Principal Engineer, Structural and Stress Analysis

TerraPower•Bellevue, WA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

TerraPower is a nuclear technology company focused on developing advanced nuclear reactors and innovations in medical isotopes. The Principal Engineer, Structural and Stress Analysis will serve as a subject matter expert for the Natrium advanced nuclear reactor development, providing technical leadership in the mechanical performance of various reactor components, structures, and nuclear island components. This role involves working within a high-functioning team of engineers and scientists dedicated to designing next-generation advanced nuclear reactors.

Requirements

B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from an accredited university. Aerospace, Nuclear, and Civil Engineering degrees are also considered.
Minimum 15 years of related experience with B.S. degree, or 12 years with M.S. degree, or 8 years with Ph.D. degree.
Ability to produce a high-quality work product.
Experience in the analysis of components to ASME Boiler Pressure Vessel Code Section III Div. 5 and 1.
Proficient in finite element stress analysis, mechanical analysis methods, and commercial mechanical stress analysis modeling tools with emphasis on SolidWorks and ANSYS.
Strong understanding of solid mechanics, fracture mechanics, and metal fatigue principles.
Demonstrated experience in mechanical analysis of equipment or components, including stress (including thermal) analysis, seismic analysis, buckling analysis, thermal cyclic analysis, and creep analysis.
Experience working under stringent quality assurance requirements such as ASME NQA-1, MIL-Q-9858A, or ISO-9000.
Skilled in detail-oriented review of drawings, documents, and calculations to ensure consistency, precision, and technical rigor.
Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
Creative thinking with strong analytical/problem-solving skills.
Ability to work multiple tasks concurrently with minimal direction.
Candidates must meet the minimum education and experience criteria applicable to the role, including relevant nuclear industry experience where required.
Verification of data will be part of the hiring process.
Candidate must be able to work with in-person arrangements.
The successful candidate will possess a high degree of trust and integrity, communicate openly and display respect and a desire to foster teamwork.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency and expert knowledge of the ASME Sect III Code, including Div 5 high temperature design, is highly desired.
Working experience with other codes and standards such as ASME Section VIII, ASME B31.1, and ASME B31.3, ASCE 4, ASCE 7, and/or ASCE 43 is highly desirable.
Experience interfacing with other engineering disciplines.
Five plus years of previous experience in the nuclear industry.
Working experience utilizing Mathcad, and Python.

Responsibilities

Perform various analyses (stress, creep-fatigue, buckling, seismic, vibration) of reactor components using classical tools (Mathcad) and finite element analysis (FEA) software (ANSYS).
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to perform static and dynamic analysis using linear and non-linear approaches with FEA software.
Work with interdisciplinary teams to establish and optimize nuclear components design consistent with required functional and safety requirements.
Establish, review, approve, and maintain documents of analysis results and design solutions.
Support the team’s development of required inputs and methodologies to establish structural sizing and load combinations for critical reactor components and interfaces.
Perform peer review to maintain the expected quality standard as per the engineering quality assurance plan.
Assist the Team Manager and Senior Manager with planning and strategy when necessary.
Mentor engineers and team members to build a skilled and confident team.
Act as a technical point of contact for various focused tasks.