Nuclear Supplier Quality Engineer

Blykalla•Texas, TX

4d•$120,000 - $160,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are building the first lead-cooled SMR program in the United States and are looking for a Nuclear Supplier Quality Engineer to help turn our quality requirements into practice across our growing supplier base. This is an on-site role in Austin, TX, with regular travel to suppliers in the US and internationally. Blykalla is preparing to deploy its first US reactor through our Fjäll program, with planned activities connected to Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Fjäll is targeting first criticality in 2027 and is backed by approximately USD 100M in funding. This is a chance to join a first-of-a-kind nuclear program early, working hands-on with the suppliers, components and manufacturing activities that will ultimately become part of the reactor. As Nuclear Supplier Quality Engineer, you will execute quality oversight across Blykalla’s US supply chain. Working closely with our Quality Assurance Director, engineering and procurement teams, you will make sure suppliers understand our requirements and that equipment, materials and manufacturing activities meet them in practice. You do not need to arrive knowing every aspect of nuclear quality assurance. We are looking for strong quality fundamentals, sound judgement and someone motivated to build deep nuclear quality expertise as the program grows. As Quality Engineer you will apply quality assurance and quality control practices across design, procurement, manufacture, test and initial operations to meet NQA-1 requirements, while helping build the quality processes needed as our US program grows.

Requirements

Experience in quality, supplier quality, manufacturing quality, quality engineering or a related field.
Hands-on experience working with suppliers, manufacturing, fabrication, inspection or procurement quality.
Ability to work with technical requirements, drawings, specifications and quality documentation.
Experience identifying and resolving quality issues and non-conformances.
Strong communication skills and confidence working directly with suppliers.
Willingness to travel regularly to supplier locations, including internationally.
Comfortable working in a fast-moving environment where processes are still being built.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality, manufacturing or a related technical field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
US work authorization.
Education - 4 year college degree or Military equivalence such as US Navy nuclear experience (former ELT, MM, EM, or ET holding a reactor operator qualification or Engineering Watch Supervisor certification) is acceptable

Nice To Haves

Experience in nuclear, aerospace, medical devices, energy, defense or another highly regulated industry.
Supplier quality experience in a startup, scale-up or first-of-a-kind project.
Experience with supplier audits, surveillance or source inspections.
Familiarity with 10CFR50 Appendix B, DOE O 414.1, ASME NQA-1 or other nuclear quality frameworks.
Experience with international suppliers, particularly in Asia.
Experience that could support future NQA-1 Lead Auditor qualification.
Familiarity with ASME NQA-1 and relevant nuclear quality codes and standards. Quality, auditing or inspection certifications are a strong advantage.

Responsibilities

Work directly with suppliers to make sure quality requirements are understood and followed throughout manufacturing and delivery.
Support supplier evaluation and qualification, and work closely with engineering and procurement as suppliers move from selection into execution.
Perform supplier surveillance, source inspections and audits, including reviewing quality records, documentation and traceability.
Identify and follow non-conformances and quality issues through resolution, including corrective actions with suppliers and internal teams.
Support receipt inspection of equipment and materials, as well as quality control during construction and installation activities.
Help build and improve the supplier quality processes and ways of working needed as Fjäll’s US program and supply chain grow.