Manager - Civil Structures

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 Civil Structural Manager to lead and develop a team of civil and structural engineers responsible for the design and engineering of nuclear facility structures, including reactor buildings and associated infrastructure. This role manages team performance, workload, and staffing needs while establishing Civil/Structural requirements, directing discipline engineering decisions, and evaluating the technical acceptability of designs prepared by external Engineers of Record (EORs) and design consultants.

The Civil Structural Manager supports Kairos Power’s Design Authority and is accountable for team technical quality and Civil/Structural engineering judgment and technical acceptance within delegated authority. The position works closely with the Technical Project Manager (TPM), system owners, and multidisciplinary engineering teams to align team priorities and resources to develop technically sound, coordinated, and constructible designs supporting Hermes and future deployments.

 

Responsibilities

People Management and Team Development

• Supervise, coach, and develop civil and structural engineers, providing technical guidance, regular feedback, and career development support.
• Establish individual and team performance expectations, conduct performance evaluations, and address performance and development needs.
• Plan and assign work, balance team capacity, and monitor deliverables to meet technical quality standards and project milestones in coordination with the TPM.
• Assess staffing and skill needs, support recruiting and hiring decisions, and oversee onboarding and training for team members.
• Promote nuclear safety culture, engineering rigor, collaboration, and timely escalation of technical concerns within the team.

 

Technical Leadership and Design Basis

• Oversee the development and maintenance Civil/Structural design requirements, criteria, assumptions, codes, standards, and acceptance criteria.
• Establish technical requirements for foundations, concrete structures, structural steel, seismic design, equipment anchorage, and structural interfaces.
• Provide engineering judgment and discipline technical direction consistent with the approved design basis and company objectives.
• Evaluate departures from established requirements and document their technical basis, disposition, and required approvals.
• Maintain traceability of technical decisions and support Kairos Power Design Authority reviews.

External Engineering Oversight

• Lead technical reviews of calculations, drawings, specifications, models, and reports prepared by external EORs and consultants.
• Evaluate deliverables for technical adequacy and compliance with approved requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Own Civil/Structural review comments, their technical disposition, and verification of resolution.
• Approve, conditionally accept, or reject discipline technical content within delegated authority; elevate decisions requiring additional authorization.
• Confirm Civil/Structural technical acceptability and required discipline approvals before package release.

Design Development and Technical Interfaces

• Define and evaluate Civil/Structural inputs from process systems, equipment owners, and other engineering disciplines.
• Resolve structural requirements associated with building configurations, equipment arrangements, penetrations, openings, shielding, cranes, and equipment replacement paths.
• Develop technical positions and lead discipline evaluations for foundation systems, seismic isolation, precast construction, modularization, and structural-system selection.
• Lead the Civil/Structural technical content of trade studies, incorporating constructability, operations, maintenance, and lifecycle considerations.
• Support Civil/Structural aspects of licensing, quality assurance, procurement, permitting, and construction.

Collaboration and Change Control

• Partner with the TPM (Technical Project Manager) to align technical decisions and team resources with project scope, cost, schedule, and design maturity.
• Provide discipline technical direction and acceptance criteria through the coordinated external design-delivery process.
• Own the technical basis for Civil/Structural design changes and approve their discipline effects within delegated authority.
• Identify and escalate unresolved technical risks, inadequate design inputs, and interface issues.
• Apply lessons learned from Hermes projects and develop team practices for knowledge sharing to improve subsequent designs and engineering practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering or related field.
• A minimum of 8 years of experience in civil structural engineering, preferably with a focus on nuclear projects.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience in a leadership or supervisory role.
• Significant experience in structural analysis and design for nuclear, industrial, or other complex facilities.
• Demonstrated technical leadership in concrete and steel structures, foundations, seismic design, and equipment anchorage.
• Experience reviewing engineering calculations, drawings, specifications, and multidisciplinary design interfaces.
• Experience providing technical oversight of external engineering consultants or EORs.
• P.E. (Professional Engineer) License

Preferred Qualifications

• A master’s degree or higher in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related field is highly desirable.
• Structural Engineer (S.E.) license is preferred.
• Experience with nuclear safety-related structures, design-basis documentation, quality assurance, and configuration control is preferred.
• Experience supporting licensing, permitting, procurement, and field resolution of structural issues is preferred.
• Experience with seismic isolation, precast construction, modularization, or advanced reactor facilities is preferred.
• Previous experience working on nuclear projects, such as nuclear power plants or radioactive waste management facilities, is a strong plus. Familiarity with the unique challenges and regulatory requirements specific to nuclear projects demonstrates the ability to navigate complex projects is preferred.
• A Professional Engineer (P.E.) license in CA, NM, or TN is a plus. Additional certifications related to civil and structural engineering for nuclear applications are advantageous. These may include certifications in nuclear safety, seismic design, or specialized software tools used in the nuclear industry.
• Knowledge of Finite Element Analysis (e.g. Ansys, LS-DYNA) is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to interpret applicable requirements and develop clear, defensible engineering decisions.
• Strong knowledge of civil and structural engineering projects, codes and standards applicable to nuclear facilities.
• Proficiency in structural analysis software (e.g. SAP2000) and computer aided design (CAD) software (e.g. SolidWorks, Revit, AutoCad).
• Familiar with plant layout software (e.g. AVEVA, AutoCad Plant 3D).
• Experienced in seismic analysis and design, including familiarity with seismic codes and regulations.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills to address complex engineering challenges.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks, and meet project deadlines.
• Understand nuclear safety culture and commitment to maintaining the highest safety standards.
• Entrepreneurial, flexible, open to new ideas, collaborative in nature with full buy-in to the Kairos Power mission.
• Ability to coach and develop engineers, establish clear performance expectations, provide constructive feedback, and address performance concerns.
• Ability to assess team capacity and skill needs, delegate work appropriately, and balance competing project priorities with available resources.

Physical Demands

• Remaining in a stationary position for prolonged periods
• Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another
• Communicating with others to exchange information 

Environmental Conditions

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

Safety and PPE

• Reading and interpreting hazardous warning signs
• Reporting issues with equipment or unsafe conditions
• Wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE), which may include face mask, face shields, gloves, safety shoes, or other required PPE

Travel

• 10% travel may be required to travel between sites  

Certification

• None required

Additional Requirements

• Occasionally requires schedule flexibility
• Occasionally requires extended hours to support launch and critical project timelines 

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

 

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.

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