NextGenEnergyJobsModern Power System Jobs

Plant Design Manager

Kairos Power

Alameda, CA

Full Time

Posted November 12, 2026

$175k - $219k

Nuclear Energy

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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 November 13, 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 Manager will oversee both teams, directly lead Operational Design, and partner with the existing Plant Architecture Lead to support effective execution across the broader function.

Key Responsibilities

Manage and directly contribute to assigned Plant Design deliverables across Operational Design, Plant Architecture and Plant Design Integration deliverables.
Support the Lead of Plant Architecture in coordinating Plant Design team resources when additional support is required.
Partner with the Senior Manager of Plant Design Integration in maintaining the Plant Design charter, roadmap, staffing model, governance framework, decision pathways, and phase-gate technical readiness model.
Coordinate plant-level technical integration across Engineering, Licensing, Safety Analysis, Reliability, Operations, Process Design, Instrumentation, Controls & Electrical (IC&E), Commissioning, Project Management, Configuration Management, and other partner organizations.
Coordinate alignment of Top-Level Requirements, Plant Architecture, Plant Breakdown Structure, Plant Design Requirements, system requirements, plant strategies, plant trades, Principal Design Criteria strategy, Plant Modularity Strategy, operational requirements, and project phase-gate deliverables.
Lead or contribute to the development, review, baseline readiness, and change management for assigned plant deliverables, including top-level requirements, plant/multi-plant requirements, Plant Architecture, Plant Breakdown Structure, Plant Design Requirements, system requirements integration, plant strategy register, plant trade register, safety classification strategy integration, Principal Design Criteria Strategy, Plant Modularity Strategy, plant configuration decision log, and phase-gate technical readiness inputs.
Lead or contribute to the development and integration of Operational Design deliverables, including Operating Objectives, Plant/Site Concepts of Operations, Unit Concepts of Operations, mission envelopes, operating phase maps, operational requirements, Availability Roadmap and Strategy, Plant Lifecycle Strategy, Plant Performance Strategy, Plant Design Duty Cycle ( PDDC), operational sequences, Process Control Narrative (PCN)basis inputs, Tech Specs basis inputs, commissioning/startup readiness, and handover products.
Coordinate the Technical Specifications basis integration workflow to ensure that Plant Design provides a clear, traceable, and reviewed basis package to Licensing; Licensing retains responsibility for writing, regulatory positioning, approval, and issuance of the formal Technical Specifications document.
Track open assumptions, actions, review comments, decisions, and closure plans; ensure appropriate escalation when decisions exceed assigned authority or threaten phase-gate readiness.
Manage, mentor, and develop direct reports and coordinate matrixed contributors as assigned, establishing clear expectations, timelines, responsibilities, decision rights, and review/closure standards.
Promote safety, quality, psychological safety, accountability, cross-functional collaboration, intellectual honesty, and scalable ways of working.
Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

S. degree in Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical discipline; M.S. degree or higher in a relevant engineering or technical discipline is preferred.
10 years or greater of relevant experience in complex engineered systems, nuclear power, advanced reactors, power generation, process systems, systems engineering, plant design, technical integration, or equivalent technical environment.
Experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and coordinating work across engineering, licensing, safety analysis, reliability, operations, process design, controls, project delivery, and commissioning functions.
Experience with requirements development, requirements traceability, design basis integration, configuration control, design reviews, phase-gate reviews, technical readiness reviews, or equivalent technical governance processes.
Experience with plant-level or system-level architecture, design requirements, trade studies, system integration, operational design, lifecycle planning, or technical project execution.
Experience managing technical ambiguity, cross-functional dependencies, design decisions, executive-level escalations, and project-critical tradeoffs.
Experience mentoring technical contributors, developing team capability, and building scalable work processes, tools, and governance mechanisms.
At least 5 years of relevant people management, technical leadership, or comparable leadership experience preferred, including experience operating as a manager-contributor responsible for both leading people and directly contributing to high-impact technical, integration, design authority, or programmatic deliverables.
Experience in nuclear, regulated, safety-critical, first-of-a-kind technology, or complex capital project environments preferred.
May require schedule flexibility to support critical project timelines, phase-gate reviews, design reviews, issue resolution, and executive decision-making.
May require occasional extended hours during major project milestones, design reviews, licensing readiness activities, commissioning/startup support, or urgent cross-functional escalations.
Must be able to work in a highly collaborative, technically complex, safety-focused environment.
The salary range for this position is $175,019 to $218,774 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