Integration Engineer — Advanced Nuclear Reactor

Job description

About the Role The Integration Engineer owns the technical coherence of the plant. You are the single point of accountability for ensuring that mechanical, electrical, I&C, structural, HVAC, fluid, and shielding systems fit — physically, functionally, and analytically — into a licensable, buildable, operable reactor. You will translate top-level plant requirements into system-level interfaces, adjudicate cross-discipline design conflicts, and ensure the as designed configuration remains traceable to the licensing basis through detailed design, construction, and commissioning. This is not a coordination role. You will make binding technical decisions, defend them in front of internal design review boards, vendor teams, and — ultimately — the cognizant licensing authority. Your work will be reviewed against the requirements of the applicable quality assurance program (e.g., 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B or equivalent) and against the design, analysis, and performance expectations of the licensing pathway the program is pursuing (e.g., the deterministic framework under 10 CFR Part 50/52, the risk informed, performance-based framework under 10 CFR Part 53, or equivalent international frameworks). What You Will Do Own the plant-level interface control system. Establish, maintain, and enforce Interface Control Documents (ICDs) between systems and between the plant and balance-of-plant, site, and transportation packages. Drive closure of interface open items with quantified acceptance criteria — not narrative agreements. Convert requirements into design. Decompose top-level functional and regulatory requirements (Principal Design Criteria, PRA success criteria, defense-in-depth commitments) into system-level performance requirements. Maintain bidirectional traceability from the FSAR/PSAR down to component-level design specifications and back. Lead cross-discipline design integration reviews. Chair working sessions that resolve conflicts between piping routing (ASME B31.1 / BPVC Section III), structural steel and civil embeds (ACI 349, AISC N690), electrical raceway (IEEE 384 separation), HVAC ducting (ASME AG-1), and I&C sensor placement (IEEE 603, IEEE 7-4.3.2). Document decisions, rationale, and impact on the licensing basis. Manage the digital plant model. Serve as the technical authority for the master 3D model and PLM environment (NX / Creo / SolidWorks; Teamcenter / Windchill / Enovia). Enforce clash detection cadence, model maturity gates, and configuration control per NQA-1 Requirement 3 (Design Control) and Requirement 6 (Document Control). Support licensing. Prepare and defend integration-related sections of the SAR, respond to requests for additional information (RAIs) from the licensing authority, and support pre-application interactions. Ensure that design changes are evaluated under the applicable change-control process (e.g., 10 CFR 50.59, the Part 53 equivalent, or the program's authorization basis change process) before implementation. Drive constructability and operability. Partner with construction, startup, and operations to ensure integrated design supports modular fabrication, field assembly tolerances, maintenance access, ALARA principles (10 CFR 20), and human factors engineering (NUREG-0711). Manage design margin. Establish and defend margin allocations across systems. Prevent inadvertent margin erosion through uncoordinated design changes. Verify that the thermal-hydraulic, radiological, and mechanical loads assumed by each system remain consistent with the plant-level heat, mass, and energy balance owned by the responsible analysis group. Required Qualifications BS in Mechanical, Nuclear, Systems, or Aerospace Engineering. MS strongly preferred. 8+ years of engineering experience, with at least 4 years in nuclear, aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated systems-integration environment. (Adjust years for the level you post.) Demonstrated experience decomposing top-level requirements into system-level specifications, and defending those specifications under formal review. Working fluency in the following codes and standards — meaning you have used them to make or defend design decisions, not merely read them: ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III (Divisions 1 and 5) ASME B31.1 (Power Piping) and B31.3 (Process Piping) ASME NQA-1 (Quality Assurance Requirements for Nuclear Facility Applications) IEEE 603, IEEE 384, IEEE 7-4.3.2 (safety I&C and electrical separation) 10 CFR Part 50, Part 52, and Part 21; familiarity with Part 53 and Part 20 INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook or ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 practice Hands on proficiency with a major 3D CAD / PLM environment and with requirements-management tooling (DOORS, Jama, Polarion, or equivalent). Experience authoring or reviewing design change packages, interface control documents, and design verification reports under a formal QA program. Demonstrated ability to communicate technical positions clearly in writing and to defend them under adversarial review — including in front of regulators, customers, or independent review boards. Preferred Qualifications Direct experience supporting a licensing action before a nuclear regulatory authority (design certification, construction permit, operating license, or the equivalent under 10 CFR 50.59 / Part 53 / international frameworks) or comparable authorization basis work under DOE-STD-3009 and DOE-STD-1237. Experience with advanced reactor technologies (HTGR, sodium fast, molten salt, heat-pipe, or microreactor) and the associated ANS design criteria standards (e.g., ANS 54.1, 53.1, 20.1). Familiarity with probabilistic risk assessment methods (ASME/ANS RA-Sa) and the LMP / NEI 18-04 methodology. Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) proficiency in SysML using Cameo, Rhapsody, or equivalent. Experience integrating factory-fabricated modular assemblies with site construction. Familiarity with transportation package design (10 CFR 71) and interfaces between the reactor and its transport/shielding configuration. Professional Engineer (PE) license. What Will Set a Candidate Apart You have walked a plant during construction or an outage and can point to specific integration mistakes you either caught or made — and what you did about them. You can explain, without notes, why a particular safety-related pipe support ended up where it did and what standards, loads, and interfaces drove that outcome. You have said "no" to a program manager, defended it technically, and been right. Requirements: Based in the United States Willing to work on-site in Austin, TX What We Offer: Competitive salary based on technical level Health, Dental, Vision Insurance Paid Time Off Corporate Gym Membership Additional Information: Aalo Atomics provides a collaborative and supportive work environment, opportunities for professional growth, intellectually challenging careers, and competitive compensation. Aalo Atomics is an equal opportunity employer and considers all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Persons in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810 and may not hold non-compliant foreign citizenships. Direct applicants only. No recruiters or staffing agencies, please. About Aalo Atomics Aalo Atomics is pioneering a new era in clean energy with factory-fabricated microreactors designed to deliver affordable, scalable, and reliable nuclear power. Our mission is to make nuclear energy globally accessible, starting with the Aalo-1, a 10 MWe reactor leveraging cutting-edge safety, modularity, and efficiency. Based in Austin, TX, we’re rapidly growing as we work to deploy the world’s first fleet of advanced microreactors. Join us and help revolutionize energy for a sustainable future.