Senior Manager, Fuel Plant Maintenance

X-Energy • Oak Ridge, TN

22d • Onsite

About The Position

This role is responsible for leading the maintenance organization to install, maintain, and upgrade equipment in support of fuel production on time and on budget according to prescribed specifications while meeting expectations for quality, efficiency, waste, and safety. The role provides strategic direction and leadership for maintenance efforts, including technical improvements, process development, continuous improvement, maintenance planning, and maintenance staffing, ensuring alignment with plant-wide objectives and long-term asset management strategies. The role also collaborates with other organizational leaders to coordinate major projects, maintenance schedules, and capital investments across the fuel plant.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a similar technical field and 4 years of work experience in the nuclear industry is required.
• Typically, twelve plus years of experience in maintenance in a nuclear fuel production or other highly regulated industrial facility, such as chemical or pharmaceutical, with at least eight years in a supervisory or leadership role directing a high-performance maintenance team with measurable results and improvements.
• Seven years' experience in the supervision of maintenance staff and workload while maximizing plant efficiency.
• Experience with plant engineering team leadership and development with a high level of mechanical, electrical, or technical aptitude.
• Experience with plant start-up and/or major plant expansion activities.
• Experience with technical contract management is required (specification, bid, review, recommendation/award, submittal review, change management, contract closeout).
• Strong understanding of maintenance programs, production processes, quality control standards, and manufacturing safety protocols.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and direction, directly and through a group of leaders, for the daily and long-range activities of the maintenance organization, including spares inventory, preventive maintenance, work orders, and continuity planning.
• Champion, communicate, and model overall plant safety culture within the maintenance program.
• Lead and develop leaders and team members, which may include tracking of time and attendance, scheduling, associate counseling, discipline, setting goals, evaluating work performance, and assisting in skill development.
• Establish effective organizational planning, goal setting, and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Use process improvement and direct engagement to enhance the skills and abilities of leaders and team members.
• Foster high morale and teamwork by supporting the activities of subordinates through regular interaction and one-on-one contact.
• Oversee the creation and maturation of preventative and predictive maintenance program requirements to maximize equipment reliability through TPM programs, system optimization, and automation.
• Identify, prioritize, develop, and implement capital projects that meet equipment and infrastructure needs for short-term and long-term plant objectives aligned with our businesses, while leveraging contractor and vendor expertise as needed.
• Drive structured problem solving through all levels of the site organization.
• Determine optimal solutions for complex problems down to the root cause level that lead to the initiation, approval, and execution of projects that improve safety, service, quality, and cost performance.
• Oversee and support the classification of plant equipment for the development and execution of an asset management strategy, ensuring integration with reliability and life-cycle planning.
• Ensure proper integration of maintenance into each plant system.
• Oversee the development and deployment of systems to perform maintenance or to monitor systems using sensors and other highly technical automated solutions.
• Identify technical and operational risks across the maintenance portfolio.
• Develop, implement, and manage appropriate risk mitigation strategies in a timely manner, escalating as appropriate to site leadership.
• Partner closely with production planning and scheduling, engineering, and research and development to manage spare parts inventory for efficiency, cost savings, and availability, focusing on zero unplanned machine downtime.
• Design and implement strategies, department procedures, organizational structures, and people utilization plans with an end goal of improving efficiency, productivity, delivery, and performance across the fuel plant.
• Build and sustain systems to maintain department quality and operations, including standardized processes, documentation, and controls.
• Quantify and analyze individual performance, equipment utilization, product quality, people utilization, inventory management, facility setup, efficiency, and operating expenses for assigned areas.
• Assess skill training and department capability and implement advancement plans through training and/or capital investment.
• Track and report KPIs and strategic metrics to senior management, providing data-driven recommendations.
• Create and own operating budgets and capital budgets in conjunction with other leadership team members.
• Manage the maintenance department expense budget and develop short- and long-term cost containment/reduction strategies while protecting safety, reliability, and regulatory commitments.
• Maintain professional demeanor and behavior at all times in all forms of communication and serve as a visible role model for plant leadership expectations.
• Perform other duties as assigned by management.

Benefits

• X Energy, LLC offers a robust benefits package that includes a 401K plan with an employer match, Medical/Dental /Vision Insurance, Life and Disability Insurance, Paid Time Off, and a Tuition Reimbursement/Professional Development policy that supports the continuing education of our employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior