Principal Core Thermal Hydraulics Engineer

TerraPower.•Bellevue, WA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

TerraPower is a nuclear technology company focused on developing advanced nuclear reactors and medical isotopes. They are seeking highly motivated professionals interested in advanced nuclear reactor research and development. The company aims to raise global living standards through affordable, secure, and environmentally friendly nuclear energy. TerraPower is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Requirements

B.S., M.S., or Ph.D in Mechanical, Nuclear, or other relevant technical Engineering area from an accredited university
A minimum of 15 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years of experience with demonstrated ability to perform the thermal-hydraulic analysis of nuclear reactor core components for simulation-based design
5+ years of technical leadership and/or project management experience
Strong background in nuclear thermal-hydraulics analysis, with demonstrated expertise in evaluating and performing engineering calculations related to heat and mass transfer in nuclear reactor cores, and hydraulic characterization of reactor core components, as proven through university research, publications, and/or work experience
Proven problem-solving skills and a willingness to apply those skills to a variety of engineering problems.
Ability to handle projects that include many competing objectives and design constraints, with ability to resolve conflicts between objectives
Demonstrated expertise and experience with python programming and software development, qualification, and verification & validation.
Strong knowledge and experience in liquid metal thermal-hydraulics or experience with nuclear reactor analysis codes (subchannel analysis code or system thermal-hydraulic codes)
Must have strong verbal and written communication skills to meet NQA-1 requirements, including the formal documentation of calculations.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in C++ programming is highly preferred
Experience working with high-performance computing (HPC) environments preferred
Experience in Software Quality Assurance (SQA) program and Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1) standards highly preferred

Responsibilities

Lead the technical effort to develop and validate thermal hydraulic methodologies, software, and analysis for sodium-cooled fast reactor design
Develop, qualify, and maintain the computer code to analyze the steady-state nuclear reactor core thermal-hydraulics
Have an ownership of the qualified software for the reactor core thermal-hydraulic software
Support the technical decision to address the critical challenges in reactor core design
Support the project planning and define the work scopes for the critical path of the project
Perform thermal hydraulic analysis and engineering calculation/assessment of nuclear reactor core components and structures in exploration of reactor architecture options including component selections, configurations, and sizing in support of the design of Natrium demonstration reactor system using in-house thermal-hydraulic software and/or hand calculations
Work with cross-disciplinary teams to analyze the thermal and mechanical design considerations for the safety of the reactor and its components
Provide technical presentations on analyses performed to the broader team.
Prepare informal and formal reports to document findings and make reasoned recommendations, and report to core thermal hydraulic team manager/lead
Support licensing activities related to the Natrium demonstration project by assisting in the preparation of licensing submittments
Support design reviews as plant system and subsystem designs are established and refined
Provide Support and oversight during test execution, evaluation of test results, and reporting of test results
Establish and maintain system requirements and design basis documents for reactor core design and core thermal hydraulics