Design Control Lead

TerraPower LLC.; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 154,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Compensation

401k Plan

Paid Time Off 21 days

Relocation Assistance

Job summary

TerraPower LLC in Bellevue, WA is seeking a Design Control Lead to develop, implement, and maintain its design-control processes. You will provide oversight to engineering teams, suppliers, and contractors to ensure design traceability, verification, and change control.

You will collaborate across Configuration Management, Quality Assurance, Licensing, and Digital Engineering, lead audits, and mentor engineers in design-control best practices while promoting safety, rigor, and regulatory

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nuclear, mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, systems, or another relevant engineering discipline.
• 10–15 years of engineering experience in nuclear, DoE, or similarly regulated industries.
• Experience implementing design control under 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B; ASME NQA-1; or equivalent QA framework.
• Strong knowledge of design inputs/outputs, analysis, verification, changes, interfaces, and configuration management.
• Experience leading design-control procedures, audits, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to interpret regulatory requirements and translate them into practical processes.
• Excellent technical writing, communication, and mentoring skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and improvement of TerraPower design-control processes, guidance, tools, and performance metrics.
• Provide technical oversight of contractors performing design-control work.
• Define traceability between design inputs, analyses, decisions, verifications, and records.
• Guide verification rigor, independence of verifiers, and resolution of comments.
• Lead change-control methods from identification through verification and closure.
• Maintain criteria for temporary changes, deviations, and supplier changes.
• Support Engineering Change Control Boards and governance forums.
• Provide guidance to engineering, suppliers, and partner organizations.
• Develop design-control requirements for contracts, SOWs, procurement specs, and supplier QA.
• Evaluate supplier design-control processes and support audits and corrective actions.
• Collaborate with Configuration Management and Digital Engineering to align information and baselines.
• Deliver training, mentoring, and qualification guidance on design control.
• Monitor performance indicators and drive organizational improvements.

Skills

Design control

Traceability

Verification

Audits / surveillance

Regulatory knowledge

Leadership / mentoring

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Advanced degree (preferred)

Job description

TerraPower is a nuclear technology company based in Bellevue, Washington. At its core, the company is working to raise living standards globally through a more affordable, secure, and environmentally friendly form of nuclear energy along with innovations in medical isotopes to improve human health. In 2006, TerraPower originated with Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who evaluated the fundamental challenges to raising living standards around the world. They recognized energy access was crucial to the health and economic well-being of communities and decided that the private sector needed to take action and create energy sources that would advance global energy deployment. TerraPower’s mission is to be a world leader in new nuclear technologies, while developing innovators and future leaders in the nuclear field. As a result, the company’s activities in the fields of nuclear energy and related sciences are yielding significant innovations in the safety and economics of nuclear power, hybrid energy and medical applications – all for significant human health benefits.

TerraPower is seeking to hire highly motivated and forward-thinking professionals who are interested in focusing on advanced nuclear reactor research and development and influencing change within the nuclear power landscape and bringing forward the critical production of medical isotopes. TerraPower is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

TerraPower is seeking a Design Control Lead to develop, implement, and maintain its design-control processes and procedures. This role will provide oversight and guidance to engineering teams, suppliers, and contractors to ensure design traceability, verification, and change control. The Design Control Lead will also support audits, training, and coordination across Configuration Management, Quality Assurance, Licensing, and Digital Engineering.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of TerraPower design-control processes, procedures, guidance, tools, templates, and performance measures.
• Provide technical oversight of contractors performing design control process development work including but not limited to Contract Technical Representative role.
• Define and maintain methods for demonstrating traceability between design inputs, analyses, design decisions, design outputs, verification activities, and configuration-controlled records.
• Provide guidance on verification rigor, verifier independence, interdisciplinary review, assumptions management, and the resolution of verification comments.
• Lead development and implementation of design-change-control methods covering problem identification, technical evaluation, affected-document determination, interface evaluation, risk assessment, approval, implementation, verification, and closure.
• Establish and maintain criteria governing temporary changes, field changes, nonconformances, deviations, waivers, substitutions, supplier changes, and other conditions that may affect the approved design.
• Support or lead Engineering Change Control Boards and other governance forums responsible for significant design decisions and changes.
• Provide design-control oversight and guidance to engineering organizations, projects, suppliers, contractors, and partner design organizations.
• Support development of design-control requirements for contracts, statements of work, procurement specifications, and supplier quality requirements.
• Evaluate supplier and partner design-control processes and support audits, surveillances, assessments, and corrective actions.
• Work with Configuration Management leadership to ensure that approved design information, configuration baselines, changes, implementation status, and configuration records remain aligned.
• Work with Digital Engineering and product-development teams to define system requirements, workflows, controls, reports, and data relationships needed to support design control.
• Support integration of requirements management, document management, configuration management, engineering change control, design verification, and technical decision records within TerraPower’s digital engineering environment.
• Develop and deliver design-control training, mentoring, qualification guidance, and practical implementation support for engineering personnel.
• Support qualification programs for design engineers, design verifiers, approvers, responsible engineers, and other personnel performing design-control functions.
• Perform or lead design-control audits, surveillances, self-assessments, effectiveness reviews, and process-health evaluations.
• Develop and monitor design-control performance indicators, recurring-issue trends, corrective actions, and organizational improvement initiatives.
• Support corrective-action investigations.
• Interface with Quality Assurance, Licensing, regulators, customers, and external reviewers on design-control program implementation and performance.
• Promote nuclear safety culture, technical rigor, conservative decision-making, continuous learning, and application of nuclear-industry best practices.

Key Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in nuclear, mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, systems, or another relevant engineering discipline from an accredited university.
• At least 10-15 years of relevant engineering experience, including significant experience performing or overseeing design activities in nuclear power, Department of Energy facilities, or another highly regulated and technically complex industry.
• Demonstrated experience implementing nuclear design control under 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B; ASME NQA-1; or an equivalent quality assurance framework.
• Strong working knowledge of design inputs, design outputs, design analysis, design verification, design changes, design interfaces, configuration management, and design records.
• Experience developing, revising, or implementing engineering and design-control procedures.
• Experience reviewing complex engineering work products such as calculations, analyses, specifications, drawings, design basis documents, system descriptions, and engineering change packages.
• Demonstrated ability to lead resolution of multidisciplinary engineering-process and technical-governance issues.
• Experience evaluating the adequacy of design verification and the qualification and independence of design verifiers.
• Ability to interpret regulatory and quality requirements and translate them into practical engineering processes.
• Strong understanding of the relationship among design control, configuration management, quality assurance, licensing, procurement, supplier oversight, construction, testing, and operations.
• Experience leading audits, surveillances, self‑assessments, root‑cause evaluations, or corrective‑action activities.
• Demonstrated ability to influence engineering behavior and process implementation without relying solely on direct organizational authority.
• Excellent technical writing, communication, facilitation, mentoring, and presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate complex requirements clearly to engineers, managers, quality personnel, suppliers, and project stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, exercise strong engineering judgment, and manage multiple high-priority issues in a first‑of‑a‑kind project environment.
• The successful candidate will demonstrate a high degree of trust and integrity, communicate openly, show respect for others, and actively foster teamwork.
• Actual starting level and title will be determined based on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in engineering or a related technical field.
• Commercial nuclear power plant design‑engineering, systems‑engineering, engineering‑programs, or design‑authority experience.
• Experience with NRC inspections, audits, licensing reviews, or regulatory interactions involving design control.
• Experience implementing or assessing ASME NQA‑1 Requirement 3 and associated nonmandatory guidance.
• Familiarity with NRC Regulatory Guides 1.28, 1.64, 1.187, or other regulatory guidance applicable to quality assurance and design control.
• Experience with first‑of‑a‑kind reactor development, advanced reactor licensing, risk‑informed design, or the Licensing Modernization Project methodology.
• Experience overseeing architect‑engineering firms, suppliers, contractors, or partner design organizations.
• Familiarity with engineering change‑control, requirements‑management, product‑lifecycle‑management, document‑management, and configuration‑management systems.
• Experience integrating design‑control requirements into digital engineering environments and automated engineering workflows.
• Experience developing engineering qualifications, training programs, performance metrics, and management‑review processes.

This position is subject to qualification requirements in accordance with ANSI/ANS 3.1. Candidates must meet the minimum education and experience criteria applicable to the role, including relevant nuclear industry experience where required. Verification of data will be part of the hiring process.

Job Functions:

Job Functions are physical actions and/or working conditions associated with the position. These functions may also constitute essential functions for the job which the employee must be able to fulfill, with or without accommodation. Information provided below is to help describe the job so that the applicant has a reasonable understanding of the job duties/expectations. An applicant's ability to perform and/or tolerate these actions and conditions will be discussed and workplace accommodations may be made on a case‑by‑case basis following an individualized assessment of the applicant and other considerations, including but not limited to any governing safety standards.

• Motor Abilities: Sitting for extended periods, bending/stooping, grasping/gripping, fine motor control (hands)
• Physical exertion and/or requirements: Minimal, with ability to safely lift up to 25 pounds.
• Special Senses: Visual and audio focused work
• Work Conditions: Stairs, typing/keyboard, standard and/or sitting working environment of >8 hours/day
• Travel required 0-10%

TerraPower’s technology is controlled for export by various agencies of the U.S. Government. TerraPower must evaluate applicants who are foreign nationals (other than asylees, refugees, or lawful permanent residents) in accordance with U.S. Government export control requirements. To facilitate TerraPower’s export control reviews, you will be asked as part of the application process to identify whether you are a U.S. Citizen or national, asylee, refugee, or lawful permanent resident of the United States. Government export authorization approval times vary. Based on the business needs for a particular position, TerraPower may not consider a foreign national from a country if it is impracticable to obtain timely Government export approval.

Job details

Salary Range: $153,862 - $205,149
Any salary offered within the posted salary band is based on market data and commensurate with the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience. This range is specific to Washington State.

Job Type: Full‑time

• Competitive Compensation
• Salary, eligible to participate in discretionary short‑term incentive payments
• Comprehensive Medical and Wellness Benefits
  • Medical
  • Vision
  • Dental
  • Life and Disability
  • Gender Affirmation Benefits
• 401k Plan
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • 21 days of annually accrued PTO
• Generous Holiday Schedule
  • 10 paid holidays
• Relocation Assistance
• Professional and Educational Support Opportunities

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The application deadline for this role is September 1, 2026