VP of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

Aalo Atomics•Austin, TX

74d•Onsite

About The Position

The Vice President of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs is a critical executive role responsible for leading our regulatory strategy, establishing a clear pathway for technology approval, and driving complex nuclear licensing applications to completion. This role combines world-class nuclear regulatory expertise with hands-on strategic leadership to navigate the rigid constraints of the advanced nuclear energy market. You will scale our multi-disciplinary licensing organization, optimize submission processes under strict nuclear safety standards, and ensure the timely acquisition of regulatory approvals aligned with engineering milestones and reactor deployment timelines.

Requirements

10-15+ years of progressive regulatory and licensing leadership experience, with a proven track record of managing multi-disciplinary licensing teams in the nuclear energy sector.
World-class regulatory background with deep hands-on experience authoring, defending, or reviewing large-scale safety analysis reports or licensing applications.
Proven ability to drive complex regulatory filings from initial pre-application engagement to final safety evaluation report issuance under tight project timelines.
Exceptional problem-solving skills, with a history of personally resolving highly ambiguous technical positions, policy challenges, or regulatory disputes.
Strong expertise in nuclear safety principles, licensing bases development, probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), and regulatory compliance management.
Demonstrated ability to design and implement rigorous quality management workflows that increase licensing velocity without sacrificing nuclear safety or technical accuracy.
Experience building, scaling, and structuring high-performing regulatory teams in rapid-growth or deep-tech hardware environments.
Exceptional executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to negotiate sophisticated regulatory positions and explain licensing risks to C-suite and board members.
Strong analytical capabilities, using risk-informed frameworks to diagnose process inefficiencies and optimize regulatory strategy.
Bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering, physics, systems engineering, or a related technical science field required.
Based in the United States
Willing to work on-site in Austin, TX
Extreme Ownership
A love of solving problems others avoid
Moving with a sense of urgency
Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Persons in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810 and may not hold non-compliant foreign citizenships.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Nuclear Engineering or a related technical discipline.
Extensive experience navigating modern regulatory frameworks, with explicit exposure to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Part 50, Part 52, Part 53, or Part 57 licensing pathways.
Active network and established credibility with key regulatory staff, national laboratory experts, or industry groups such as the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI).

Responsibilities

Lead and scale the licensing and regulatory organization, aligning regulatory strategy with corporate growth objectives, engineering timelines, and commercial deployment goals.
Drive licensing processes to completion, establishing rigorous execution frameworks, document control systems, and accountability across safety analysis, environmental reviews, and site permitting streams.
Architect and oversee solutions for hard, complex regulatory bottlenecks, ensuring systemic resolution of requests for additional information (RAIs) and policy interpretations.
Foster a culture of technical excellence and nuclear safety compliance, setting high standards for safety analysis reports, quality assurance program descriptions, and regulatory commitments.
Own the regulatory engagement lifecycle, optimizing technical review schedules, pre-application engagements, and formal hearing preparation.
Partner cross-functionally with engineering, supply chain, policy, and legal teams to translate complex technical specifications and design features into actionable licensing strategies.
Implement data-driven regulatory metrics, utilizing response turnaround times, review milestone adherence, and regulatory issue tracking to continuously improve licensing performance.
Mentor and develop regulatory leaders, building a high-performing, resilient team capable of tackling next-generation advanced reactor licensing frameworks.
Represent the company externally, building high-credibility relationships with nuclear regulators, government agencies, national laboratories, and industry advisory groups.