Senior Engineer, Manufacturing

TerraPower is a nuclear technology company based in Bellevue, Washington. At its core, the company is working to raise living standards globally through a more affordable, secure, and environmentally friendly form of nuclear energy along with innovations in medical isotopes to improve human health. In 2006, TerraPower originated with Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who evaluated the fundamental challenges to raising living standards around the world. They recognized energy access was crucial to the health and economic well-being of communities and decided that the private sector needed to take action and create energy sources that would advance global energy deployment. TerraPower’s mission is to be a world leader in new nuclear technologies, while developing innovators and future leaders in the nuclear field. As a result, the company’s activities in the fields of nuclear energy and related sciences are yielding significant innovations in the safety and economics of nuclear power, hybrid energy and medical applications – all for significant human health benefits.”

TerraPower is seeking to hire highly motivated and forward-thinking professionals who are interested in focusing on advanced nuclear reactor research and development and influencing change within the nuclear power landscape and bringing forward the critical production of medical isotopes. TerraPower is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. 

Senior Engineer, Manufacturing 

You will be working on TerraPower’s Natrium reactor project to own the manufacturing and procurement support for nuclear fuel and core components and assemblies.  You will interface with the design, program, supply chain, and delivery team members to ensure timely and quality delivery of hardware.  

Responsibilities: 

• Support the fabrication of Natrium fuel, including construction of the fabrication facility, metallization of HALEU feedstock for use in fuel fabrication, and the fuel fabrication process.
• Develop timelines, prototypes, processes and procedures needed for full commercial scale of nuclear core assemblies.
• Build relationships and interact regularly with vendors to review technical submissions, lead non-conformance evaluations, and ensure work complies with engineering requirements.  
• Utilize Design for Manufacture (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles to review engineering designs and drawings to optimize manufacturing processes.  
• Generate and/or review GD&T, tolerance stack ups, and assembly / integration / inspection processes.
• Proactively identify process change or enhancement opportunities for future iterations. 
• Interface with fellow engineers, providing direction and mentoring to junior staff.  
• Support continuous learning and application of nuclear industry best practices to maintain the highest quality of engineering design. 

 Key Qualifications and Skills:  

• Education: B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent (e.g. Nuclear, Aerospace, Chemical, Materials, Biomedical) preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of manufacturing or component design experience, with advanced degrees (M.S. or Ph.D.) credited as up to 2 or 4 years of experience. We encourage candidates of all experience levels to apply—placement will be tailored to match your unique background and expertise.
• Experience on production floor and/or as a manufacturing engineer for low to mid volume high-precision hardware (e.g. Nuclear, Aerospace, Defense, Medical, or other similar industries).
• Capable to understand and interpret CAD models, drawings, and product specifications. Ability to produce these is a plus.
• Creative thinker, strong analytical/problem solving skills, excellent writing and communication skills.
• Capable of working with minimal direction to concurrently solve challenging problems. 

The Ideal Candidate has experience with:  

• Metallic nuclear fuels, such as alloy casting process development or fuel material characterization, especially as it pertains to fast reactor metal fuel qualification.
• Design and manufacturing of nuclear core assemblies, specifically with high temperature and nuclear related metals and materials.  
• DOE / NRC (10 CFR – part 50 – appendix B, etc.), ASME (NQA-1, ASME Section III – div. 5, etc) and other highly controlled production regulations and standards.
• Leading first-of-a-kind or prototype-to-production product development.
• Applying Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and root cause analysis methods.  
• Building out and implementation of MES / ERP systems, or similar manufacturing tools. 

This position is subject to qualification requirements in accordance with ANSI/ANS 3.1. 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.

Job Functions:

Job Functions are physical actions and/or working conditions associated with the position. These functions may also constitute essential functions for the job which the employee must be able to fulfill, with or without accommodation.  Information provided below is to help describe the job so that the applicant has a reasonable understanding of the job duties/expectations.  An applicant's ability to perform and/or tolerate these actions and conditions will be discussed and workplace accommodations may be made on a case-by-case basis following an individualized assessment of the applicant and other considerations, including but not limited to any governing safety standards.

• Motor Abilities: Sitting for extended periods, bending/stooping, grasping/gripping, fine motor control (hands)
• Physical exertion and/or requirements: Minimal, with ability to safely lift up to 25 pounds.
• Repetitive work: Prolonged
• Special Senses: Visual and audio focused work
• Work Conditions: Stairs, typing/keyboard, standard and/or sitting working environment of >8 hours/day
• Travel required 0-10%

TerraPower’s technology is controlled for export by various agencies of the U.S. Government.  TerraPower must evaluate applicants who are foreign nationals (other than asylees, refugees, or lawful permanent residents) in accordance with U.S. Government export control requirements.  To facilitate TerraPower’s export control reviews, you will be asked as part of the application process to identify whether you are a U.S. Citizen or national, asylee, refugee, or lawful permanent resident of the United States.  Government export authorization approval times vary.  Based on the business needs for a particular position, TerraPower may not consider a foreign national from a country if it is impracticable to obtain timely Government export approval.

Job details

Salary Range: $116,852 - $151,757 

Any salary offered within the posted salary band is based on market data and commensurate with the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience. This range is specific to Washington State.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation
• Salary, eligible to participate in discretionary short-term incentive payments
• Comprehensive Medical and Wellness Benefits
  • Medical
  • Vision
  • Dental
  • Life and Disabilitydxc
  • Gender Affirmation Benefits
• Parental Leave
• 401k Plan
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • 21 days of annually accrued PTO
• Generous Holiday Schedule
  • 10 paid holidays
• Relocation Assistance
• Professional and Educational Support Opportunities

TerraPower Career and Benefits information:  https://www.terrapower.com/contact-us/careers/