NextGenEnergyJobsModern Power System Jobs

Distinguished Nuclear Engineer

Kairos Power

Alameda, CA

Full Time

Posted October 29, 2026

$235k - $294k

Nuclear Energy

Apply Now

Application opens on company website

Listing evidence and provenance

Source: Greenhouse View original listing
Freshness: Open in the current public read path; this is not an employer guarantee.Last observed October 30, 2026
Classification: Modern power-system classification not yet published for this listing.Legacy source industry field: Nuclear Energy
Pay provenance: Employer-provided pay

Job Description

The Nuclear Design and Methods department is seeking a highly accomplished Distinguished Engineer to bring deep nuclear plant experience and senior engineering judgment into the design organization .

Key Responsibilities

Provide senior technical leadership and independent engineering judgment across Nuclear Design and Methods and its interfaces with plant design, licensing, testing, commissioning, maintenance, and reactor operation.
Represent Nuclear Design in high-impact technical decisions and forums , including design reviews, readiness reviews, audits, licensing engagements, and senior technical or executive discussions, exercising delegated technical authority and escalating significant design-basis decisions as appropriate.
Lead resolution of complex cross-disciplinary technical issues involving reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, nuclear instrumentation, radiation monitoring, source term, radiation shielding, criticality safety, fuel management, I&C, systems engineering, licensing, testing, commissioning, maintenance, and plant operation.
Bridge nuclear analyses and methods to plant implementation , ensuring that assumptions, limits, margins, uncertainties, and analytical requirements are consistently reflected in plant requirements, instrumentation, operating constraints, surveillance and testing, acceptance criteria, procedures, and maintainable designs.
Identify and drive early resolution of technical risks and inconsistencies affecting licensing, operability, instrumentation, testing, maintenance, commissioning, or plant design before they become late-stage constraints or require significant rework.
Prepare, review, and challenge key Nuclear Design technical products and plant-facing engineering documentation , including analyses, calculations, design requirements, specifications, design decision records, test plans, procedures, licensing-basis inputs, readiness documentation, and other high-impact technical products, with particular attention to assumptions, interfaces, margins, and plant consequences.
Provide senior technical guidance for startup, commissioning, testing, and operational readiness , including initial fuel loading, startup physics testing, reactor monitoring, reactivity control, plant procedures, and acceptance criteria.
Mentor and develop engineers and technical leaders , transferring plant experience and strengthening engineering judgment, regulatory awareness, cross-functional decision-making, constructive technical challenge, and a culture of nuclear safety and technical excellence.
Provides independent technical review of significant design decisions, engineering changes, and deviations from established assumptions or methods.
Identifies and drives resolution of cross-functional technical interface issues that could affect licensing, operability, testing, commissioning, or plant readiness.
Evaluates plant impacts of changes to analytical methods, assumptions, limits, or design requirements.
Supports incorporation of operating experience, test results, and field feedback into Nuclear Design requirements and practices.
Ensures significant technical decisions, assumptions, risks, and follow-up actions are clearly documented and traceable.
Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
15+ years of progressively responsible nuclear engineering experience , including significant senior-level technical leadership responsibility in nuclear power, reactor engineering, nuclear facilities, reactor programs or a closely related field.
Demonstrated direct technical responsibility within an operating nuclear facility or reactor program , startup, or commissioning organization, or comparable nuclear environment with accountability for decisions affecting reactor or facility operation, plant engineering, startup or commissioning, testing, procedures, surveillance, maintenance, or operational readiness.
Demonstrated experience leading complex technical issues across multiple engineering disciplines and organizational stakeholders.
Substantial experience working within a nuclear licensing and design basis , including Technical Specifications or equivalent operating limits, regulatory requirements and guidance, surveillance and testing requirements, design-basis requirements, and configuration/design control.
Demonstrated experience working across nuclear design, plant or systems engineering, licensing, and facility operations , with an understanding of how analytical assumptions and engineering decisions affect plant implementation.
Demonstrated ability to understand and challenge complex nuclear engineering analyses , including assumptions, margins, uncertainties, interfaces, and plant consequences, without needing to be the calculation authority in every discipline.
Demonstrated ability to make and communicate sound engineering judgments on high-consequence technical issues , including situations involving incomplete information, competing requirements, and multiple stakeholders.
Ability to assess the adequacy of technical evidence supporting high-consequence engineering decisions.
Ability to evaluate the downstream plant impacts of changes in assumptions, requirements, methods, or operating conditions.
Ability to recognize when technical issues require escalation, independent review, or additional technical authority.
Knowledge of nuclear design control, configuration management, and change-control principles.
Ability to synthesize complex cross-disciplinary information into clear technical conclusions and recommendations.
Experience in an operating commercial nuclear power plant , particularly in reactor engineering, operations, plant engineering, startup/commissioning, or senior technical leadership.
Experience across multiple phases of the nuclear facility lifecycle, including design, licensing, construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance, or major plant modifications .
Experience with reactor startup, initial fuel loading, startup physics testing, operating procedures, surveillance programs, maintenance programs, or operational-readiness activities.
Experience with nuclear instrumentation and monitoring systems , such as neutron or flux monitoring, radiation detection, continuous air monitoring, area radiation monitoring, effluent monitoring, or environmental monitoring.
Experience in one or more nuclear technical disciplines such as reactor physics, fuel management, criticality safety, source term, radiation shielding, radiation protection, or nuclear material monitoring .
Experience with a first-of-a-kind or advanced-reactor program where design, licensing, testing, commissioning, and operating approaches are being developed concurrently.
Occasionally requires schedule flexibility.
Occasionally requires extended hours to support critical design, testing, commissioning, or operational milestones.
The salary range for this position is $235,488 to $294,360 for employees working onsite at our Alameda, CA headquarters. The range provided in this job posting represents the typical range or starting rate of candidates hired in California. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include your education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, the market data for your work location, and a comparison to other employees already in the role.
#LI-Onsite

Benefits & Perks

We know that we have some of the most talented and dedicated employees, and we believe in rewarding them accordingly. If you work here, full-time employees (excludes interns) expect to have access to the benefits below:
Competitive compensation packages
Medical, dental and vision benefits for employees and their dependents
Paid Vacation
401(k) and pre-tax health insurance, dependent care, and commuter benefits (FSA)
Candidates only, no recruiters or agencies please.
Note: You are applying for a position that is located in a facility that handles information that is subject to export control restrictions by the Department of Energy under 10 CFR Part 810. To work in this facility, you need to be authorized by the Department of Energy to access Part 810-controlled information. Foreign nationals who are citizens of countries that are not on the Department of Energy’s general authorization list (link below) are not permitted to work in our facility unless the Department of Energy issues an export control license to the company to permit that individual to have access to Part 810-controlled information. The following questions are intended to determine the licensing requirements that may apply. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/10/appendix-A_to_part_810