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Sr. Process Design Engineer – Inert Gas System

Oak Ridge, TN or Albuquerque, NM

Company Overview

Kairos Power is a new nuclear energy technology and engineering company whose mission is to enable the world’s transition to clean energy, with the ultimate goal to dramatically improve people’s quality of life while protecting the environment. This goal will be accomplished through the commercialization of the fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (FHR) that can be deployed with robust safety, affordable costs, and flexible operation to accommodate the expansion of variable renewables.

Job Summary 

Kairos Power is seeking a Senior Process Design Engineer to support the Cover Gas and Tritium Management Systems for our first low-power demonstration nuclear reactor and future commercial reactor units. In this role, you will help define and deliver high-purity cover gas processes that ensure safe, reliable, and clean operation of the reactor. This position offers the opportunity to shape core nuclear systems, from design through commissioning, in a collaborative and fast-paced engineering environment.  

Responsibilities 

  • Lead design and integration of Inert Gas System (IGS) processes and components for an advanced reactor, ensuring safety, performance, and regulatory alignment.  
  • Define technical basis for IGS designs that enable high-purity gas operations and effective removal of chemical and radioactive impurities, encompassing process architecture, component selection, and operating strategies. 
  • Develop and maintain key system documentation such as P&IDs, process control narratives, and design specifications. 
  • Define and execute testing commissioning and acceptance plans to verify performance, reliability, and maintainability of critical hardware. 
  • Collaborate across disciplines—Plant Design, Process Design, I&C, Operations, and Safety—to ensure seamless integration of IGS with interfacing systems. 
  • Select and qualify materials, instrumentation, and components for use in radioactive gas and high-temperature environments. 
  • Support hazard analyses, FMEA, and licensing efforts to ensure robust safety and regulatory compliance. 
  • Work with vendors and suppliers to specify and evaluate nuclear-grade gas handling and tritium management equipment. 
  • Provide technical mentorship and leadership to engineers developing next-generation gas and process systems. 

Qualifications

  • B.S. (or higher) in Nuclear, Chemical, or Mechanical Engineering. 
  • 7+ years of relevant industry experience in nuclear, molten salt, refining, chemical, power generation process design engineering or similar applicable industry
  • Demonstrated experience designing, delivering, and commissioning high-purity gas systems skids or other containment-critical chemical processes. 
  • Proficient in interpreting Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs), Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), and process equipment datasheets 
  • Experience with HazOp, FMEA, and safety-by-design principles for nuclear or high-risk systems. 
  • Familiarity with codes and standards applicable to nuclear systems (ASME, API, NRC, IAEA). 
  • Experience using process modeling tools (Aspen Plus, AFT Fathom/Arrow, etc.). 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

  • Ability to work with highly collaborative team with excellent verbal and written communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills
  • Demonstrated capacity for autonomous problem-solving
  • Ability to solve problems quickly and efficiently
  • Prioritizes and ensures safety of oneself and others
  • Ability to proactively collect, manage and transfer knowledge
  • Ability to seek different and novel ways to create efficiencies when working on problems, challenges and issues
  • Experience in a nuclear material, radiological processing, of radioactive gas handling systems facility is preferred but not required.  
  • Prior experience in nuclear or high-temperature chemical systems preferred. 
  • Proven ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-disciplinary engineering environment and drive design to completion. 

Physical Demands 

  • Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods
  • Communicating with others to exchange information

Environmental Conditions 

  • General office environment
  • Accessing the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of the work assigned
  • High-concentration, demanding and fast-paced

Travel 

  • Travel (up to 20%) to other Kairos Power offices and vendor locations

The salary range for this position is $118,100 to $139,000 for employees working onsite at our Albuquerque, NM location. The range provided in this job posting represents the typical range or starting rate of candidates hired in California. Factors that maybe used to determine your actual salary may include your education, experience, knowledge, skills, ability and the market data for your work location, and a comparison to other employees already in the role. 

#LI-Onsite

About our Benefits

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)

Kairos Power is committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the communities where we do business. Kairos Power is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We actively welcome people of different experiences, abilities, and perspectives.

Kairos Power participates in E-Verify.

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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

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