Early Career Nuclear Engineer 1

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•Richland, WA

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Nuclear Engineering Group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is seeking an early-career nuclear engineer to help advance the nation’s capabilities in nuclear materials production, nuclear engineering, and nuclear nonproliferation. A significant portion of the group’s work supports the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Defense Programs, which is responsible for maintaining and modernizing the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. The group also conducts research and provides technical expertise in criticality safety and radiation shielding; advanced nuclear fuels for research, commercial, and next-generation reactors; mobile and small nuclear power systems for the Department of Defense; and nuclear nonproliferation and international safeguards. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to multidisciplinary projects spanning national security, reactor technology, nuclear materials, and advanced energy systems. This position offers a hybrid work arrangement. The selected individual should expect regular on-site work to support project activities involving sensitive information and collaboration with team members. You will be 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. In this position, you must recognize and accept that you will be working in technical areas associated with the National Security of the United States.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Nuclear Engineering
U.S. Citizenship
Ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.
Ability 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).
Must pass a drug test prior to commencing employment.

Nice To Haves

Strong conceptual knowledge of scientific or engineering theories, practices, and procedures within nuclear engineering.
Experience with one or more reactor physics or radiation transport codes, such as 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

Apply basic nuclear engineering theories to well defined tasks with minimal oversight.
Collaborate with experienced engineers and contribute to projects involving both near-term analyses and longer-term model development.
Document methods and findings in technical reports and presentations.