Reactor Operations Engineer

Radiant Nuclear

• $110K — $130K *
Energy & Utilities
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • BS in nuclear, mechanical, aerospace, systems, or related engineering discipline.
  • 3-5 years of professional engineering experience, with exposure to systems engineering or integration.
  • Ability to work effectively across multiple engineering disciplines.
  • Developing experience in cross-functional technical collaboration.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation.
  • Good organizational skills for tracking tasks and follow-through.
  • Ability to apply first-principles thinking amid ambiguity.

Responsibilities

  • Support translation between various engineering teams to surface assumptions and tensions.
  • Maintain libraries of P&IDs, sensors, and subsystem specifications for design alignment.
  • Identify cross-cutting risks early and drive them toward resolution.
  • Collaborate with safety analysis and licensing teams to ensure consistency in design and regulatory submissions.
  • Develop design basis, safety classification, and technical specification documentation.
  • Assist in component and subsystem testing, including test plans and data collection.
  • Maintain the technical baseline using lightweight processes suitable for a startup environment.

Benefits

  • Substantial incentive stock plan for all full-time employees.
  • 100% medical coverage up to base silver level for employee, 50% for dependents.
  • Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and dependents.
  • 100% top-tier vision and dental plan coverage, 50% for dependents.
  • 8-weeks of paid parental leave for all parents, with additional paid pregnancy leave for CA employees.
  • Daily catered lunch and free snacks and drinks.
  • Flexible PTO policy and remote workday allocation.
Full Job Description
About the Role
We are seeking a Reactor Systems Engineer to support the technical integration of a first-of-a-kind reactor. With no operating predecessor to copy and no mature supply chain, you will help ensure that design decisions across nuclear physics, thermal-hydraulics, controls, structures, materials, fuel, and licensing come together into a reactor that works safely and is delivered to customers on time.

This role is hands-on technically - you'll dig into thermal models, component specs, and subsystem designs - while also building the collaboration and communication skills needed to work across engineering disciplines. You'll work closely with senior systems engineers and discipline leads to learn how a fast-moving nuclear hardware program stays coherent. Writing is a core part of the job: specifications, decision memos, and system descriptions are how our team stays aligned.

Responsibilities & Duties
  • Support translation between reactor physics, thermal-hydraulics, materials, controls, mechanical design, manufacturing, and regulatory teams, helping surface assumptions and tensions that appear at team boundaries.
  • Help maintain libraries of P&IDs, sensors, and subsystem specifications to support alignment from design and analysis through reactor operations.
  • Assist in identifying cross-cutting risks early and help drive them toward resolution.
  • Work with safety analysis and licensing teams to help keep design decisions, safety cases, and regulatory submissions consistent.
  • Support development of design basis, safety classification, and technical specification documentation.
  • Support component and subsystem testing efforts, including help with test plans, data collection, and feeding results back into design.
  • Help maintain the technical baseline (requirements, configuration, change control, risk registers, and documentation) using lightweight processes scaled to a fast-moving startup.
  • Communicate clearly with engineers and leadership; contribute to technical documentation for regulators and customers under guidance from senior staff.

Required Qualifications & Skills
  • BS in nuclear, mechanical, aerospace, systems, or a related engineering discipline.
  • 3-5 years of full-time professional engineering experience, with some exposure to systems engineering, integration, or cross-disciplinary technical work on complex hardware.
  • Ability to work effectively across multiple engineering disciplines.
  • Developing experience collaborating on cross-functional technical efforts.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear technical documents.
  • Good organizational skills: able to track open items and follow through on assigned work.
  • Ability to apply first-principles thinking and contribute sound judgment amid ambiguity and incomplete data.
  • Exposure to highly regulated or high-consequence industries (e.g., nuclear, aerospace, defense, advanced energy, medical devices, semiconductor equipment) preferred.

Desired Qualifications & Skills
  • Experience in first-of-a-kind or early-stage hardware programs, even in a supporting capacity.
  • Familiarity with nuclear reactor design, safety, or regulatory frameworks (e.g., 10 CFR 50/52/53, NQA-1, GDCs, defense in depth) a plus but not required.
  • Startup or small-team experience, or strong interest in working in that kind of environment.

Additional Requirements
  • Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as necessary to accomplish our mission.
  • Must work 100% onsite at El Segundo HQ.
  • Eligibility to work in the U.S. and ability to meet export control requirements.
Benefits and Perks
  • Stock: Substantial incentive stock plan for all full-time employees.
  • Medical: 100% up to base silver level plan for employee + 50% dependents, offers up to Platinum plans.
  • One Medical: Sponsored memberships for employees and their dependents.
  • Vision: 100% top tier plan coverage + 50% for dependents.
  • Dental: 100% top tier plan coverage, orthodontia extra, 50% for dependents.
  • Voluntary life, accident, hospital, critical illness, commuter and FSA/HSA are offered as employee contributed benefits.
  • 8-weeks of paid parental leave for all parents. Additional paid pregnancy leave for CA employees.
  • Daily catered lunch. Free snacks and drinks.
  • Flexible PTO policy. Remote workday allocation.
  • Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and in-person camaraderie.
  • Beautiful El Segundo headquarters close to the Pacific Ocean.


Total Compensation and Benefits
Radiant compensates people for impact and invests in those who continue to raise the bar. Radiant's new hire compensation package includes base salary, substantial equity grants, and comprehensive health benefits. Total compensation and level are determined through a rigorous evaluation of interview performance, experience, education, and qualifications, and are designed to support continued growth as scope, responsibility, and impact expand at Radiant.

The best of today's advanced reactor builders don't wait for job postings. They join the winning team. If that's you, contact us directly for immediate opportunities: [redacted].

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Radiant Nuclear

More Energy & Utilities Jobs

Find similar Reactor Operations Engineer jobs: