal projects
Familiarity with instrumentation and data acquisition systems
Exposure to high-temperature, hazardous, or chemically aggressive environments
Hands-on project experience (e.g., Formula SAE, robotics, rocketry, hardware startups, machine shop work)
Welding, machining, or fabrication skills

Responsibilities

Build, instrument, and operate test rigs for mechanical, thermal, and fluid system validation
Execute test plans on components such as valves, seals, hoists, grapples, and handling mechanisms
Wire and configure sensors (pressure, temperature, force, position, gas composition) and data acquisition systems
Run cycle tests, characterize failure modes, and feed findings back to design engineers for rapid iteration
Perform hands-on fabrication, assembly, and modification of test hardware
Support sodium exposure testing, cleaning cask development, and mechanism qualification campaigns
Maintain clean, organized test setups and accurate, traceable test records
Help write and refine test procedures, checklists, and as-run logs
Support system integration, full-scale prototype operation, and on-site commissioning as needed
Travel occasionally to test sites or the reactor installation