Lead Thermal Fluid Hydraulics Engineer

Airswift; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Airswift in Houston is seeking a Lead/Principal Thermal-Hydraulics Engineer to build and guide the thermal-hydraulics capability for a growing nuclear energy organization. You will lead hands-on analysis, develop standards, and mentor engineers while directing multiple projects across reactor, power-conversion, and heat-transport systems.

The role emphasizes verification and validation, CFD and multi-physics modeling, regulatory documentation, and risk-informed decision making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Nuclear, Chemical, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of relevant technical experience in thermal-hydraulics or thermal-fluids.
• Hands-on leadership in nuclear or regulated safety-critical environments.
• Experience supporting regulatory, licensing, safety analysis, or technical documentation.
• Strong problem-solving and engineering judgment.

Responsibilities

• Lead analysis of fluid flow, pressure drop, heat removal, coolant behavior, and system response.
• Develop engineering approaches integrating heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics.
• Evaluate flow behavior, mixing, recirculation, and stability for complex systems.
• Apply first-principles thermodynamics to Brayton-cycle and related power-conversion apps.
• Model and evaluate integrated system behavior and interfaces across projects.
• Oversee verification, validation, benchmarking, and data correlation activities.

Skills

Thermal-Hydraulics

Thermal-Fluids Engineering

Fluid Dynamics

Heat Transfer

Thermodynamics

Systems Performance Analysis

Computational Modeling

Verification & Validation

Regulatory / Licensing Support

Helium and Supercritical CO2 Thermal-<

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Nuclear, Chemical, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline

Job description

LEAD / PRINCIPAL THERMAL-HYDRAULICS ENGINEER

Deployable Energy Position Summary Senior, hands-on technical leader responsible for establishing and developing the thermal-hydraulics and thermal-fluids engineering capability within a growing nuclear energy organization. Provides technical leadership while remaining directly involved in engineering execution, analysis, technical problem-solving, and project delivery. This role will help establish discipline-specific standards, processes, tools, and technical practices; support multiple concurrent projects; and mentor developing engineers as the organization scales.

Functional Scope

• Thermal-Hydraulics - Lead analysis of fluid flow, pressure drop, heat removal, coolant behavior, and system response for reactor, power-conversion, heat-transport, and supporting systems.
• Thermal-Fluids Engineering - Develop engineering approaches integrating heat transfer, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and component performance into practical design and operating decisions.
• Fluid Dynamics - Evaluate internal and external flow behavior including compressible-flow effects, flow distribution, mixing, recirculation, instability, and related impacts on system performance.
• Heat Transfer - Assess conduction, convection, radiation, heat-exchanger performance, thermal margins, component temperatures, and heat-rejection pathways across normal, transient, and off-normal conditions.
• Thermodynamics - Apply first-principles and systems-level thermodynamic analysis to Brayton-cycle, helium, supercritical CO2, and related power-conversion applications.
• Systems Analysis - Model and evaluate integrated system behavior, interfaces, operating envelopes, performance limits, and interactions between reactor, heat transport, power conversion, and supporting systems.
• Engineering Modeling & Simulation - Build, maintain, and review analytical, system-level, CFD, and multiphysics models used to support design decisions, technical trade studies, and licensing-quality documentation.
• Performance Analysis - Quantify component and system performance against design requirements, operating targets, safety margins, efficiency goals, and project-level technical objectives.
• Steady-State and Transient Analysis - Perform analyses across normal operation, startup, shutdown, load changes, upset conditions, and design-basis scenarios to understand system response and technical risk.
• Verification & Validation - Establish and apply methods for model checking, benchmarking, sensitivity studies, test-data correlation, uncertainty evaluation, and documentation of analysis credibility.
• Regulatory and Licensing Support - Prepare analysis inputs, assumptions, technical bases, methods, results summaries, and supporting documentation suitable for review within highly regulated nuclear programs.

Technical Leadership

• Serve as the senior technical resource and subject matter expert within the assigned discipline.
• Lead and personally execute complex technical work across multiple nuclear projects and programs.
• Establish and maintain discipline-specific engineering standards, methodologies, procedures, and best practices.
• Lead and participate in technical reviews, design reviews, and technical decision-making.
• Identify and resolve complex multidisciplinary engineering issues while maintaining appropriate technical rigor.

Engineering / Technical Execution

• Develop, perform, and review thermal-fluid and thermal-hydraulic analyses supporting nuclear engineering programs.
• Develop and maintain analytical, system-level, or computational models as appropriate to project needs.
• Evaluate fluid flow, heat transfer, thermodynamic, steady-state, transient, and system-performance behavior.
• Perform or oversee system-level, transient, sensitivity, benchmark, and correlation analyses against test or available operational data where applicable.
• Support model verification, validation, benchmarking, uncertainty evaluation, and technical-review activities.
• Apply relevant computational tools and methods, including CFD and systems-analysis tools, where appropriate to project needs.
• Evaluate thermal-fluid behavior in helium-cooled and supercritical CO2 systems, including heat exchangers, turbomachinery interfaces, power-conversion systems, and related balance-of-system equipment.
• Support design evaluation, technical optimization, testing, technical decision-making, and multidisciplinary engineering integration.

Team & Capability Development

• Help establish and grow the discipline capability within the organization.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior and early-career personnel.
• Support technical assessment of future team members.
• Develop repeatable technical practices and workflows that support continued organizational growth.
• Promote knowledge transfer, accountability, and continuous technical development.

Technical Governance

• Ensure technical activities align with applicable nuclear-industry codes, standards, regulations, quality requirements, and company procedures.
• Support engineering quality, configuration management, document control, and change-control practices.
• Ensure technical work is appropriately developed, reviewed, documented, and controlled.
• Incorporate technical risk management into engineering decision-making.
• Support corrective actions and continuous-improvement initiatives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with engineering leadership, project leaders, systems engineering, and adjacent technical disciplines.
• Collaborate with quality, safety, licensing/regulatory, testing, manufacturing, supply chain, and project-delivery functions.
• Support multidisciplinary technical integration across concurrent projects.
• Interface with suppliers, manufacturers, laboratories, engineering partners, and other external stakeholders as required.

Safety & Quality

• Champion a strong nuclear safety culture and disciplined engineering execution.
• Promote quality-focused technical work and risk-informed decision-making.
• Maintain technical rigor while operating effectively in a fast-moving, evolving organization.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Nuclear, Chemical, Aerospace Engineering, or related discipline.
• Approximately 10+ years of relevant technical experience, unless discipline-specific requirements indicate otherwise.
• Demonstrated hands-on technical experience within thermal-hydraulics, thermal-fluids, systems analysis, or related engineering disciplines.
• Experience leading complex technical work, projects, workstreams, or engineering teams.
• Experience within nuclear or another highly regulated, safety-critical engineering environment.
• Experience supporting regulatory, licensing, safety analysis, or technical documentation activities within a nuclear or similarly regulated environment.
• Strong technical problem-solving, engineering judgment, and decision-making capability.
• Ability to operate successfully within a growing organization where processes and capabilities are still being developed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced engineering degree.
• Experience with thermal-hydraulic systems analysis, CFD, or complex systems modeling.
• Experience with helium-cooled systems, supercritical CO2 power cycles, Brayton-cycle systems, or related advanced-reactor thermal-fluid applications.
• Experience with verification, validation, benchmarking, or test-data correlation.
• Familiarity with regulatory-review processes, licensing methods, nuclear-quality requirements, or preparation of safety-related technical bases.
• Professional Engineering registration, Chartered Engineer status, or equivalent credential where applicable.
• Direct nuclear-industry experience.
• Experience establishing or improving technical processes, standards, and organizational capability.
• Experience mentoring or developing junior technical personnel.
• Experience supporting multidisciplinary or matrixed engineering organizations.

Core Competencies

• Thermal-Hydraulics
• Thermal-Fluids Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Heat Transfer
• Thermodynamics
• Systems Performance Analysis
• Computational Modeling
• Verification & Validation
• Regulatory / Licensing Support
• Helium and Supercritical CO2 Thermal-Fluid Systems
• Technical Leadership
• Nuclear Safety Culture
• Engineering Judgment