Back to jobs
New

Engineer, Fuel Development

Oak Ridge, TN

 

Standard Nuclear is fueling America’s nuclear renaissance at industrial scale. Our mission is to deliver the essential building blocks of nuclear power—enabling cost-effective, safe, and secure energy for the world. 

 

The Nuclear Fuel Development Engineer supports Standard Nuclear’s fuel development and manufacturing programs by providing engineering and design support for current and upcoming fuel and fuel-related manufacturing projects. This role contributes to the development of equipment, tooling, fabrication methods, characterization workflows, and manufacturing processes used to advance nuclear fuel production capabilities.

This is a hands-on technical role suited for an engineer with experience or strong interest in fuel development, advanced manufacturing, materials processing, mechanical design, process development, fabrication support, or characterization. The Nuclear Fuel Development Engineer will support project execution from concept development through design, fabrication, testing, troubleshooting, and manufacturing readiness.

The role requires strong technical fundamentals, practical engineering judgment, disciplined documentation, and the ability to work closely with fuel development, manufacturing, engineering, characterization, quality, EH&S, radiological controls, and external vendors in a regulated nuclear fuel fabrication environment.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES  

 

Fuel Development & Engineering Support

  • Support engineering activities for advanced nuclear fuel development and fuel-related manufacturing projects
  • Develop and refine equipment concepts, tooling, fixtures, fabrication methods, and process support systems
  • Assist with planning and execution of process trials, technical demonstrations, test campaigns, and manufacturing readiness activities
  • Evaluate equipment performance, material behavior, fabrication constraints, and process results to improve repeatability and product consistency
  • Help identify technical risks, process limitations, and opportunities to improve yield, throughput, reliability, or manufacturability

Equipment Design & Fabrication Support

  • Support design, fabrication, installation, testing, and improvement of equipment, tooling, fixtures, and production support hardware
  • Create and review drawings, models, layouts, specifications, and technical requirements for manufacturing and development equipment
  • Work with internal teams and external vendors to source, fabricate, modify, and implement components, tooling, and equipment
  • Provide engineering support during equipment trials, troubleshooting, startup, and process development activities
  • Ensure designs and fabrication methods support safe operation, practical manufacturing, maintainability, and scalability

Manufacturing Development & Process Integration

  • Work with fuel development and manufacturing teams to translate technical requirements into practical production methods and procedures
  • Support development of process flows, material movement plans, characterization workflows, and manufacturing readiness activities
  • Assist with optimization of fabrication methods, equipment setup, product handling, and process execution
  • Coordinate with technicians, operators, engineers, and quality personnel to support hands-on execution of development and manufacturing work
  • Support root cause investigations and corrective actions related to equipment performance, process variation, material issues, or product quality concerns

Characterization, Testing & Technical Evaluation

  • Coordinate with characterization and quality teams to evaluate material properties, product attributes, inspection results, and process outcomes
  • Review and analyze data from process runs, equipment trials, inspections, measurements, and characterization activities
  • Use technical data to identify trends, assess performance, and support engineering decision-making
  • Prepare technical summaries, test reports, process records, and data packages
  • Support continuous improvement of test methods, documentation practices, and technical workflows as programs mature

Documentation, Quality & Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Develop and maintain engineering documentation including drawings, specifications, test plans, procedures, work instructions, process records, reports, and change documentation
  • Communicate technical status, risks, open issues, and recommended actions clearly to project and technical stakeholders
  • Participate in design reviews, technical reviews, project planning, troubleshooting, and readiness activities
  • Ensure work is documented clearly, accurately, and in accordance with company requirements
  • Follow applicable safety, radiological, quality, environmental, and operational requirements

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, or a related technical discipline
  • 3–6 years of experience in fuel development, advanced manufacturing, equipment design, process development, materials processing, fabrication support, or related technical work preferred
  • Hands-on experience in laboratory, pilot, manufacturing, fabrication, or regulated technical environments
  • Experience supporting equipment design, tooling, fixtures, test campaigns, process troubleshooting, or manufacturing scale-up
  • Familiarity with advanced materials, ceramics, powders, fuel materials, thermal processing, characterization, or precision manufacturing is preferred
  • Ability to analyze technical data and develop clear conclusions from process, test, inspection, or characterization results
  • Strong technical documentation skills, including drawings, specifications, procedures, test plans, reports, or controlled documentation
  • Ability to work cross-functionally with engineers, technicians, operators, quality personnel, safety teams, and external vendors
  • Experience with ERP, MRP, procurement, or inventory management systems; NetSuite or similar systems preferred 
  • Strong Excel and data analysis skills 
  • Strong attention to detail and commitment to safety, quality, and procedural compliance
  • Experience in nuclear, DOE, NRC, national laboratory, aerospace, defense, chemical processing, energy, or other regulated environments is a plus

 

BENEFITS  

  • Health, Dental & Vision Insurance 
  • Health Savings Account 
  • Disability and Life Insurance
  • 401K Plan
  • Paid Time Off, Holidays  

 

WORK ENVIRONMENT  

This role is based on-site at Standard Nuclear’s Oak Ridge, TN nuclear fuel fabrication facility and involves work across office, laboratory, manufacturing, and controlled environments.

The position requires regular interaction with fuel development, engineering, manufacturing, characterization, quality, EH&S, radiological controls, maintenance, vendors, and technical teams. Work may involve laboratory activities, manufacturing equipment, fabrication support, characterization activities, controlled areas, and use of required PPE. Adherence to site safety, quality, radiological, environmental, and operational procedures is expected.

Standard Nuclear embraces equal opportunity and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.  

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. 

 

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Standard Nuclear, Inc.? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

U.S. Standard Demographic Questions

We invite applicants to share their demographic background. If you choose to complete this survey, your responses may be used to identify areas of improvement in our hiring process.
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Standard Nuclear, Inc.’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 07/31/2029

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.