Senior Engineer, Thermal Hydraulics

Location: Bellevue, Washington, United States

Department: Natrium

 

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, Thermal Hydraulics

Reporting to the Manager, System Thermal Hydraulics Methods & Analysis, you will perform investigations and analyses of thermal hydraulics and fluid dynamics for the liquid sodium-cooled Natrium Reactor Program. Ideal candidates will have background and experience in running more than one commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code, as well as steady and transient hydraulic network analysis.

Responsibilities

• Performing analysis and design of structures, systems, and components for the Natrium Reactor
• Computational thermal-fluids analysis using 3D CFD tools
• Perform steady-state and transient hydraulic network analysis
• Document and present results to peers and outside organizations
• Support continuous learning and application of nuclear industry best practices in order to maintain the highest quality of engineering design and proactively identify process change/enhancement opportunities
• Work with cross-disciplinary teams to analyze the thermal and mechanical design considerations for the reactor and its components
• Work on complex issues where judgment in selecting methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results with minimal supervision.

Key Qualifications and Skills

• Minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Nuclear, or Chemical engineering (or equivalent); or 3 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with demonstrated ability to perform the thermal-hydraulic analysis of nuclear reactor core and/or system components
• Minimum of 3 years of demonstrated use commercial CFD package (STAR-CCM+ preferred)
• Working knowledge of variety CFD best practices, modeling approaches, meshing parameters to be suited for specific applications balancing accuracy, computer resources.
• Experience with one or more CAD modeling tools such as SolidWorks preferred
• Experience with nuclear systems applications of Computational Fluid Dynamics a plus
• Experience with low Prandtl number fluid heat transfer a plus
• Familiarity and experience with CFD verification and validation of computational modeling methodologies a plus
• Experience in Software Quality Assurance (SQA) program and Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1) standards highly preferred
• Creative thinker with demonstrated strong analytical/problem solving skills
• Ability to work on multiple tasks concurrently during a given work week
• Strong communication skills desired
• The successful candidate will possess a high degree of trust and integrity, communicate openly and display respect, and a desire to foster teamwork
• Actual position starting level and title will be determined based on assessment of qualifications.

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: $117,922 - $176,883

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.

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation
• Salary, eligible to participate in discretionary short-term incentive payments
• Comprehensive Medical and Wellness Benefits
  • Medical
  • Vision
  • Dental
  • Life and Disability
  • 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/