VP, Engineering

Deep Fission, Inc

1d•Remote

About The Position

Deep Fission is seeking a VP of Engineering to build and lead the technical organization responsible for advancing its deep borehole pressurized water reactor from concept to repeatable commercial deployment. The Gravity Nuclear Reactor combines established pressurized water reactor technology with deep borehole drilling and geothermal-style heat transfer, deployed a mile underground to reduce surface infrastructure and support faster commercialization timelines. The role owns engineering execution across the nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) and surface power conversion, including reactor and mechanical design, nuclear analysis, instrumentation and controls, and surface support systems. The VP partners with the regulatory team on design basis and licensing content for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy. The role also works closely with the drilling and completions team, which owns the borehole; Engineering and that team jointly own the reactor-to-borehole interface. This is a build role requiring the leader to create structure as well as run the organization. The VP builds, staffs, and leads Engineering; establishes scalable engineering processes and design controls; oversees delivery for the demonstration reactor and later commercial units; supports licensing and quality alignment; and manages vendor and program relationships. The position is primarily remote, with regular travel to engineering, drilling, and site partner locations, anticipated up to 20%.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, nuclear, or electrical engineering, or a related field.
15+ years of engineering experience, including 8+ years in leadership roles and 5+ years managing multidisciplinary engineering teams at Director level or above.
Direct experience in power plant design or another complex, regulated hardware environment, such as aerospace, submarines, or liquefied natural gas.
Working knowledge of nuclear and commercial quality assurance frameworks and NRC licensing processes.
Strong grounding in design for manufacturability and constructability of nuclear or comparably regulated hardware.
Must be a U.S. person eligible to meet Department of Energy Export Control requirements under 10 CFR 810.
Ability to work independently in a remote-first, cross-functional environment and partner effectively with senior stakeholders across the organization.
Willingness to travel domestically for team offsites, training sessions, and site visits as required; quarterly travel is anticipated for company offsites.
Ability to operate a personal computer, sit for extended periods, travel domestically as required, and exert up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally or minimal force frequently.
Ability to comprehend, document, calculate, visualize, and analyze information.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in a relevant engineering discipline.
Commercial or private-sector experience, ideally in a high-growth or newly public company.
A track record of building an engineering function.
Experience with PWR or small modular reactor (SMR) designs.
Experience with geothermal systems or oil and gas subsurface engineering.
Professional Engineer (PE) license.

Responsibilities

Build, staff, and lead the Engineering organization, hiring and directly managing Directors across reactor and mechanical design, nuclear analysis, I&C, surface power conversion, and surface support systems.
Establish engineering processes, configuration management, and design change control that scale from concept through fleet deployment.
Report engineering status, risk, and resourcing needs to the executive team regularly.
Model and foster a strong nuclear safety culture, including a questioning attitude and open reporting of concerns.
Provide engineering input to the integrated schedule, budget, and risk register owned by Project Management, and hold the engineering team accountable for delivery of the demonstration reactor and subsequent commercial units.
Translate reactor design basis and safety requirements into manufacturable and constructible engineering packages.
Drive phased validation of differentiated system elements, including subsurface deployment and reactor control.
Partner with Regulatory Affairs leadership on engineering inputs to NRC licensing submissions.
Align engineering deliverables with applicable nuclear and commercial quality requirements so designs are ready for licensing and fabrication.
Manage technical relationships with engineering vendors and provide engineering oversight of fabrication.
Provide technical input to Supply Chain on make-or-buy decisions for major subsystems.
Represent Engineering in technical discussions with customers, DOE, NRC, and site partners as needed.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned within the scope of responsibilities.