Nuclear Fuels Engineer

Ocean Atomics•Bethesda, MD

1d•$110,000 - $240,000

About The Position

Ocean Atomics is an American company designing, licensing, and assembling a standardized nuclear electric power plant and the surrounding support systems for maritime applications. We will install these plants on any vessel built to our nuclear-ready standards, and will provide end-to-end sustainment in our planned nuclear lifecycle dockyard. We will help develop the licensed operators to unlock this new capability for your energy intensive application at sea. To move fast and to lead the creation of this new market, we are leveraging the compact, proven systems enabled by water-cooled reactors. Our mission Scale nuclear energy. Power generations. Our vision A maritime commons thriving with abundant, economical, modern, and safe nuclear-powered activity — built, serviced, and staffed by re-industrialized American shipyards and people. Role Summary Owns the fuel design and analyzes fuel and control pellet performance under normal and transient conditions, ensuring the fuel meets thermal, mechanical, and safety requirements throughout its service life, and works with procurement and vendors to source it.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering required (advanced degree preferred).
Experience in nuclear fuel design, performance analysis, or fuel qualification.
Proficiency with fuel performance codes (e.g., FRAPCON/FRAPTRAN, BISON, or equivalent).
Working knowledge of fuel materials behavior, neutronics interfaces, and thermal-hydraulic boundary conditions.
Experience interfacing with vendors or procurement on technical specifications and qualification.
This role involves access to information subject to U.S. export control laws, including unclassified nuclear technology governed by the U.S. Department of Energy under 10 CFR Part 810. Depending on a candidate's status, access may require DOE authorization, which Ocean Atomics may apply for. Any offer is contingent on your ability to work in compliance with these requirements. We evaluate all applicants regardless of citizenship or national origin, except where required by law.

Nice To Haves

advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

Own the fuel and control element design, defining requirements and specifications across normal, transient, and accident conditions.
Analyze fuel and control pellet performance—thermal behavior, gas production and release, swelling, cladding interaction, and burnup effects—to verify design limits are met.
Establish fuel-related operating margins and safety criteria and feed results into core design and safety analyses.
Work with the procurement team and fuel vendors to specify, qualify, and obtain fuel, supporting technical evaluations and supplier oversight.
Document fuel designs, analyses, and performance basis, and support design reviews, qualification, and licensing deliverables.